Clik | Edition 5 | November 2020.
Clik | Edition 5 | November 2020.
Presented in association with
The Visual Arts is a very important strand of our work and we aim, through our programmes, to raise awareness of the richness and range of Korean visual art forms in India and vice versa. In 2007/08 we presented Earth Synergy: An Indo-Korean Exhibition of Contemporary Ceramic Art, a unique exhibition in association with The Korean Society of Ceramic Art, Forum Art Gallery in Chennai and Gallerie Nvya in New Delhi that brought together a total of 67 Indian and Korean contemporary artists and over a 100 works. It was perhaps then that the idea of an in-depth residency with Indian and Korean artists began to take shape. EarthMatters: an Indo-Korean Ceramic Art Collaboration in 2012 was the first of our long-term visual art residency projects, indeed the first-ever Indo-Korean residency in India, where artists from India and Korea worked alongside to meaningfully share best practices and to develop new work. EarthMatters-3, the most recent of five-week residencies,that concluded in February 2020, was the third edition of this unique and deeply meaningful series.
The aim of these creative residencies was to provide time for individual artists to develop new work as well as to create an opportunity for sharing best practices; networking with peers and for interactions with students and the general public at specified periods. Each residency was followed by an exhibition in Chennai.
We are delighted that the residency has proven to be an opportunity for individual artists to introspect, reflect, interact, communicate and develop new work. It is hoped that this series will continue in India and Korea, to widen, deepen and strengthen the network for ongoing exchange between ceramic artists from both countries.
The residencies have enabled us to witness at close quarters, how astounding artistic intelligence coalesces the natural elements of earth, water, fire and ether to create of distinctive forms that carried both the imprint and the impact of their cultural moorings. As the Indo-Korean Cultural Centre in India, engaged in meaningfully promoting and strengthening artistic ties between India and Korea, we are confident that such opportunities for creative collaboration will enhance the network between ceramic practitioners in both countries and will strengthen the Indo-Korean dialogue immeasurably.
To view the e-compendium and a representative film on the creative process during the residency, please click https://www.inkocentre.org/Virtual_Connect_Infotainment.html on Thursday, 12 November 2020 at 6.00 p.m. IST.
Presented in association with
The National Intangible Heritage Center, Republic of Korea.
Cultural heritage can be tangible or intangible. Tangible cultural heritage refers to things that we can store or physically touch. Examples of tangible cultural heritage include traditional clothing, tools, buildings, artwork, monuments, and modes of transportation. Intangible cultural heritage refers to things that are not physical items but exist intellectually. Intangible cultural heritage includes oral traditions songs, rituals, values, superstitions and myths, beliefs, social practices and the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. The Intangible Cultural Properties (무형문화재) are aspects of intangible culture that the government of South Korea has officially designated for preservation under the supervision of South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration. Exceptional individuals are designated as the holders or invaluable repositories of these craft or performance traditions, and are referred to and supported as Living National Treasures.
The Cultural Heritage series aims to focus episodically on introducing and celebrating singular aspects of Korea's cultural traditions. In the second episode of this series, we focus onDaemokjang - traditional Korean wooden architecture.
The term Daemokjang refers to an artisan working in the field of carpentering and is derived from 'Mokjang' or 'Moksu' (carpenter). A Daemokjang is a master architect/builder who has a lifetime of carpentry, design, and engineering skills. The Daemokjang is in charge of the entire construction process, including the planning, design and construction of buildings and the supervision of subordinate carpenters or joiners.
In traditional architecture, all that is built is viewed as living things that must stand intact for at least a millennium. The wooden structures created are smooth, simple and unadorned – distinctive features of traditional Korean architecture. The traditional construction processes require both technical skills to design the building with consideration to its size, site and function and the aesthetic appeal in terms of selection of construction materials, cut and shape the wood and assembling and interlocking the separate wooden pieces without using nails, creating the buildings that stand intact for centuries.
The art and science of Daemokjang has been handed down from generation to generation and takes decades of education and field experience to master. In working to restore monumental buildings using traditional techniques, Daemokjang practitioners reinterpret the beauty of traditional architecture with their artistic creativity and re-create it with their technical skills.
Daemokjang has been safeguarded as Korea's national cultural heritage since its designation as the 74th Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Korea in 1982. It was recognized by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
The National Intangible Heritage Center's mission is to retrieve Korea's intangible cultural heritage from the past, to preserve it and to increase its value for future generations.
Set up in 2013, The National Intangible Heritage Center (NIHC) is located in Jeonju, a city known for its traditional music, architecture and cuisine. NIHC is the first complex administrative institution for safeguarding and transmission of Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage.
NIHC has various facilities such as permanent/special exhibition galleries, performance halls, archives, international conference rooms, learning spaces.
The primary roles of NIHC are safeguarding, transmitting, and fostering Korea's Intangible Cultural Heritage through research, archiving, exhibitions, performances, educational programs, support for the Masters of Intangible Cultural Heritage practices, and extension of the market for traditional crafts.
We present, in association with the National Intangible Heritage Centre,Republic of Korea, a film on the unique art and scientific brilliance of Daemokjang.
Tune in to https://www.youtube.com/InKoCentre on Thursday, 19 November 2020 at 6.00 p.m. IST.
Presented in association with
For over two decades, the Chennai-based publisher, Tara Books been part of a global culture of publishing, which focuses on books with perspective, featuring unusual art and text. Collaborating with some of the most exciting voices in the field, their books are creative conversations between designers and artists from different parts of India, authors and illustrators across cultures and between publishers across the world.
We wish to initiate a conversation that engages with the theme of global connectedness by presenting a set of Tara titles that have been printed and widely appreciated in Korea. Working with over half a dozen publishers in Korea, there are currently 12 Tara titles available in Korean. This series of talks and interactions, focuses on 5 popular titles, one every month, from July to November 2020.
In the fifth edition of the series, we present The Night Life of Trees, published in Korea by Borim Press, one of Tara's long standing partners. We bring you the story of the making of this book, short notes on the artists and art work and much else on this engaging narrative. Editors from Borim will join us for this programme as will a Korean language student from InKo Centre who will read the Korean version to bring alive the musicality and tonal texture of this book.
We hope, with the Travelling Titles series, to connect with readers from India, Korea and the world!
Tune in to Tara Books Youtube channel: youtube.com/TaraBooks on Wednesday, 25 November 2020 at 5.00 p.m. IST.
Online exhibition presented
in association with
This international competition is an annual event that brings together talented young artists who show great promise in terms of precision of techniques, vivacity of colour combinations and treatment of thematic concerns. With a full programme comprising the final round of the contest, cultural performances as well as visit to sites of historic importance arranged for participants from Korea, Japan and India by K-Art International Exchange Association, Busan, this annual event is an exciting opportunity for meaningful student exchange and cultural understanding. This year however, due to travel restrictions following the pandemic, participants could not travel to Busan to experience the wonderfully immersive programme that complements the competition. The competition however witnessed a surge in the number of entries, with participants drawn from 11 countries - South Korea, India, Japan, U.S.A., U.K., China, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Ukraine and Canada.
The 20 artworks from India and Korea respectively, shortlisted for the final stage of this competition and the winning entries from the two countries, will be presented in a virtual exhibition at www.inkocentre.org on Friday, 27 November 2020 at 6.00 p.m. IST.