'Companions on the Eternal Journey' exhibition explores themes of death, farewell

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'Companions on the Eternal Journey' exhibition explores themes of death, farewell

Bird-shaped vessels [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Bird-shaped vessels [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

 
The National Museum of Korea’s latest exhibition at the Special Exhibition Gallery hall displays cute little earthenware figurines of different shapes. They come in all shapes and sizes: a bird, a horse, auspicious animals or even a parade of people playing instruments.
 
These cute little figurines that date back to the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935) and Gaya Confederacy (42-562) were, however, created not to be stored inside a corner cabinet as ornaments but inside a tomb. They were used as ritual ware and funerary gifts, being highly associated with themes of death.
 
Titled “Companions on the Eternal Journey,” the exhibition that kicked off on May 26 is the first in four special exhibitions the museum plans to hold this year. The ultimate message of the show is reflected in its title.
 
“Farewells are the inevitable parts of life, and it especially gives unbearable pain when it is due to the death of a loved one,” Yoon Sung-yong, director-general of the museum, said last week during a press conference for the exhibition.
 
“The fact that they were portrayed to appear happily marching along, playing the flutes and drums, means that a funeral wasn’t necessarily sad,” Lee Sang-mi, a curator at the museum who organized the exhibition, said. “Rather, it means that it was like a festivity, held with the idea that death is not just an ending to one’s life and to wish the deceased to transition well to the next life.”
 
“It was the same with our ancestors,” Yoon said. “Some might have overcome that pain through consolation or even religion. But we wanted to explore the thought processes and attitudes in how they specifically moved on from such hardships through the traces of these earthenwares.”
 
 
Long-necked jar decorated with figurines [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Long-necked jar decorated with figurines [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

 
Some 330 pieces are on display. These include 15 state-designated national treasures and 97 earthen vessels decorated with clay figurines that were excavated in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The latter pieces are being shown to the public for the first time.
 
The belief in the afterlife is further reflected in figurative pottery that took the shape of birds, horses, horns and houses. These were regarded as companions accompanying the deceased to heaven, where they would continue their lives, and birds were particularly deemed holy creatures.
 
Others are more straightforward. Instead of taking the form of a symbolic creature or object, a 5th-century Silla figurine is reminiscent of Michelangelo's Pietà.
 
"Facing death is always terrifying and sad, but the fact that they would express the motif through these figurines represents their grief and yearning for a deceased loved one," Lee said. "This proves that the sentiments people had back then are the same as now."
 
Straw shoe-shaped vessels [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Straw shoe-shaped vessels [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

 
"Companions on the Eternal Journey" continues until Oct. 9. The National Museum of Korea is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Hours extend to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Tickets are 5,000 won ($3.70) for adults.
 

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]
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