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| A promotional image for the Korean Cultural Center New York's upcoming exhibition "The Wonder Unbound" / Courtesy of KCCNY |
By Park Han-sol
It was centuries ago when Korea, known as Joseon (1392-1910), earned a curious nickname ― the hermit kingdom. The term came from American author William Elliot Griffis' "Korea: The Hermit Nation" (1882) when recounting stories related to the country, which had deliberately shut itself off from the rest of the world.
Still, a select few foreigners were able to set foot inside this reclusive nation: missionaries, diplomats, soldiers, historians and adventurers.
The Korean Cultural Center New York's (KCCNY) upcoming exhibition, "The Wonder Unbound," spotlights the written and illustrated documents on the country from the early 18th to mid-20th centuries penned by these very Westerners as a lens to examine pre-modern Korea's cultural, economic, sociopolitical and religious practices.
Starting on March 15, the show coincides with Asia Week New York, a citywide celebration of Asian art held among art specialists, museums, cultural institutions and auction houses every spring.
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| Pages from "Glimpses of Korea" (1932), written by American missionary E. J. Urquhart / Courtesy of KCCNY |
Some 120 publications that will be put on public view for the first time come from an extensive collection amassed by Lee Seung-chul, a "hanji" (traditional Korean paper) artist and art professor at Dongduk Women's University. He also serves as a permanent researcher at the Kansong Art Museum, known as the oldest private institution in Korea that houses treasured cultural artifacts like "Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon" (a 15th-century handbook of the Korean writing system).
For the past two decades, Lee has collected over 1,350 rare vintage books that offer a glimpse into Korea's traditional lifestyle from the perspective of curious outsiders. These books include texts, illustrations, photographs and maps.
The curated selection of books at the exhibition were all published between the early 1700s and 1960s in the authors' original languages after returning from abroad.
"The exhibition aims to act as a means for academics and researchers to gain a different perspective and offer a new approach to Korean studies, through not just textual, but also visual representations," KCCNY wrote in its statement. "They are undoubtedly invaluable in (terms of the) artistic insights they provide about Korea and its place geopolitically, historically and culturally."
"The Wonder Unbound" will run from March 15 to April 27 at Gallery Korea at the Korean Cultural Center New York.
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