Leeum Museum of Art Reopens After Renovations

Leeum Museum of Art reopens after full renovation
연합뉴스  / 2021-10-06 14:18:10

Leeum Museum of Art reopens after full renovation

 

 

Leeum Museum of Art Reopens After Renovations
New Exhibitions in Revamped Spaces with Enhanced Visitor Experiences

(Seoul, Korea—October 5, 2021) Leeum Museum of Art ("Leeum") reopens on October 8, 2021, after a major renovation of visitor service areas and a series of improvement for visitor experiences. 

Leeum reorganized permanent exhibitions of traditional Korean art as well as modern and contemporary art with new themes, and also presents a special exhibition entitled Human, 7 questions. 

 

To enhance the visitor experience, the museum has adopted a new MI, renovated its lobby areas, and introduced an upgraded digital assistance device, among others.

The Traditional Korean Art permanent collection galleries (M1) showcase a total of 160 works, including renowned Korean National Treasures such as Gourd-shaped Ewer Decorated with Lotus Petals and Daoist Immortals by the famous Joseon Dynasty painter Kim Hong-do.

This section also includes Box Inlaid with Mother-of-pearl, the only remaining octagonal container of its kind from the end of the Goryeo Dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty (14 - 15th century) in Korea.

 

Works by contemporary artists such as Chung Sang-Hwa, Park Seo-bo, Anish Kapoor, and Tokujin Yoshioka are exhibited alongside these ancient objects to show how art transcends time and space to communicate with viewers.

Two uniquely designed special sections, will display collections of small celadon pieces from Goryeo and white porcelain water-droppers from the late Joseon, adding a twist to traditional art appreciation.

The Modern and Contemporary Art permanent collection galleries (M2) are organized under three themes that enables visitors to appreciate contemporary art with an open mind: Black Blank, Ephemeral Gravity and Strange Planet.

Black Blank examines the world of Press Release - 2 - the color black portrayed as holding greater meaning than any other color in life and art.

 

Ephemeral Gravity highlights works that extended into the world of the non-material, whereas Strange Planet affirms the infinitely imaginative power of art.

Over half of the 76 works exhibited at M2 are on view for the first time, allowing visitors to rediscover Leeum’s contemporary art collection.

Along with the permanent collection exhibitions, Leeum also presents a special exhibition, Human, 7 questions, from October 8, 2021 through January 2, 2022.

This special exhibition looks back on ‘human beings’, a subject that has been fundamental to art, and contemplates the meaning of human existence against the backdrop of the fast-changing environment of the 21st century and the unprecedented pandemic as we head towards the future.

 

With approximately 130 works by more than 50 artists from Korea and abroad, the exhibition brings together postwar art of the mid-20th century, when introspection on human existence became widespread, and recent art that emerged with the development of discussions on issues concerning the crisis of humanism and the rise of the posthuman era.

The exhibition offers visitors a chance to reflect on the existence of human beings and the relationships that surround us and raises questions about human values that we may have taken for granted until now.

Enhanced Visitor Experience To highlight Leeum as a place where tradition and modernity coexist while constantly moving and changing with the times, the museum has renovated its visitor service areas, including the lobby, and upgraded its digital services.

 

The Creative Director Mr. Kuho Jung reached out to some of the most sought-after designers and creators in the country and transformed the visitor service areas of the museum into spaces that connect with diverse generations and sensibilities.

Minseok Kim (Notion Architecture - lobby interior), Younglae Kim (Studio Writers - Leeum Store interior), Ki-Young Ko(bitzro - lobby lighting design), Jin Kang (Ordinary People - Website and MI Application design), Haeok Shin & Donghyeok Shin (Shin Shin - Leeum Store branding), Jiyeon Choi and Seoyeon Choi (Cava Life - Leeum Online Store design) are among the artists who took part. - 3 -

The new Leeum MI (Museum Identity), designed by Wolff Olins in the UK, expresses the aspiration of the museum to keep in step with the rapidly changing times by a wordmark and a symbol that rotates.

Leeum's official website has also been redesigned with the new MI, and includes an interview series titled, "Leeum Meets the Artists".

 

The series introduces 60 Korean artists working in a variety of genres, talking about their artistic approaches within the setting of their studios.

The series can be viewed on Leeum's official website as well as the Media Wall in the lobby of the museum.

The functional areas of the lobby, such as the ticket office, cafe, and art shop, have been rearranged to emphasize the architectural details of the Rotunda, the most symbolic space of the museum, and the colors of the lobby have been rendered in black and white, in order to restore the original intent of the founding architect.

Furthermore, site-specific works by Kimsooja and Lee Bae were commissioned to fill the Rotunda and the ticket office to share how Korean aesthetics can be reinterpreted through the eyes of contemporary artists.

 

The Media Wall, an 11.3 x 3.2 m (462 inches) 50+ megapixel digital display screen installed in the lobby of Leeum, allows visitors to appreciate the works of installation artist Jennifer Steinkamp in the highest resolution to date.

The Leeum Store, incorporating wooden lattice structures to express the beauty of traditional Korean architecture, offers products that exude a traditional Korean sense of beauty made by over 30 Korean craft artists.

In addition, Leeum has opened an online store (leeumstore.org) for visitors to access from the web.

The Leeum Digital Guide, now in its third-generation version, provides descriptions of all works on display, as well as guided tours on various themes.

The Leeum Digital Interactive Display (DID) enables visitors to appreciate fine details on traditional works of art that may otherwise go unnoticed by allowing the viewer to virtually enlarge and rotate them on digital touchscreens, together with explanations on the symbolism of the depicted patterns.

 

Leeum has also published a monograph titled Leeum Conservation Stories to introduce the world of art conservation, a field gaining greater public attention, to share the methods of conservation and research processes of works of various genres. - 4 -

Admission to Leeum's permanent exhibitions will be made free of charge in order to honor the intent of Lee Kun-Hee, the late Chairman of Samsung, and his family's donation of his private art collection, which was "to broadly share with fellow citizens of Korea the cultural assets of the country, collected with a resolve to preserve Korean culture."

Admission to Leeum's special exhibitions will also be free of charge until the end of the year.

 

Appointment of a New Deputy Director Leeum has appointed Ms. Sungwon Kim, Professor at the College of Arts and Design, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, as the new Deputy Director as of September 1.

Kim has worked as the Artistic Director of some of the most respectable art institutions in Korea, including the Asia Culture Center and Culture Station Seoul 284, curating exhibitions and overseeing administration while also working actively as a critic and educator.

With the appointment of a new Deputy Director, the museum aims to expand support for the arts and artists of Korea and extend its global network.

About Leeum Museum of Art Leeum Museum of Art was established in 2004 by the Samsung Foundation of Culture to preserve the cultural assets of Korea and to share with the public its expansive collection ranging from traditional Korean art to modern and contemporary art of the world.

 

The museum is dedicated to enhancing appreciation and understanding of art through exhibitions, artist support programs, education, research, and publications.

Three of the world's most renowned architects designed the three buildings of the museum.

Mario Botta designed the terracotta building(M1) for the museum's traditional Korean art collection, Jean Nouvel designed the rusted stainless steel building (M2) for the museum's modern and contemporary art collection, and Rem Koolhaas designed the futuristic black concrete and glass edifice for the museum's special exhibitions and Child Education & Culture Center. - 5 -

To learn more about the museum and its activities, please visit www.leeum.org. Visitor Information Admission Permanent exhibition: Free Special exhibition: Free until the end of 2021 Reservation is mandatory and available at www.leeum.org.

 

 

Tickets may be booked two weeks in advance.

Due to COVID-19, group reservations are suspended until further notice.

Hours Open between 10 am and 6 pm (Last admission at 17:30) Closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, Lunar New Year’s Day, and Korean Thanksgiving Day.

Location 60-16 Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea 04348 Hangangjin Station (Subway Line 6, Exit # 1) Bus Lines 110, 405, 400. (Hannam-dong Saemaeul Geumgo/Community Center Station)

Information Tel. +82-2-2014-6901 Website. www.leeum.org