MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection Special Exhibition: Masterpieces of Korean Art

created: 2022.01.20. 13:58 · modified: 2022.01.21. 10:04 ·  · license

This post was automatically translated and has not yet been reviewed by me. Please read with discretion.

On the 18th, I went to the Lee Kun-hee Collection special exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

I’d heard about the exhibition last year and had been meaning to go. Part of the appeal was the incredible collection of works gathered in one place, but honestly, what I wanted most was a photo of myself at the entrance, next to an exhibition title with my name in it.

Everyone said getting a reservation was difficult, but I found it easier than I expected. The harder part was having to book two weeks ahead, which meant fixing a plan in my schedule that far in advance. I like spending my breaks without a plan (not that I’m especially meticulous about planning the rest of the time, either...), and I tend to deal with things as soon as they come up. Two weeks felt like forever.

Fortunately, I managed to wait it out and finally set foot in the gallery. The exhibition title sharing my name was a big part of what drew me in, but I was genuinely interested in the art, too. Besides, I really didn’t want to be someone who just went around taking pictures, so I decided to take my time and look closely at each painting. Because of COVID, the docent guide was available through a mobile app rather than a separate device. It had explanations of about two minutes each for around twenty works. Allowing time to look beyond the explanations, not to mention the works without guides, I figured I’d need at least two hours. My reservation said 3:00 to 4:00, but I assumed that was just a formality. How could they possibly keep track of when every visitor entered and make them leave on time?

So I was taking my time with the works when I noticed that the other visitors seemed to be approaching things very differently. They’d snap a few photos in front of a work, then hurry on to the next. Watching them, I felt like I’d found people who cared more about having a photo of themselves in front of the art than appreciating the art itself. To be honest, it didn’t sit well with me.

Before long, though, I realized I was the foolish one. At exactly four o’clock, a staff member at the side of the gallery began ushering people out. I took out the earbuds I’d been wearing to listen to the guide and asked again, partly because I couldn’t believe it. Yes, I had to leave so the next group could come in. Unless I’d booked multiple time slots, whether over several hours or several days, I’d have had to hurry through like the others to see every painting.

In the end, I left feeling as though I’d been chased out. It was my fault for being so casual about such a popular exhibition. I’d asked a passerby to take my photo in front of the gallery before I went in, and suddenly I felt bad about that, too.

I didn’t even get to see twenty works, but of the ones I saw, a few stood out:

• Lee Sang-beom, <High Mountains, Long Rivers>
• Byeon Gwan-sik, <Spring Colors of Muchang> — This place, where we quietly live our lives, is paradise.
• Kim Jung-hyun, <Farmers’ Music>
• Chang Ucchin, <Playing Gonggi>

Those were the ones I especially liked.

I still want to see all the works, so I made another reservation for early February and decided to go back with a friend. I’ll be a bit more strategic about it this time. I’ll update this post after I go.