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Cultural heritage institute Onjium to hold 'ra' exhibit

Published: 03 Apr. 2025, 11:07 Updated: 04 Apr. 2025, 12:54

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

Hanbok, or traditional Korean dress, made from ra, a type of traditional sheer fabric gauze, created in collaboration by Onjium and OMA Space [ONJIUM, OMA SPACE]

Onjium, a Korean cultural heritage research institute specializing in clothing, food and housing, is set to hold an exhibition on ra, a type of traditional sheer fabric gauze, starting April 9.

Titled, “Ra, Weaving Light,” the exhibition will take place on the first floor of the Arumjigi building in Tongui-dong of Jongno District, central Seoul.

Hanbok, or traditional Korean dress, made from ra, a type of traditional sheer fabric gauze, created in collaboration by Onjium and OMA Space [ONJIUM, OMA SPACE]

The show features around 20 pieces of contemporary hanbok (traditional Korean dress) made from ra, created in collaboration with OMA Space, a contemporary art, design and craft studio based in Korea and France.

The hanbok on view emphasize ra’s translucency, smooth and flexible silhouettes and earthy, subdued colors, and were created through methods that have roots in the traditional techniques of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) while incorporating modern skills used in knitwear. The pieces also highlight the fabric’s comfort and naturalness, matching them with everyday clothes rather than displaying them as costumes or formal wear.

“Light that projects through woven ra is more than just an optical phenomenon, it becomes a sensory experience of being able to see how light travels,” OMA Studio said in a press release, adding that the clothing itself becomes an “intersection between material and immaterial.”

Hanbok, or traditional Korean dress, made from ra, a type of traditional sheer fabric gauze, created in collaboration by Onjium and OMA Space [ONJIUM, OMA SPACE]

Onjium said that even modernized hanbok should maintain two rules: that it comes in two pieces (a top and bottom) and keep the caftan form, a variant of a robe or tunic that is tied at the front. This distinction is what makes hanbok separate from one-piece garments like the traditional garments of Japan, the kimono, or China, the qipao.

“Ra, Weaving Light” ends April 27. The exhibition is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesdays to Sundays. The hanbok is available to try on and purchase.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]