Seoul Museum of Craft Art said on the 31st it will hold a special donation exhibition highlighting the world of works by first-generation Korean fashion art artist Geum Gisuk, 73, starting on the 23rd.
Geum is regarded as a figure who, in the early 1990s, reinterpreted the concept of "art clothing" in a Korean context and expanded clothing into art. Using nontraditional materials such as wire, beads, organza, sequins, and recycled materials, Geum built an original body of work, broadened the field by expanding from Art to Wear to fashion art, and developed it into formative art that composes space.
In 2018, Geum served as costume director for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies and drew attention for creating the "snowflake fairy" outfits worn by placard bearers during the athletes' parade. Geum served as president of the Korea Fashion Culture Association and the inaugural president of the International Fashion Art Federation (IFAA), and is currently co-director of the Yugum Wadang Museum, actively continuing creative work.
The exhibition title, "Dancing, Dreaming, Enlightening," captures an artist's journey: dreaming (Dreaming), expanding expression through body and space (Dancing), and ultimately reaching a personal enlightenment (Enlightening). The exhibition will feature 56 works donated by Geum. They are valued at about 1.31 billion won.
Comprising five sections, the exhibition three-dimensionally presents Geum's more than 40-year creative journey, moving from "from clothing to form" to "from form to space." On view are works such as "Lotus dress," which interprets the time of a lotus blooming through flows of color, and pieces that embody the unique curvilinear beauty and beauty of blank space of hanbok, including bridal hwal-ot and the court dangui (唐衣).
Visitors can also see the "snowflake fairy" outfits worn by placard bearers during the athletes' parade at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The work, which modernly reinterprets the lines and structure of hanbok, is cited as a symbolic project that helped Korean fashion art be recognized as a national cultural icon.
At a press briefing on the 23rd, Geum said, "While receiving undeserved praise during the Pyeongchang Olympics, I felt I should leave a record of this work," adding, "I hope to deliver joy and inspiration to more people through the exhibition."
During the exhibition, the museum will run related programs such as workshops and an artist talk. The museum shop will also sell three exhibition-related art products. The exhibition runs through Mar. 15 next year at Seoul Museum of Craft Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul.