Gangdong Arts Center, Gallery Kartina
Encountering the Essence of Masterpieces
The Gangdong Cultural Foundation (Chairperson Lee Soo-hee) is co-hosting the contemporary art exhibition ‘Masterpieces_From Realism to Modernism’ with Gallery Kartina (Director Kim Hee-eun) at Art Rang, the multi-purpose cultural space of the Gangdong Arts Center, through May 28.
The exhibition features Russian contemporary artworks rarely seen in Korea, comprising some 130 Realist works and around 120 Modernist works by a total of 12 artists. On display are roughly 250 works, including pieces by Mikhail Kugach—a master of Russian mood landscape painting—along with seven other landscape painters, Olga Bulgakova, a master of color abstraction (Russian avant-garde), and five Modernist painters. Highlighted works include Mikhail Kugach’s ‘The Return,’ ‘The Farewell,’ and ‘The Long Road,’ Olga Bulgakova’s ‘Jacob Wrestling with the Angel,’ and Sergei Volkov’s ‘Two Cities.’
Of particular note in this exhibition are its various accompanying programs. The first is a ‘Lecture Program’ presented together with ‘Tolerance,’ the Russian research institute of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Twelve cultural and arts experts will deliver 12 free lectures over the course of the exhibition on such topics as Russian literature, music, film, history, theater, art, and ballet.
An art experience program titled ‘Moving Young Artists with Russian Paintings’ is also being run, allowing children to freely view the works in the gallery and experience specialized rhythmic education based on ‘Dalcroze Eurhythmics.’ Led by art and music experts, this program is a convergent, interdisciplinary experience in which children observe and respond to the works, express what they feel through music and movement, and also create their own paintings—making it the most popular of the accompanying programs.
In particular, professional docent sessions will be offered twice daily (11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.) throughout the exhibition, aiming to foster understanding and empathy among visitors unfamiliar with Russian art. A range of events is also planned, including writing letters to loved ones and music appreciation.
Sim Woo-seop, CEO of the Gangdong Cultural Foundation, said, “Through lectures on Eurasian history, literature, and art, we hope this will be an opportunity to reinterpret the many facets of these masterpieces and to understand their significance and symbolism in the history of culture and the arts,” adding, “The Gangdong Cultural Foundation will continue to prepare distinctive and diverse exhibition-related content to resonate with many visitors.”