Modern and Contemporary Korean Art in Context (1950 – Now)

Including over 120 full-colour images throughout, this is a vividly illustrated, in-depth and up-to-date introduction to the world of Korean art from 1950 to the present day.

The book covers such as topics as:

• Historical, political and social contexts in Korea from the military dictatorship through the post-Olympics period to the digital age;
• Major artistic movements, including: Modernist, Avant Garde Dansaekhwa, Minjung Misul, Hangukhwa, Sogroup undong , Pop Art, Feminist art, Media art, and Postmodern art;
• Key forms, from traditional ink painting to western style painting, print, photography, sculpture, public art, metal art, architecture, installation, performance, and digital art;
• Artistic institutions, from established galleries, museums, and the art market to artists’ collectives and alternative spaces;
• Globalization and global contexts, including Korean American, Korean diaspora and Korean adopted artists.

Including an appendix of key art institutions, major exhibitions and important artists, this book is an essential introduction and reference guide to Korean art and its global impact.

Jung-Sil Lee is Professorial Lecturer at George Washington University, USA and her books include Comfort Women: A Movement for Justice and Women’s Rights in the US (2020). She has curated numerous art exhibitions dedicated to Asian art, including “Collateral Damage” (CUNY, New York, 2016) and the “Truth: Promise for Peace” traveling exhibition (2017) sponsored by Korean Minster of Gender Equality and Family.

Dong-Yeon Koh is a critic, curator and adjunct Professor at Ewha Women’s University, Korea. Koh is the author of nine books in English and in Korean including The Korean War and Postmemory Generation (2021), The Condition of Art Criticism (2019), and Soft-power: The Popularization Artistic Practices in East Asian Art (2018).

Source: publisher’s website

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1. Shaping Korean Modernism: Memories of Colonialism, Korean War, and Postcolonialism (1950s-1960s)

1. Wartime Korean Art: The Korean War as a Cold War Proxy
2. Korean Modernism: Intersection of National Identity and Abstraction
3. Gender Politics in Colonial and Postcolonial Korea
4. Art Informel: Confluence of the Eastern Spirituality and the Western Formalism
5. New Wave and Experimental Avant Garde Groups

Chapter 2. Modernity, Modern Art, and its Discontents (1970s-1990s)

1. Dansaekhwa: Korean Monochrome Painting
2. Minjung Misul: People’s Art and Democratization
3. Korean American Diaspora (1960s-1990s)
4. Redefining Traditional Korean Ink Painting
5. Modern Architecture and Public Memorialization

Chapter 3. The Globalization of the Korean Artworld and Rise of Consumerism (1989-2003)

1. The Rise of Consumer Culture in the Post-Olympic Era
2. The Era of Popular and Consumer Culture and Sogroup Undong
3. The Globalization of the Korean Art World and Korean Expatriate Artists
4. The Rise of Women Artist Collective and Feminist Art in Korea, 1990s
5. Beyond the Old Institutional Framework: Alternative Places in the Late 1990s

Chapter 4. Inclusion and Diversity: Beyond the Myth of Ethnic Nationalism (2003-2023)

1. Ethnic Nationalism and Growing Discontent in the Post-IMF Era
2. Historical Tragedies and the Postmemory Generation in Arts
3. Urbanization and Art: New Cities and Old Communities
4. Media Art After Paik Namjune: A Double Attitude Towards Technology
5. The Myth of Pure-Bloodedness: Cultural, Sexual and Racial Diversity

Epilogue