Exhibition
July 26, 2007 - December 18, 2007
- "... 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.
"Journey to the Grave, Dance to Paradise: Shamanic Rituals for the Dead"
with Laurel Kendall of the American Museum of Natural History.
The Ockrang Cultural Foundation was established by Dr. Ockrang Kim, who also is the founder of the Dongsoong Art Center. In her capacity as chairperson of the Foundation, Dr. Kim has been providing support for culture and the arts since 1992. Under the guiding concept of promoting a contemporary renewal of the cultural traditions of Korea, the Foundation is engaged in a diverse array of projects. Its efforts are directed toward finding ways to support more creative and innovative forms of artistic expression rather than the conventional forms typically supported by the government and large corporations in Korea. In this way, the Foundation is seeking to develop a new methodology for promoting a more authentic Korean culture by funding opportunities for artists to conduct original cultural research and to devote themselves to creative activities. Currently, the diverse projects the Foundation is pursuing include the Ockrang Drama Prize, the Ockrang Documentary Award given in collaboration with the Seoul Women’s Film Festival, the Ockrang-Asian Cultural Council Fellowship awarded in collaboration with U.S.-based Rockefeller Foundation, the Ockrang Kkoktu Museum with its research program, and several other scholarship programs.
'전통의 현대적 창조'라는 설립이념 아래 다양한 사업들을 펼쳐오고 있는 옥랑문화재단은 동숭아트센터 설립자인 김옥랑 이사장에 의해 1992년에 설립되었습니다. 정부와 대기업 중심의 획일화된 문화예술 지원에서 보다 다양한 문화예술 지원의 통로를 구축하고자 노력해 왔으며, 문화예술 연구 및 창작 활동 공간 지원을 통해 한국적인 문화의 메소드(method)개발을 위해 노력하고 있습니다. 현재 새로운 희곡과 작가를 발굴하는 옥랑희곡상, 여성영화제와 함께하는 다큐멘터리 옥랑상, 미국 록펠러재단과 연계하는 Ockrang-ACC Fellowship, 옥랑꼭두박물관(나무꼭두연구), 장학금사업등 다양한 사업을 펼쳐나가고 있습니다.
