Historical masterpieces ranging from the late Joseon period to the 20th century are presented alongside contemporary creations by four Korean artists: Jean Song, Choe Sooryeon, Choi Haeri, and Hwang Kyumin. KOREAN PAINTING: Tradition Meets the Present At the heart of the exhibition is muninhwa, or Korean literati painting, a tradition rooted in the spirit of the seonbi ("literati scholar"). Rather than treating tradition as something frozen in the past, the exhibition explores how these established artistic practices are learned, repeated, and reinterpreted within modern temporalities. The exhibition features masterpieces from the collections of the Ilmin Museum of Art and the Ilmin Cultural Foundation, highlighting nine historical figures—Jeong Seon, Yi Gwangsa, Kang Sehwang, Kim Jeonghui, Jang Seungeop, An Jungsik, Lee Sangbeom, No Soohyeon, and Pak Nosoo—alongside four contemporary artists. Highlights of the exhibition include Calligraphy and Paintings of Kang Sehwang (1789) and Flower and Bird (c. 1860) by Jang Seungeop. COPY, REINTERPRET, CREATE A key concept of the exhibition stems from three traditional methodologies of learning and artistic creation: mo (模, to copy), im (臨, to study and imitate), and bang (倣, to adapt). Contemporary artists Jean Song, Choe Sooryeon, Choi Haeri, and Hwang Kyumin revisit these fundamental principles from a modern perspective. By recombining these classic methods, they place traditional Korean visual practices into a dynamic dialogue with contemporary sensibilities and materials. Visitors will be able to discover a variety of works, ranging from the ink painting The First Window (2023) by Jean Song and Practice for Decorating a Shrine (2026) by Choe Sooryeon, to the oil painting Water Column with Liliums (2022) by Choi Haeri and Mo-Im-Bang (The Gathering Room): copy, paint, and stroke (2026) by Hwang Kyumin. PURE AND HYBRID: What Makes a Tradition? The subtitle Pure and Hybrid raises broader questions about the evolution of "tradition". The term Hangukhwa ("Korean painting") carries a complex modern history, having emerged during the post-liberation period to construct a decolonized artistic identity following Japanese colonial rule. Rather than asserting a single "pure" origin, Hangukhwa has continuously evolved through constant dialogue with contemporary art. The exhibition approaches tradition not as a frozen relic, but as a living and dynamic cultural system, permanently shaped by hybridity and active reinterpretation. KOREAN PAINTING, REDRAWN IN BRUSSELS Presented as part of "2026 Touring K-Arts", a public-private initiative aimed at introducing Korean arts to an international audience, the exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), Arts Council Korea, and Hyundai Sungwoo Holdings.
Korean Traditional Painting in Alter-age; Pure and Hybrid
Location: Rue de la Régence, 4, 1000 Brussels
