Artist Bang Hai Ja in 2020 works at her studio in the southern French village of Ajoux. (Chung Jaejoon)

By Charles Audouin

A retrospective exhibition of the works of the late artist Bang Hai Ja (1937-2022), whose creative world spanned both Korea and France, opened on April 24 at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea's (MMCA) branch in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do Province.

Marking the 140th anniversary of diplomacy between Korea and France, the display features 67 of her works such as paintings, sculptures and crafts. Her creations from Centre Pompidou and Musee Cernuschi in Paris are also shown.

About 200 archival items are showcased such as Bang's letters, art collections, photos and objects showing her life as a painter, poet and calligrapher.

The exhibition "Bang Hai Ja: Sowing Light Across Heaven and Earth" runs through Sept. 27 on the fifth floor of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea's branch in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. (MMCA)

Born in 1937 in Goyang-gun County, Gyeonggi-do Province (now Gwangjin-gu District of Seoul), Bang moved to Paris in 1961 and split her time between Korea and France. For over 60 years, she explored a range of techniques like fresco, stained glass and engraving by using diverse materials such as Hanji (traditional paper), loess soil from the Roussillon region of France and non-woven cloth.

The artist held over 80 solo exhibitions and participated in many group ones.

"After Bang Hai Ja moved to France in 1961, she grew even more interested in her homeland from the perspective of a foreigner," said curator Bang Choah, who planned the exhibition. "She broadened her understanding of Korean traditions after meeting her French husband, who studied Korean folklore."

The exhibition sheds light on her life, worldview and expression methods, with Bang using light her lifelong source of creativity. The event conveys her art experiments and thought processes.

Bang Hai Ja's large work "Earth of the Sky" from 2008 shows her contemplations on the sky, Earth, universe and beings in between. (Charles Audouin)

In the 1970s, the artist studied stained glass techniques at the National School of Applied Arts and Crafts. Based on her artistic foundation, she was selected in 2018 to create stained glass creations for Chartres Cathedral in France, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 2022, she collaborated with Glasmalerei Peters Studios in Germany to install four large lead-free stained glass windows. The 4 m-tall masterpiece combines vertical light patterns and a concentric circle composition.

A replica (left) of the stained glass window "The Birth of Light" from Chartres Cathedral in Paris is at the entrance to the exhibition hall on the fifth floor of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea's branch in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. Artist Bang Hai Ja (right) in 2018 looks at her stained glass work installed at the cathedral. (Charles Audouin and Glasmalerei Peters Studios)

"Formed by Korea's nature and spirit and France's artistic environment, Bang Hai Ja's works demonstrated new artistic potential in the convergence of Eastern and Western cultures and aesthetics," MMCA Director Kim Sunghee said. "I hope visitors can feel deep contemplation and resonance in experiencing the world of light through her eyes."

The exhibition ends on Sept. 27. Admission is KRW 2,000.

caudouin@korea.kr