Life of Deportation and Settlement: Koryo-saram, Samosely
and Abandoned Places in Ukraine
From April 6 to 28, the KF Gallery will host an exhibition entitled Life of Deportation and Settlement: Koryo-saram, Samosely and Abandoned Places in Ukraine. The exhibition, held in cooperation with the Shcherbenko Art Centre in Kiev, Ukraine, will display photos of Korean artist Jung Sung-tae and Ukrainian art duo Krolikowski Art.
The foci of the artists’ works reveal their strong regional attachments. Jung’s photos shed light on the stark reality of the Koryo-saram, ethnic Koreans who were once deported from their homes in the Russian Far East and later settled down in Ukraine, and examine the lives of the Samosely, or “self-settlers”, who remained in or returned to the exclusion zone around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, whereas the Krolikowski art mirrors the artists’ memories of their own hometown, ravaged by undeclared war that hit Eastern Ukraine.
2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Ukraine in 1992, as well as the 80th anniversary of the mass exodus of ethnic Koreans from the Russian Far East in 1937. In this regard, the Korea Foundation is very glad to host this exhibition, which will provide an important and meaningful opportunity for visitors to learn about the tragic history of the Koryo-saram and Samosely. Further information is available on the KF website (www.kf.or.kr) or on the KF Gallery’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/koreafoundationgallery).
* Closed on every Sunday and April 14