The Contemporary Art of Yangpyeong-Mongolia

2023. 4. 7 Fri - 5. 21 Sun 

“The influence of ethnicity on culture and the arts is complex and multi-layered.”

Contemporary art is deeply intertwined with the local nature, environment, and geographical narrative, and depending on the customs, history, and culture of the nation, the experience and values are reflected in the way the artist expresses them. Through the artworks in which artists express their own cultures and historical contexts as formative languages, we will be able to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and ways of life. The Contemporary Art of Yangpyeong-Mongolia seeks to look into the contemporary art of both countries (both cities), which have grown through repeated transformation and change in their unique culture and history, such as political and social confusion, democratization, and transition to a market economy, and aims to share the value of humanity in the global community.

Mongolia, represented as a country of nomads, has many historical similarities as well as long diplomatic relations with Korea. With the collapse of the socialist system in the 1980s and the opening of the door to the world, Mongolian contemporary art with deep ties and intimacy amidst long-standing economic, social, and cultural cooperation began to expand into more free and broader creative activities, encountering the culture and art of many countries. In particular, diplomatic ties between China and the United States accelerated Mongolia's modernization and helped it break away from socialist realism (propaganda), which was secular and academic; experimenting with new forms of expression, it developed an independent and ethnic abstract painting that combines Mongolia's traditional and symbolic elements with abstract forms. Plus, in the 1990s, the transition to a democratic country and a paradigm shift further expanded the various artistic experiments and contemporary perspectives of avant-garde groups, and made artists examine life and art in search of their own subjective self-consciousness. Korean contemporary art has also undergone chaos and transformation, seeking a more autonomous and existential exploration in the midst of liberation, division, confrontation, and industrialization. In this way, the contemporary art of the two countries organically embraces society and culture, creating a unique style in the rapidly changing global flow of art, eliciting empathy and communication.

Through The Contemporary Art of Yangpyeong-Mongolia, Yangpyeong Art Museum will showcase the values of harmony and coexistence between the two countries, and also provide an opportunity to explore the diversity and homogeneity of artistic cultures as well as the national identities of Mongolia and Korea.

Ra Hyun-jung, Curator of  Yangpyeong Art Museum