Following a series of unprecedented shows of support for art museums from last year, Hyundai Motor Co. is holding an art exhibition in Seoul that highlights the creativity of Korean contemporary artists and the traditional elements and aesthetics that inspired them.

The “Dream Society” exhibition, now in its third year, brings together leading artists, architects and designers, who converge with innovative ideas of “Koreanness” in their installations, sculptures and paintings.  


Under the theme of “finding originality in art,” a total of 49 art pieces are on display at Seoul Museum in Buam-dong that “best represent Korean aesthetics,” according to Min Byung-jic, art director of the exhibition.

“To trace (originality in Korean art), we started with a calligraphy piece by calligraphy master Kim Jung-hee and another calligraphy work by independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun,” said Min. Calligraphy pieces of historical figures are often great inspirations for contemporary artists, he explained.

Lee Seung-taek, a pioneer of abstract sculptures and installations, filled the museum’s large exhibition hall with installations made with metal and wood objects that bring to mind brush strokes from calligraphy and ink-and-wash paintings.

He has established a unique career in the Korean art world with sculptures and installations that use unconventional materials. Mainly using natural materials like wood and stone, Lee focuses on the spirit and energy of his sculptures from the Korean landscape.

The installation of a pile of soil and angled mirrors by architect Cho Byoung-soo shares Lee’s pursuit of natural elements. Cho’s minimal building designs look distant from nature, which only seem to reflect his exploration of “modernist abstraction” in architecture. But he believed modernistic buildings would create harmony with modern abstract beauty and Korean natural aesthetics. 


Hanbok designer Kim Young-jin reveals a dynamic side of the Korean traditional costume hanbok. She presents a hanbok piece that women in the old days wore to ride horses. The shorter skirt slit in the front offered more room for women to conveniently adjust on the moving horses. 


Artist, designer and collector Choi Jeong-hwa presents Korean pop art installations. He has used recycled items, trash and collected objects as materials for his colorful, vibrant installations. His installations made of rusty cans, sneakers and colorful bowls attempt to give life back to artificial objects that have stopped serving their original function. 


Hyundai Motor has actively engaged with the art world since last year, starting with the 11-year grand partnership with Tate Modern last March. It also pledged long-term financial support for the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In April, it joined hands with Bloomberg to run a global television series on emerging talents in the art world.

Aside from partnerships with museums, the company has organized projects and exhibitions that encourage collaborations between art and technology -- a step the company has set to move beyond being an Asian car manufacturer to become a global carmaker and life partner for customers.

“Dream Society” runs through Oct. 11 at Seoul Museum in Buam-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. For more information, visit www.seoulmuseum.org.

Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)