UNSRC Korean Cultural Society

KOREA HERALD

Robert Turley, president of Korean Art Society, poses at Insa-dong.[ Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald]

Hearing from Korean galleries and art insiders, Korean art seemed to have made it big overseas during the last few years, especially in the United States.

But according to one New York art expert, that is not the case.

“Korean art culture is still so unknown in America, while everyone knows about the Japanese culture. You can ask any 7 year old and they would know what samurai is, but nobody knows what hwarang is,” said president of Korean Art Society, Robert Turley.

Turley’s art society is a non-profit organization based in the United States that holds events regarding Korean art and publishes a semiannual journal and also a monthly newsletter. It was established in 2008 and currently has over 1,200 members.

Turley fell in love with Korean art about 15 years ago during his first visit here. His friends took him to the National Museum of Korea, and the minute he stepped into the “cheongja,” or blue porcelain, room it was love at first sight.

“I had never seen anything like that. They were so refined and the colors were so beautiful. Then we went to the Joseon Dynasty room to see buncheong, where I really couldn’t believe how the same culture that made the refined cheongja could have also made the wild buncheong. It was like discovering some culture that invented both classical and jazz music,” he said.

Dazzled, Turley told his friends to leave without him and stayed at the museum for the rest of the day, reading every single label there. Korean art became Turley’s main love ever since then, though his wife is Japanese.

“It saddens me that more people do not know about Korean art. It would be like a world that has never heard of Beethoven. How empty would their lives be?”

Turley taught himself Korean history and culture, opened the Korean Art and Antiques Gallery in New York and started the society. He visits Korea two or three times a year to meet curators and browse artworks, and jumps at any chance to help promote them in New York.

Turley said, however, that he was disappointed to find out what a poor job the Korean government is doing to introduce its own art to other countries.

The recent Korean Art Show, held in New York in the first week of March, was an example, he said. It was organized by the Galleries Association of Korea and Korea International Art Fair and supported by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports.

“It was a great opportunity to see much Korean art under one roof, but nobody knew about it. The opening day was packed, but after that it was a ghost town. I saw very few red dots in the whole place. I felt sorry for the galleries who had to pay a great amount of money for the booths and especially for the talented artists who must have poured in all their hopes and dreams into the show,” he said.

According to KIAF, there were about 3,000 visitors to the six-day show, including 1,500 on the opening day. Only half of the participating galleries made sales.

Turley blamed the organizers’ awful marketing for the poor results.

“The whole thing was like a big secret with hardly any promotion. I only found out about it a few days before the show. They had a one-page website, not much press exposure and a video on YouTube that had only 48 views,” he said.

He asserted that Korean government really needs to change the attitude and the way of promoting its beautiful art.

The Korean Cultural Service in New York and Korean Cultural Center in L.A., which are both operated by Korea’s culture ministry, have great resources, but are getting the worst results due to poor marketing, he said.

“Korean Cultural Service, whose mission is to promote Korean culture to non-Koreans, answers the phone in Korean. It sounds like a small funny thing, but it is a big sign of their attitude,” he said.

So before visiting Korea this time, Turley tried to contact Korea’s culture ministry to discuss better ways to promote Korean art and to learn from each other. However, he got no answers.

“I would think they would try to reach me and have me help them. I am not asking for money or anything. My society is trying to help promote Korean art. I think I can do a lot for them,” he said.

He hopes the attitude will change.

“Artists, galleries and the public will finally speak up. I would just like them to realize that it is not that difficult to make changes. The Korean president is always saying ‘Let’s promote the Korean brand.’ Culture is the best way in doing that.”

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

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KOREA TIMES
03-17-2010 17:19

“Landscape” by Gang Se-hwang (1713-1791), an artist of the late Joseon period

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

A total of 107,857 Korean cultural properties are scattered throughout 18 countries, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. Japan has the largest number at 61,000, which takes up 60 percent of the whole amount, followed by the United States with 27,000 and China with 3,000.

The government and civil groups are building up their efforts to retrieve the lost treasures. Some are already heading home due to the efforts of a handful of individuals spending their own money.

Hakgojae Gallery run by Woo Chan-gyu has collected Joseon paintings through overseas auctions and from Japanese individual collectors over the last 10 years.

The gallery is displaying 30 such pieces in the exhibition “Return Home After 500 Years” through April 25. Most of the artifacts are being shown for the first time in Korea.

The paintings on display are divided into two themes ― landscapes and animals. The paintings at the exhibition, which appealed to Japanese artistic tastes, were influenced by China.

According to the gallery, Japan regarded Korea as a window to China and so the Joseon paintings were preferred by the Japanese connoisseurs at that time.

The landscapes are based on the motif related to an ideal world, while the animal paintings display the shamanistic belief that the animals commonly found in Korea, China and Japan come bring good fortune.

“Bangmokdo” (Grazing) by an unknown artist is a huge work at 34 centimeters in height and 119.5 centimeters in width. It’s also considered the painting with the highest artistic value at the exhibition, and was influenced by the traditional Buddhist painting style of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). In the foreground of the piece, a horse against the backdrop of a pasture symbolizes the dignity of a king.

“Nugaksansudo” (Landscape in a Pavilion) by Kim Si (1524-1593) shows the essence of the Joseon painting’s beauty.

“Hawk Hunting” by another unknown artist depicts a common scene captured in many Northeast Asian countries’ works, while “A Tiger Family” shows the feline family roaming along a hill with two old pine trees. It’s estimated to be drawn between the 18th and 19th century.

Most of the Joseon artworks remaining in Japan vary from prehistoric works to modern masterpieces as Korea was a midway point between China and Japan.

The gallery said that Japan absorbed the cultural elements from Korea and melded them into their own.

The exhibit will be on display through April 25 at the Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. The gallery is located at Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit 1 and is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call (02) 720-1524 or visit http://hakgojae.com.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr

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JoongAng Daily

	Tea at Moonhyangjae By Ser Myo-ja

During my recent wanderings around central Seoul, I have spotted new buildings on the quiet road that goes from Art Sonjae Center to the Constitutional Court. The paved and hilly pathway is one of my favorite places for a promenade, and I have been happy to see the area’s transformation over the years. What used to be a deserted residential area with a few neighborhood stores selling eggs, hardware and antique Korean furniture is now a lively place for galleries, restaurants and cafes.

After a feast of a juicy hamburger, a hot dog, chili cheese fries and grape Fanta at a newly-opened burger joint in the area, my friend and I decided to have a healthier dessert to finish our night.

Although many old buildings in the area have been redecorated with new features, Moonhyangjae, a Korean teahouse, has stayed the same for years. It is situated inside a hanok (traditional Korean house) and its interior is decorated with wooden tables and chairs designed after a modern interpretation of traditional Korean furniture. The place is operated by a group of Won Buddhists, and there are beautiful photos of Tibetan landscapes hanging on the walls, providing an added air of tranquility.

Moonhyangjae translates into “a house where the aroma can be heard,” and the two cups of tea we ordered both had incredible fragrances.

	Moonhyangjae’s gate

I tried a cup of Moonhyang tea (5,000 won), one of the cafe’s signature teas. It was a blending of wild berry and yuzu tea and the sweet and refreshing scent was soothing. It was a bit tangy at first, almost like having a bite of fresh fruit, but the aftertaste was mildly sweet. After a feast of greasy food, I was happy to cleanse my palate with something fresh.

My friend tried the cafe’s jujube tea (5,000 won). It had a rich essence and was garnished with slices of jujube. While most jujube teas sold at other cafes and markets are very sugary, this one tasted more like an herbal tonic. I tried a sip, and the intense jujube taste was a pleasant surprise. It also matches well with the complimentary rice cakes, which are filled with sesame and brown sugar fillings.

The cafe also offers a wide range of other Korean teas such as omija (five tastes) tea, green tea and sweet red bean porridge. The teas are offered both warm and iced, and the lady of the teahouse makes a recommendation about which tea is better to drink cold.

In addition to the tables in the main hall, the cafe also has a small room that connects to the outside garden, and reservations are recommended because the place is popular among visitors to the neighborhood.

Moonhyangjae is not a fancy cafe like those often found on the streets of Seoul. It’s easy to pass by the entrance unless you really pay attention and look for it, because there is no grand sign outside. What it is, however, is a jewel hidden in the busy city where you can find a true moment of rest with a cup of fragrant tea.

Moonhyangjae

Location: 106-2, Hwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Telephone: (02) 720-9691

By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]

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