Special Exhibition of “Ceramics from the National Museum of Korea: Voices from an Ancestral Culture” 

The National Museum of Korea (Director General Yoon Sung Yong) has opened the special exhibition “Ceramics from the National Museum of Korea: Voices from an Ancestral Culture” displaying the beauty of our traditional culture and the value of cultural heritage at the Gold Museum, Colombia, on October 6, 2022 (local time).

Colombia is a country that sent more than 5,000 soldiers to support us during the Korean War. As this year is the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Colombia, this large-scale exhibition of Korean cultural heritage held for the first time in Colombia will greatly contribute to improving friendly relations between the two nations. In addition, by introducing the excellence of Korean traditional culture, the National Museum of Korea aims to take this opportunity to expand Latin America’s interest in Korean popular culture to the traditional culture of Korea.

The Gold Museum (Museo del Oro) where this special exhibition takes place is the representative museum of Colombia located in Bogota, its capital. It is famous for its world-class gold craftworks, and the National Museum of Korea has successfully held a special exhibition “El Dorado – the Spirits, Gold, and Shaman” which introduced the collections from the Gold Museum of Colombia in 2018.

This exhibition introduces the life, culture, and artistic world of Koreans from prehistoric times to modern times through earthenware and ceramics instilled with the workmanship and artistic spirit of the Korean people. Part 1, “Elegance in Everyday Life Embodied in Ceramics,” explores the daily life of Koreans through various earthenware and ceramics used every day since prehistoric times and examines the artistic and aesthetic sense contained in these cultural properties. Part 2, “Ceramics that Accompanied Birth and Death,” displays the custom of burying placenta of the Joseon royal family and wide variety of dishes used as funeral goods. Part 3 with the theme, “Embodiment of Artisonal Spirit,” sheds light on the spirit of potters who sublimated dishes from everyday life to a “work of art” and introduces Korean ceramics boasting its highest quality and beauty such as Goryeo celadon, grayish-blue-powdered celadon, and white celadon. Last of all, Part 4 presents “Emotions of Joseon People Embodied in the Color and Designs of White Porcelain” so that visitors can experience Korea’s beautiful scenery and vegetation, along with the values Koreans respected and the utopian world they dreamed of through white porcelain.

Through this exhibition, the National Museum of Korea wished to introduce that the keywords of Korean popular culture: “creativity,” “innovation,” “dynamics,” and “technology” have originated from our traditional culture by showcasing the Koreans’ sense of beauty in earthenware and ceramics. The exhibition is to be held until February 20, 2023, and it will become another starting point by attracting the eyes of people all over the world focused on Korean popular culture, to the traditional culture of Korea.

Attachment: 1. Exhibition PR Materials, 2. Opening Ceremony Images, 3. Major exhibits