British Museum's 'Korea' exhibition presents country's heritage beyond pop culture

A new exhibition which opened at London’s British Museum this week looks beyond Korea’s pop culture to explore 2,000 years of the country’s artistic and cultural heritage.
Spanning from the early Iron Age to the present day, the exhibition brings together works dating to around 400 BC alongside pieces by contemporary Korean artists.
“Most people, especially young people in the UK, know about Korea through its popular culture”, curator Sang-ah Kim said. “They may not know Korea has a long history, over 2,000 years of creativity, resilience and technical skill”.
The exhibition features works from the collection of former Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, who died in 2020 and his family. Highlights include Buddhist statuettes and sutras, celebrated Goryeo celadon ceramics, and a sculpture from South Korean artist Yeesookyung’s “Translated Vase” series, assembled from shards discarded by potters.
Some exhibits may feel familiar to younger visitors introduced to Korea through contemporary cultural exports. Kim said audiences may recognise traditional imagery from the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters”, including tiger and magpie paintings and the “Sun, Moon and Five Peaks” folding screen.
More recent works explore themes including home, migration and belonging. Among them are Suh Do Ho’s thread drawing “Self-Portrait” and works by Lee Jung-seop, who was separated from his family during the Korean War.
Most works are on loan from the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.
The exhibition opens on Thursday, October 1 and runs until January 31, 2027. — Reuters