Traditional craftworks inspired by Nexon games to be shown in Deoksu Palace exhibition

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Traditional craftworks inspired by Nexon games to be shown in Deoksu Palace exhibition

Published: 14 Nov. 2024, 15:43 Updated: 14 Nov. 2024, 16:43

YIM SEUNG-HYE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Artist Kim Hee-soo's Nexon-game-inspired traditional compass [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]

Deoksu Palace's Deokhongjeon [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

Traditional Korean craftworks inspired by Nexon's iconic games MapleStory, Mabinogi and The Kingdom of the Winds, will be showcased at Deoksu Palace for the special exhibition “Shaping Time: In Search of Another World" from Nov. 19.

The Korea Heritage Agency said it has organized the free exhibition with the Nexon Foundation in the palace's Deokhongjeon as part of the game developer's social contribution initiative, the “Borderless Project,” which aims to foster the integration of culture, art and gaming by annually providing game IPs and other content to artists from various fields.

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A total of 10 artists participated in the project. Three artists are holders of skills recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage, such as Kim Dong-sik, holder of seonjajang or traditional fan-making, Kim Hee-soo, holder of yundojang, or geomantic compass-making, and Cho Dae-yong, holder of yeomjang, or bamboo blind making. Yugijang (brassware maker) Kim Beom-yong and maedeupjang (decorative knotter) Kim Si-jae, also took part in the project. Five contemporary craft artists including Jung Da-hye, who is known for her horsehair woven baskets, are also taking part. Jeong is the first and only Korean craftsperson to win the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize back in 2022.

Artist Kim Seok-young's lanterns [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]

Korea Association of Art and Design Director Cho Hye-young is taking the helm of the project as the creative director. Cho has curated events like the Tongyeong International Triennale in 2022 and the Victoria & Albert Museum’s special exhibition in 2017. She is also an international commissioner for the Loewe Craft Prize.

Admission to the exhibition is free. However, a separate entrance fee to Deoksu Palace applies.

Guests can also purchase limited-edition merchandise items, such as a fabric calendar and a traditional compass, or yundo, featuring Nexon game characters, at Deoksu Palace's gift shop, Sarang.