MMCA to focus on Korean experimental art 60s, 70s

Press opening of "Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s – 1970s" at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MMCA) on Thursday, a day before the exhibition officially opens. [YONHAP]

The National Museum of Contemporary Art (MMCA) said Thursday it will hold an exhibition focused on Korean experimental art in the 1960s and 1970s jointly with the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Titled "Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s–1970s," the exhibition will explore experimental artistic practices that emerged in the decades following the 1950-53 Korean War, an era of transformation amid a tumultuous political landscape at home and worldwide.

Nearly 100 pieces and archival materials by 29 influential artists, including Kim Ku-lim, Sung Neung-kyung, Lee Kang-so, Lee Kun-yong and Lee Seung-taek, will go on display at the MMCA's Seoul branch from Friday to July 16.

After Seoul, the exhibit will travel to the Guggenheim Museum in New York from September to January 2024 and then move to the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles from February to May.

It will be the first North American museum exhibition dedicated to Korean experimental artists.

A variety of mediums, including painting, performance, installation, photography and video, will be featured under six sub-themes to examine avant-garde artistic practices in the 1960s and 70s.

The MMCA said the new breed of artists addressed pressing issues stemming from rapid industrialization and globalization, and examined the relationship between the avant-garde movement and Korean tradition.

It will also give a rare opportunity to view their works displayed at the 1973 Paris biennale and the 1975 Sau Paulo biennale, which served as a bridge between the Korean contemporary art scene and the global art world.

Yonhap