Paintings of the Joseon Dynasty that wished good luck in the New Year
Co-presented by the Traditional Korean Minhwa Center in South Korea, MINHWA Today features 25 pieces of modern minhwa, referring to the folk painting style of Korea which thrived during the Joseon period (1392-1910), exploring the unique aesthetics and sentiments of the Korean art genre reinterpreted by the minhwa artists of today.
Some of the highlights from the exhibition include Portrait of King Taejo Eojin, a magnificent portrait of King Taejo Lee Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, painted with natural pigment and gold on silk, Dream-chaekgado which is distinguished by its gold colour and three-dimensional composition expressing the artist’s wish for knowledge and wellness, and Paeksu Paekpokdo, a decorative screen containing letters that reflect a desire for blessings and longevity of life.
Enjoyed widely among common people during the Joseon era, minhwa has vivid colours, unique spatial compositions and embodies the desires of the people as each object drawn represents its own meaning - for instance, a painting of flowers and butterflies, called hwajeopdo means hope for love and harmony between married couples, and a painting of magpies and tigers used to be hung on doors on the first day of the new year as one of the New Year’s rituals to ward off bad luck while hoping for longevity and prosperity.
Dates: 8 February - 1 April 2021 (Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm)
Venue: Korean Cultural Centre gallery (Ground Fl, 255 Elizabeth St. Sydney NSW 2000)
Entry: Free
Website: www.koreanculture.org.au/minhwa-today
Artists: KWON Jungsoon, KYUNG Jung Pyo, KIM Kyung Nam, KIM Eun Joo, KIM Juim, KIM Hyekyung, KIM Hye Jeong, PARK Myungho, PARK Soon-Ee, SON Choon Ae, SONG Kowoon, AN Eulsoon, AUM Moo Sun, WOO Suk Ja, YOU Mira, LEE Sung Hyun, LEE Sook Mi, LEE Jumi, JANG Sook, JANG Jong Hee, JEON Sungsook, JOUNG Pansu, HAN Jin Hee, HWANG Sook Hee