KOREA FOUNDATION

For many Koreans, the names Gyeongju and Silla usually bring up memories of class trips to the city that was once was the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom. However, Gyeongju is so much more than this. Even into the present day, relics continue to be excavated and remains are found at the site of the Silla royal palace in Wolseong, one of the Gyeongju Historic Areas designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2000. And this World Heritage designation connects the age-old city to contemporary times, even across national borders.

   In celebration of the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship, Korea and Denmark have designated 2019 as the Korea-Denmark Cultural Year. To mark the occasion, a special exhibition entitled Korea in Denmark: Welcome to the Moon Palace was held from June to September at the Nikolaj Kunsthal (Nikolaj Contemporary Art Center) in Copenhagen.

   The exhibition was divided into three parts: “A Journey to AD 101,” “Tou, Play with Lego!,” and “Moonlight of Palace and Mystery.” The second portion drew the most attention, with colorful artwork and photographs showing Korean contemporary artists’ interpretations of tou, clay dolls excavated in Wolseong, and Lego blocks, the world- famous Danish toys.

   From beginning to end, the exhibition was praised for having successfully visualized its slogans, “From the Present to the Past” and “From Copenhagen to Gyeongju.” Particularly meaningful was its ability to transmit the ancient Korean story of Wolseong and the Silla Kingdom to countless Europeans through Copenhagen and Denmark.

   The use of the globally loved Lego toys proved fun and thought-provoking, the perfect vehicle to express the culture and history of the ancient Korean kingdom and modern-day Denmark, which at first glance do not seem to have much in common. The officials at the Nikolaj Kunsthal conveyed comments from Danish art lovers who said the exhibition enabled a union of the East and the West, the past and the present, and fantasy and reality.

Written by Kim Shinyoung

#Korea #Denmark #Silla #Gyeongju