British Museum Exhibition Traces 2,000 Years of Korean Art Beyond Pop Culture
The British Museum's 'Korea' exhibition opens October 1, showcasing 2,000 years of Korean art, from ancient Buddhist works to contemporary pieces.
A new exhibition at the British Museum in London opens this week, offering visitors a view of Korean art and culture that reaches well beyond the country's contemporary pop exports.
Spanning roughly 2,000 years, the display moves from the early Iron Age to the present day, with the earliest works dating to around 400 BC shown alongside pieces by modern Korean artists.
Curator Sang-ah Kim said that for many people in the UK, particularly younger audiences, Korea is known mainly through its popular culture. She noted that visitors may be unaware of the country's long history of creativity, resilience and technical skill.
Among the highlights are Buddhist statuettes of bodhisattvas and a group of sutras produced in the centuries after Buddhism reached Korea, as well as celebrated Goryeo celadon ceramics. Several works come from the collection of former Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, who died in 2020, and his family.
Contemporary pieces include a work from South Korean artist Yeesookyung's "Translated Vase" series, a sculpture built from shards discarded by potters that speaks to the beauty of imperfection. Suh Do Ho's thread drawing "Self-Portrait" explores themes of home, migration and belonging, while Lee Jung-seop, separated from his family during the Korean War, is represented by images he etched into the foil lining of cigarette packets when he could not afford paint or canvas.
Some objects may already feel familiar to visitors introduced to Korea through its cultural exports. Kim said younger audiences may be surprised to encounter the "Tiger and Magpie" and "Sun, Moon and Five Peaks" motifs if they have watched the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," which draws on traditional Korean imagery. The film's characters Derpy the Tiger and Sussie the Magpie are inspired by tiger and magpie paintings, and the fictional group HUNTR/X performs before a digital interpretation of a "Sun, Moon and Five Peaks" folding screen.
Most of the works on display are on loan from the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.
The exhibition opens on Thursday, October 1, and runs until January 31, 2027.