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A Visit to a Korean Art Exhibition at Namuso Gallery in the Hague

Last Saturday, I visited the group exhibition ‘Asian Art on Paper’ at Namuso Gallery in the Hague. I wish I had known about this exhibition earlier, so I could have told you about it before it ended. I saw the ad about it only the evening before closing day, so I quickly went there the next day.


What a beautiful exhibition! I loved every part of it! It was a Korean art exhibition featuring three painting artists and one paper sculpture artist. The paintings were painted in a modern Minhwa style, using traditional materials like Hanji paper and pigments. The three painting artists at this exhibition were Suyeon Kwak, Haru K, and Songnyeo Lyoo. I will show the works I have seen in this exhibition with a short story about each painting. I hope you like it as well!


Korean Paintings with Animals by Suyeon Kwak

Suyeon Kwak is a Korean artist known for her detailed animal paintings. Her paintings often have a funny twist, like animals that are put in human situations. She also uses symbolic references in her paintings as done in traditional Minhwa paintings.


The painting named 'Lucky Dog' shows a rare breed of a native Korean dog in front of peony flowers and a red background. The painting is inspired by the work of a painter from the Joseon dynasty Kim Du-ryang (1696 - 1763). The bright red colour and details in the fur make this painting stand out.

Lucky Dog - by Suyeon Kwak
Lucky Dog - by Suyeon Kwak

'Deep in the Mountain' shows a small house with a dog inside. And if you look closely, you can see an even smaller house on the right side behind the tree with another dog inside. This painting made me directly recognize it as a painting by Suyeon Kwak. When I just started learning Minhwa painting, I had a book on how to paint dogs by this artist. It has paintings with similar compositions depicting dogs in human settings.


Deep in the Mountain - by Suyeon Kwak
Deep in the Mountain - by Suyeon Kwak

'Best Time for Reading' was the largest work by this artist in this exhibition, measuring 90 x 161m cm. The painting shows an interior with a dog lying on the floor behind a folding screen. The dog looks towards a table with a teapot that has a bug on it. On the folding screen, you can see a Chaekgado painting, which is a popular Minhwa genre of paintings showing books and other things you can find in a room. It is a bit like a Korean version of a still life. You can see the outside through the window, with a landscape painted in black ink.


Best Time for Reading - by Suyeon Kwak
Best Time for Reading - by Suyeon Kwak

'The Classic of Mountains and Seas' stands out from the other paintings. It has a light background and a brighter colour palette.  It shows mythical figures around a mountain on water.


left: The Classic of Mountains and Seas; right: Petmonster  - by Suyeon Kwak
left: The Classic of Mountains and Seas; right: Petmonster  - by Suyeon Kwak

'Pig Dream' and 'Pet Monster' are paintings with a strong symbolic meaning. In old times in Korea, there was a ritual called 'gosa'. It still happens these days, but much less than in the past. This ritual is mostly performed by people opening a new business, to wish for financial prosperity and good luck in business. During the gosa ritual, an altar is set up with a pig's head in the middle, and different dishes like rice cakes or fruits around it. Visitors put money in the mouth of the pig, but sometimes in the nose or ear as a good luck wish. The reason that a pig represents money, is because the Chinese character for pig sounds like the Korean word for money.


Pig dream - by Suyeon Kwak
Pig dream - by Suyeon Kwak

Delicious Journeys Painted by Haru K

Haru K is a contemporary artist who uses traditional materials in his personal style. He is known for painting dreamy sceneries combining traditional landscapes with food. The colourful fruits and vegetables stand out from the natural scenery.


The works I saw at this exhibition were large; 'A Painting in a Painting' is 131×162cm, and 'Delicious Landscapes' is 200 x 240cm.


Delicious Landscapes - by Haru K
Delicious Landscapes - by Haru K

In 'Delicious landscapes' the food is enormous and the people are tiny, symbolizing the desire of modern-day people for leisure time and good food. The longer you look at his paintings, the more small scenes you will recognize. The small scenes inside his paintings are mostly people recreating in nature, making it feel like a holiday.


A Painting in a Painting - by Haru K
A Painting in a Painting - by Haru K

Paintings exploring space and life by Songnyeo Lyoo

The Germany-based Korean artist Songnyeo Lyoo also combines traditional materials with modern themes. Her background in Buddhist art appears in her paintings with concepts like personal reflection, connection with nature, and a harmonious world. These concepts are depicted using modern aesthetics, making her art appealing to modern people.


An iconic figure is seen in all of these paintings. It is a hairy human figure, but the head is replaced by buttocks, representing the 'human' regardless of gender, more like an animal. Like used often in Buddhist art, Songnyo Lyoo used gold powder in her paintings. Golden lines connect all figures in her paintings with each other and with nature.


Safe nest #02, Safe nest #03 - by Songnyeo Lyoo
Safe nest #02, Safe nest #03 - by Songnyeo Lyoo

In the 'Safe nest' series, the shape of the artwork is like an abstract box. But when you look closer, you can see a small scene inside it. Geometric shapes are also used in the 'Trans space' painting, forming a landscape in which the figures exist. Using geometric shapes, Songnyeo Lyoo created an interesting composition with different perspectives.


Invitation An Everyday Life - by Songnyeo Lyoo
Trans space #03 - by Songnyeo Lyoo

'Invitation An Everyday Life' is different from the other works. The painting is mounted on a panel following the contours of the painting. The composition resembles a Chaekgado painting (Korean still life with books and things).


Invitation An Everyday Life - by Songnyeo Lyoo
Invitation An Everyday Life - by Songnyeo Lyoo

A Korean art exhibition that teleported me to Korea for a moment

While living in Korea, I loved to visit the galleries in Insadong. Since I moved back to the Netherlands I have missed visiting these galleries. Today I felt like visiting one of the galleries in Insadong, enjoying Korean art near my home. I am glad I found this gallery and look forward to their next exhibitions!



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