SeMA Bunker exhibition brings forth nameless laborers in Korea s modern history
Posted : 2021-05-12 17:02
By Park Han-sol
Although the exact number of Korean laborers Japan forcibly mobilized during its 1910-45 colonization of Korea varies according to historians, the Japanese government in 1947 acknowledged that some 7 million were drafted to work in coal mines, on military construction sites and in mineral fields across East and Southeast Asia. Among them, mineworkers constituted the majority.
An exhibition titled Naming the Nameless, held at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) Bunker and co-organized by the museum and Sogang University s Critical Global Studies Institute, examines the micro histories of colonial-era and contemporary forced laborers, whose names have been erased in larger modern state narratives.
Robert Mapplethorpe s controversial photos arrive in Korea
Posted : 2021-03-02 17:39
Updated : 2021-03-05 17:56
Installation view of Robert Mapplethorpe retrospective More Life at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul / Courtesy of Kukje Gallery
By Kwon Mee-yoo Art is an accurate statement of the time in which it is made, said American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989). Now the world seen by Mapplethorpe some 40 years ago will get a chance to resonate with Korean audiences half a world away.
Best known for his black-and-white photographs of celebrities, sculptural nudes, BDSM scenes and flowers, Mapplethorpe is being introduced to Korean audiences belatedly through a retrospective at the Kukje Gallery in Seoul and Busan.