Korean Design exhibition at Finland's Craft Museum

KOREAN DESIGN brings traditional Korean arts and crafts and modern design to the Craft Museum of Finland in Jyväskylä with an exhibition running June - December 2011.

Korean Design

Between tradition and modernity

Exhibition at the Craft Museum of Finland June 9 - December 4, 2011 Through dialogue between tradition and modernity the exhibition examines the colourful influence the long-standing Korean crafts tradition has carried over to the present day. The exhibition also showcases the most attention-grabbing pieces in Korean design right now. Some of the works are from highly-trained professionals and designers, but some are from the hands of ordinary country people. South Korea strives to also be a wayfarer in the field of design in East Asia, alongside China and Japan. Public funds are spent on massive projects and large-scale construction ventures. South Korean design is prominently featured in design events around the world. Also on display are samples of Samsung's high technology, which have served as tools for artistic expression. The Korean material processing and sense of form are close to the Finnish interest in natural materials and scarce minimalism. “I search for the essence of a culture from the cultural environment and distinctive architecture. There is a clear similarity in the way Koreans and Finns experience nature”, says the exhibition curator Amie Ann. In Finland also, ordinary people have typically made utility items of local materials such as wood, flax and wool in its various forms. The reuse of Finnish tradition in craft and design has had its problems. On one hand the tradition has been one of the building blocks of the nation, but on the other hand it has been seen as an outdated burden and something to get rid of. In the Craft Museum of Finland, traditional Finnish crafts meet modern design in Craft: A Touch of Life, the museum’s permanent exhibition in the basement floor. KOREAN DESIGN has been curated by a South Korean visual and textile artist Amie Ann (AeKyung An). She has been well acquainted with Finnish and Scandinavian design since the 1990’s. This exhibition is a combination of two exhibitions: KOREAN DESIGN - traditional Modern (Design Museum, Helsinki, 18 Mar to 29 May 2011), and Korean home (Museum of Cultures, Helsinki, 03 Apr to 30 Dec, 2007). Amie Ann has also written and photographed the material for her title "Design Finland in My Perspective" (in Korean 2009; in Chinese 2010). Amie Ann’s latest book “Why Nordic Design?” deals with Scandinavian design.