Kick off Asia Week New York 2012 (March 16-24) with the works of internationally recognized artists Park Jihyun and Lee Inchin. Using incense to burn thousands of tiny holes onto rice paper, Park practices reverse-pointillism, puncturing the paper’s fragile surface with tiny marks and thereby subtracting rather than adding dots of paint and color. Lee’s masterful employment of the traditional wood-firing kiln and ash yield ceramics with a spectrum of colors ranging from yellow to bright orange, red-brown to black. Lee’s ceramics and Park’s incense work harness the creative and destructive power of fire, smoke, and ash. Curated in cooperation with Jiyoung Koo and KooNewYork.

Celebrating eight years of traveling exhibitions, Highlights provides examples from four of The Korea Society’s “shows-to-go.” Made available to university and local museums, these exhibitions foster a deeper understanding of Korea among American audiences. Highlights include works from Gods, Demons, and Generals: Icons of Korean Shamanism; Korean Comics: A Society Through Small Frames; Living through the Forgotten War: Portrait of Korea; and Missionary Photography in Korea: Encountering the West Through Christianity. Information on securing these exhibitions for venues across the United States is available throughout the Highlights run.

November 17, 2011-January 13, 2012

Social Graphics: The Art of Jeski salutes the award-winning efforts of artist and social activist Jeseok Yi, who has wowed the design and non-profit communities with his thoughtful and often satirical works. Featuring fourteen of Korean-born Jeski’s works for organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, World Vision, City Harvest New York, the American Disability Association and the Global Coalition for Peace, the exhibition provides sharp and insightful commentary on war, global warming, pollution, and other social concerns. Jeski stresses simplicity in messaging and encourages interaction between the design and the real world. His social graphics illustrate the power of creativity to inform, educate, and change society for the better. His efforts are a reminder of the vibrancy of Korean civil society, the strength of its NGOs, and Korea’s contribution to international efforts aimed at peace and social justice.

September 8-November 4, 2011

Gallery Opening
Thursday, September 8, 2011
6-8PM

with Jeski
Artist and Social Activist

The Korea Society presents the writings of celebrated artist, poet, and philosopher Lee UFan, in conjunction with the Guggenheim Museum's retrospective exhibition, Lee UFan: Marking Infinity (June 24-September 28, 2011). Born in Korea in 1936, Lee has been an artistic and intellectual force in Korea, Japan, and Europe for more than four decades, articulating a unique aesthetic and philosophical stance grounded in modernity critique and Post-Minimalist practice. Lee, the author of seventeen books, has written seminal essays on contemporary art, Asian culture, and democracy that offer a powerful voice to our current cultural discourse. The Korea Society’s summer exhibition will present photographs and work with Lee’s poetry, criticism, and essays. 

June 28—August 15, 2011

Gallery Opening
Tuesday, June 28
6-8PM

RSVP

 During Korea’s drive for economic modernization, commercial artists created goods and advertisements that were visually appealing and richly detailed. After the war, Korea transformed itself economically, yet rapid growth was accompanied by dramatic social changes and political concerns surrounding authoritarianism. By the late 1980s, Korea had embraced democracy and a newly prosperous society clamored for fresh goods manufactured for domestic consumption. With the 1988 Olympic games, Korean products and adverts grew more global in orientation.

April 7—June 3, 2011

Gallery Opening
Thursday, April 7
6-8PM

RSVP