THE KOREA SOCIETY

• "... eye-catching." - New York Times Art Review,
  "Korea’s Extraordinary Send-Offs for Ordinary People", August 17, 2007 link
• "... the artifacts... are truly treasures." - Japan Times Review,
  "Little Friends for the Other World", October 11, 2007 link

Death is an aspect of the human condition that touches every culture in every age, and almost all cultures envelop death in a rich artistry as a way of managing the trauma it causes. In nineteenth and early twentieth century Korea, artisans carved joyful wooden figurines depicting acrobats, clowns and mystical animals-which are called kkoktu-to place on the funeral biers of the departed. A collection of 72 kkoktu will be brought to the U.S., for the first time ever, for an exhibition in The Korea Society Gallery. Organized jointly with the Seoul-based Ockrang Cultural Foundation, Korean Funerary Figures: Companions for the Journey to the Other World will run at The Korea Society Gallery from July 26 to November 20, 2007.

The kkoktu are archaeological treasures in their own right. Their costumes and poses reflect the realities of rural Korean village life during a period that left few written records. More importantly, the kkoktu open a window on a timeless, characteristically Korean attitude towards death. Though the gaiety depicted in many of the figurines may seem incompatible with mourning, what they are intended to express is a deep desire that the deceased loved one will enter the next world surrounded by joy. The figurines also embody a sophisticated appreciation of the fleeting nature of all experience.

The show's opening reception will be held on July 26 at 5:30 PM at The Korea Society Gallery. To provide a cultural context for the exhibition, immediately following the reception, Dr. Laurel Kendall of the American Museum of Natural History will give a Gallery Talk on the shamanic rituals for the dead beginning at 6:30 PM.