Shaping Identity

Artists:
Tschang Yeul Kim
Kakyoung Lee
U-fan Lee
Jiha Moon
Yoonmi Nam
Nam June Paek
Jean Shin
Joo Yeon Woo
Jayoung Yoon

This exhibition explores the intricate relationship between cultural heritage, migration, and identity through the art of printmaking. Spanning four decades, the featured works highlight the experiences of Korean artists both in Korea and the diaspora, emphasizing how printmaking has served as a means of navigating cultural roots and hybrid identities in an increasingly globalized world.

Historically, printmaking has been a significant art form in Korea, used to convey religious, cultural, and political messages. Over the past 40 years, it has evolved into a medium for artists to explore personal and collective identity, especially for those grappling with the duality of maintaining Korean traditions while adapting to new environments abroad. For diasporic artists, printmaking mediates between two worlds, addressing themes of displacement, belonging, and cultural memory.

The exhibition showcases the influence of Korean traditions, evident in the use of folklore, history, and religious iconography. Traditional techniques such as mokpanhwa (woodblock printing) are often reinterpreted with contemporary aesthetics, blending past and present. This hybridity reflects the globalized world, as artists fuse Korean symbols with Western art movements like abstraction, minimalism, and pop art.

Through this blend, the prints reveal the complex identities of diasporic artists, negotiating boundaries between naive and foreign, tradition and modernity. The exhibition celebrates the resilience and creativity of Korean artists across generations, honoring their deep connection to cultural roots while embracing the evolution of identity in the context of migration and globalization.