Artists in Their Times: Korean Modern and Contemporary Art - Since the late 1970s

A New Figurative Painting Emerges: Korean Hyperrealism One of the major developments in Korean contemporary art between the late 1970s and 1980s was the rise of realist and figurative art, which emphasized figures and expressions and were rooted in the social reality. The new figurative painting emerged first in the late 1970s with hyperrealism, which was characterized by elaborate depictions achieved through intense craftsperson– like efforts. Korean hyperrealism was an expression of skepticism and rejection toward Gukjeon – centered academist representational painting and an attempt to break away from Korea’s fixed trend of monochrome painting at the time. 

Onward Korean Painting since the 1980s 

The biggest change that arose in the 1980s for traditional artists using the three materials known as jipilmuk (paper, brush, and ink) was the first real use of the term “hangukhwa” (meaning “Korean painting”). This could be seen both as a bid for recognition as a genre of contemporary art—with the pursuit of new formative qualities and adoption of new techniques—as well as the starting point for an investigation into identity. 

Minjung Art

Korea’s first large–scale endogenous art movement, Minjung art was distinct from previous Korean art in its attention to real–world concerns and focus on content and narrative. The historical situation in Korea played a large part in Minjung art becoming representative of Korean art in the 1980s. Resistance to the oppressive military regime (as symbolized by the Gwangju Democratization Movement) and re–examinations of the US as a traditional ally were rippling through Korean society as a whole at the time, leading to more active debates over democracy and nationalism. Minjung art was born out a sense of crisis and the feeling that art could no longer ignore reality.

Activities of Diverse Small Groups in the 1980s 

During the 1980s, Korean society underwent a period of upheavals. The hunger for democracy in the face of the repressions of the military administration led to a number of democratization movements, while the arrival of a late industrial society brought high– speed economic growth and rapid changes to daily life. Amid this social climate, the art world of the 1980s was divided into two strands: monochrome painting and the then–nascent movement of Minjung art. Artists graduating from art colleges in the early 1980s were forced to choose between these two paths. But those who sought to avoid being pulled into these major trends and to share their own voices without espousing particular ideologies would come together to form small groups, chiefly centered around schools, where they were able to work freely.  

With Germany’s reunification and the Soviet Union’s dissolution in the early 1990s, Cold War ideologies and related discourses died down as concepts such as the environment and gender emerged as keywords to understanding the new world society. Globalization marked by increased mobility and advancements in information technology also accelerated developments in the communication systems including the internet. And as mass consumerism settled in, the line between high–end and popular cultures became blurred as decentralized and pluralistic cultural styles emerged. 

Onward The Dawn of Globalization

As the Cold War era came to a close in the late 1980s, the world entered an era of pluralization. South Korea enjoyed a boost in prestige as it hosted large–scale international events like the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and the 1993 Expo in Daejeon, while President Kim Young–sam named “globalization” as one of his administration’s key governance tasks after taking office in 1993. As different globalization policies came together, international interchange began to proliferate in the field of art as well. Matters such as “decentralization” and “pluralization” emerged as key issues at the biennales, and amid growing interest in non–Western artists, figures such as Kim Sooja and Jheon Soocheon became actively involved in various international exhibitions. 

Onward Conceptual Stance

The 1990s could be described as the true emergence of Korean contemporary art as the ideological conflicts of past eras weakened and diversification and globalization began. With collectivism losing strength and society enjoying greater material abundance, the emergence of the individual and the growing interest in everyday life became important characteristics of the art of this period. This section introduces a number of artists who were driving forces in this trend and whose work demonstrates a conceptual aspect. 

Critical Attitudes toward Reality

In the late 1990s, Korean society was undergoing rapid changes amid the direct influx of Western capitalist culture and the expansion of popular culture, and the focus shifted from the political issues discussed by Minjung art to matters of personal desire and identity. This makes us look at the various problems around us (women, environment, sexuality, etc.) and the arts also show a variety of aspects. Amid this environment, some artists developed an interest in art of a socially critical, exploring the relationship between art and public lives in the post–Minjung art era; indeed, the term “post–Minjung art” emerged amid perceptions that saw these trends sharing certain characteristics with Minjung art. 

Daily Life and Popular Culture

The 2000s would bring a large increase in artwork addressing daily life. Rather than focusing on specific incidents or individuals, artists found their subject matter in the repetition of day–to–day existence. To be sure, artwork that focused on daily life had existed in the past. They were shifting away from the abstract and turning their attention to individual experience and the trivialities of ordinary existence. Artists also began observing the cities in which they were chiefly active. Where natural features such as mountains, fields, and rivers had been the subject of past artwork, the new subjects were the city’s structures and roads, and the ordinary people living within them. 

Onward Interdisciplinary Arts and the Broadening of Expression

In the mid–2000s, “interdisciplinary arts” became the focus of growing activity in Korean art. In general terms, interdisciplinary arts refers to artwork that crosses boundaries of genres such as art, dance, theater, music, and film. While it certainly does focus on convergence and juxtaposition among genres, it does not simply refer to genre mixing. As each genre poses fundamental questions about genre perse, this gives rise to things that cannot be addressed through that genre alone, and a unique form of artwork emerged as a natural consequence of the sharing of those things.