SUMA “Encounter Korea” exhibit a collaboration with Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles
By Emily Ronquillo
Starting Oct. 13, visitors to the Southern Utah Museum of Art will have the opportunity to learn about Korean culture through the latest exhibition titled “Encounter Korea.” The exhibition features seven Korean-American and Korean artists with varying media including sculpture, painting, and video work, curated in collaboration between SUMA and the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles to share seven uniquely Korean perspectives with southern Utah,” said Jessica Farling, director and curator of SUMA. “This exhibition features a wide variety of media, styles and stories, and our hope is that each visitor with find a piece that resonates with them.”
“Culture trumps everything,” said Nak Jung Kim, director of Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles. “Be it diplomatic ties or economic relations, when they are built through a cultural approach, the sustainability of the relation becomes more solid. Understanding each other’s cultures will build mutual trust and will eventually make barriers between us meaningless.”
South Korean and Korean-American artists have arrived in the international art world in recent years with a voice that resonates across both East and West. The Korean art scene has emerged from the traditions of its history to now reflect a world of connectivity and technology. This exhibition brings together a group of artists who highlight the technical mastery and conceptual finesse of their culture and reflect the way South Korea wants to project its image onto the world.
The exhibition is currently on display at Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles as First Encounter. SUMA will be the first museum to display the traveling exhibition designed to introduce Korean art to America.
The seven artists displaying works include, Kyungmin Kim, Whi Boo Kim, Sung Jae Lee, Kwang-Seop Oh, Yong Sin, Jung-Uk Yang, and Kyung Youl Yoon.
