Kaleidoscope introduces the artistic worlds of five contemporary Korean artists who actively work on a global stage. Like the patterns of a kaleidoscope, these artists show their unique and creative realms through diverse artistic backgrounds and expressions. Through these works, they harmonize Korean aesthetics with modern sensibilities, going beyond merely presenting Korean art to reinterpreting its traditions and contemporary elements in distinctive ways, thereby challenging the global art scene.

This exhibition, held in Hong Kong—one of Asia’s premier art hubs—breaks down the boundaries between East and West through the unique artistic expressions of five artists. It delivers unique and meaningful messages through a variety of artistic philosophies. Different cultures and emotions merge through art, creating endlessly evolving new patterns and offering opportunities for rich artistic encounters. Over the divides of East and West, religion, and nationality, this exhibition provides a chance to directly experience the “harmony through art” that defines contemporary Korean art.

Artists: 배준성 BAE Joonsung 裵准晟, 최영욱 CHOI Youngwook 崔永旭, 황란 HWANG Ran 黃蘭, 이이남 LEE Leenam 李二男, 여동헌 YEO Donghun 呂東憲

Venue address: 6-7/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street Central

Cadenza, the Korean Young Artists Series this year, features works by three prominent Korean artists, SON Donghyun (1980-), WOO Jeongsu (1986-), and KEY Min Jung (1986-).

From SON Donghyun, who deconstructs and reconstructs classical Asian painting, WOO Jeongsu, who weaves narratives about contemporary issues based on medieval European publications and visual images, to KEY Min Jung, who explores the relationship between medium and material through continuous experimentation with traditional ink painting, the oeuvre of these three artists stimulates discourse with various contexts such as East and West, form and content, material and technique.

Cadenza, a classical term referring to a musical passage in a concerto or solo performance, usually denotes a free, unnotated section where the performer showcases their skill and creativity, displaying their unique style. The artistic worlds and working methods of the artists can be compared to a cadenza, where the artists fully demonstrate their skills within the existing media.

The participating artists Mr. WOO Jeongsu and Ms. KEY Min Jung will be present and sharing about the artworks at the opening reception at 6pm

Venue address: 6-7/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

In collaboration with the Korea Ceramic Foundation, the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong presents the “ Variation; The Reinterpretation of Korean Traditional Ceramics” at the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong in PMQ, a complex cultural space full of local craft studios to give visitors an extraordinary cultural experience.

Artists: Kang Minsoo 姜旻秀, Kim Deokho 金德鎬, Kim Hojung 金祜廷, Park Sungwook 朴星旭, Yang Jiwoon 楊知耘, Lee Dongha 李東夏, Lee Songam 李松岩, Lee Jeongyong 李正鏞, Yoo Euijeong 兪義正

Venue address: 6/F, Korean Cultural Center, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street Central

The Seoul Museum of Art×Korean Cultural Center Overseas Exhibition 《Far, Far Side of the World》 showcases dynamic contemporary Korean art at Korean Cultural Centers in major East Asian cities: Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Osaka.

The exhibition features the works of four artists, Seulki Ki, Woojin Kim, Sejin Song and RYU Biho, who explore various boundaries, such as those between nations and ethnicities, individuals and society, and life and death.

Opening Reception: Friday, 16 August 6:00-8:00 PM (*Opening Ceremony and curator tour at 7 PM)

Gallery address: 6/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong presents the coming exhibition "Déjà Vu on One Perfect Day (2024 Open Call Exhibition)", featuring the major artworks of the three artists, LEE Seung Hoon, CHOI Kichang and KIM Suyeon including the paintings and video productions.

All three artists participating in this exhibition, "Déjà Vu on One Perfect Day", work with some kind of story that lies beneath their visual artworks. In each unique way, the artists pass through the past and present of art and travel between their original and unfinished works.

The feeling of “I think I have already seen it” may be a default when appreciating art. The title of this exhibition directly shows this three-dimensional sense of “I have already seen it”. This phrase is from the lyrics of the song “I AM” by the K-pop group IVE. Through the exhibition, we dream together of facing the aesthetic “déjà vu” on “one perfect day”. After all, that dream will come true for all those who love art.

Curator: LEE Jihyeon

Venue address: 6-7/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong is proud to announce the grand exhibition "Layers of K-Art".

This collaborative exhibition, in partnership with the Museum of Sungkyunkwan University, presents the remarkable works of four renowned Korean contemporary Dansaekhwa (monochrome painting) artists, artfully curated alongside traditional Korean ceramics: Kim Taeksang in celadon, Park Jongkyu in raised-relief celadon, Kim Keun Tai in buncheong ware, and Kim Tschoon Su in blue and white porcelain.

Opening Reception: Monday, 25 March 2024, 6 - 8 PM

Venue address: 6/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong, along with the Korean Film Council, is set to unveil a compelling a photo exhibition named "KOREAN ACTORS 200" from 28th July (Friday) to 16th September (Saturday) at the center’s exhibition space.

This exhibition pays homage to the enormous efforts of Korean artists who, over the years, have paved the way for Korean culture and content to gain global renown. Actors, in particular, have played pivotal roles in the rise of Korean cinema, which stands as a cornerstone of the Korean cultural industry and a driving force in the globalization of K-culture. The exhibition aims to spotlight and honor the influential movie stars who have fueled the growth of Korean cinema. Following successful exhibitions in Seoul, Busan, New York, Shanghai, and Beijing, the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong is proud to host this special event.

The fact that the exhibition takes place in Hong Kong, a city with special attachment to movies and a history of spearheading the Asian film industry with renowned movies like "A Better Tomorrow," "Chungking Express," and "Almost a Love Story," adds further significance to the event. July 2023 also marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Bruce Lee, Hong Kong's first-generation Hollywood action star, lending an additional layer of relevance to the exhibition in Hong Kong.

According to the Korean Film Council, the exhibition features 100 male and 100 female actors, selected based on diverse criteria. Factors such as box-office success, popularity over the past decade, roles in independent and art films emphasizing diversity, rising stardom, international film festival awards, co-production experiences, and roles in globally recognized over-the-top (OTT) platform Netflix films were considered.

Gallery address: 6-7/F, Block B Hollywood, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong presents Dreamy, the annual Korean Young Artists Series exhibition from 25 May until 22 July. The exhibition highlights the works of three artists, PARK Gwangsoo, SONG Sumin and RYU Yaerim, on the theme of dreams and implicit possibilities. These artists leading Korean contemporary painting establish their art world on the canvas through different methodologies. Although the techniques, methods of expression and the themes they would reveal through their works are different, there is a common keyword in the works of the artists, which is 'the possibility arising from ambiguity'.

In the works of PARK Gwangsoo, the potential of painting derived from dots and lines exists. PARK describes his painting as “lines expand the world as continuously changing their roles.” To him, dots and lines mean infinite possibility. While dots and lines are means of assistance for shaping in traditional paintings, in PARK Gwangsoo's paintings, they stand out as the main factor on canvas. In the case of the works of 2015, even the colors are absent and the artworks are just the collection of the shapes and backgrounds constructed of dots and lines. These vibrant lines connote the possibility of being transformed into any figure or background. His recent works of 2022, slim lines changed into brushstrokes, and these brushstrokes formed color-fields and shapes.

The paintings of SONG Sumin can be approached with the possibility of the diverse interpretations images have. The beautiful nature scenes on the canvas are intimate and alien at the same time. The glorious flowers, fireworks and clouds in the landscape paintings are ‘picturesque’ when viewed from a distance, but when examined closely, the overlapping of ambiguous images leaves the chance of interpretation from multiple angles. The coexistence of flowers in bloom and a burnt mountain, a sky background in a landscape painting that can be explained by any among clouds, smoke, petals, or abstract shapes, and the juxtaposition of the image of flowers in bloom and flames make the audience feel uncanny. These images leave room for interpretation and enable people’s imagination to unfold.  The round canvas that the artist attempted also assists to dream new possibilities and infinite imagination of painting by breaking away from the square format.

The paintings of RYU Yaerim show the boundless possibilities narrative the art can have. RYU stated the reason of painting exotic characters and backgrounds in her paintings is because “those unfamiliar characters and places enable infinite time that cannot be limited as they cannot be defined and calculated.” In addition, the artist leads an active yet unkind narrative structure through two communication methods- painting itself and its title. Both the painting and the title contain a very clear message without abstraction, however, it is full of mysterious factors for the audience to think about. The room for interpretation is open to the viewers with the different angle from the abstract paintings.

Gallery address: 6-7/F Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong presents exhibition Concrete + Jungle (2023 Open Call Artists), featuring the major artworks of the four artists from Korea and Hong Kong, KyungJin JEONG, Ken CHUNG, Mindy LUI and Yiseul JUNG including their paintings, installations and video productions. The artists captured moments that they had witnessed in daily lives and presented them from their perspectives, using their own media of presentation. They address different topics in the living environment, daily items and the cities surrounding them. They zoom in on every mundane bit in their daily lives with their penetrating insights into the space they live in.

The term ‘Concrete Jungle’ may or may not sound familiar. All of us may somehow understand the term as a ‘forest of buildings’, but the nuance of the term may differ from person to person. The definition of ‘Concrete Jungle’ is ‘a city or urban area which has a high density of large, unattractive, modern buildings and is perceived as an unpleasant living environment’, which obviously sound negative. Nowadays, the term ‘Concrete Jungle’ is no longer common in the United States. However, at the same time, you may find trendy bars or fashion brands in Korea named as ‘Concrete Jungle’.

The peculiar ambiguity of the term probably comes from the coexisting positive and negative images of the words ‘Concrete’ and ‘Jungle’. Until the early 21st century, concrete still gave a negative image of an unattractive construction material, as it often symbolized a grey city that lacks uniqueness. However, as cement floors and walls, which maximize the modern and industrial elements of an interior design, have become a trend recently, concrete is no longer unattractive and needs not to be covered by wallpaper or paint.

Venue address: 6-7/F, Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong, Block B, PMQ

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong presents the exhibition "Home Away From Home: A Thank You Letter to Hong Kong" The exhibits show seven decades of the diasporic Korean community as people put down roots, exchange and thrive in Hong Kong, gradually making it a home, a thousand miles from home. 

The exhibits include the founding documents of the Korean Residents Association, signed by a few dozen Hong Kong Korean residents in 1948, and a document commemorating Korea's very first participation in the Olympic Games where the players briefly sojourned in Hong Kong to complete their trip to London. Other curated photographs and resources from the Korean Residents Association archives illustrate a rich history of growth and exchange. 

In addition to the exhibits, video interviews with early-generation Korean residents in Hong Kong as well as talks will be released and held shortly after the opening of the exhibition.

The exhibition is presented by the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong, in partnership with the Korean Residents Association, who provided the valuable photographic records from their archives and members. Through this exhibition, the Korean Cultural Center hopes to foster further mutual understanding between the societies of Hong Kong and Korea, and provide a meaningful opportunity to look back to our meaningful history as communities.

Gallery address: 6/F Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong present “RE: Achne”, the second Open Call exhibition showcasing textile artworks of Fiber4Now, a group of four Korean textile artists—KANG Hwayoung, LEE Siwon, OH Seungah and SONG Eunsil.

Achne is the new word combining the word 'Art' and 'Techne', the origin word of technology. The show present how each of dufferent textile artists respond to the idea of art and technology in their own ways. 'Achne' is a word that symbolizes a variety of upcoming arts as they grow up from current interests to become a whole of art and technology, or something new on the boundary of art and technology.

Gallery address: 6-7/F Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong is holding the "2022 Fine Art Asia Follow-up Korean Ceramics Exhibition" at the exhibition space of the center to promote contemporary Korean ceramics and craftsmanship. This exhibition is one of the main events of Festive Korea 2022, as a follow-up exhibition held after participating in Fine Art Asia, one of the largest art fairs in Hong Kong, as the Korea Ceramic Pavilion.

The Center and the Korea Ceramics Foundation jointly prepared a Korea ceramic booth

and participated in the 2022 Fine Art Asia from October 4th to October 8th. 15 Korean artists, including KWON Jinhee, KIM Daehoon, PARK Raeheon, PARK Jungmin, SHIN Soeon, SHIN Wondong, YOON Jungsun, LEE Giza, LEE Sangho, LEE Joonsung, IM Byunghan, JANG Seokhyun, JUNG Sewook, CHOI Boyun, and HONG Jeeeun, were invited to participate in this event through public recruitment. The exhibition showcases 72 modern works and everyday artworks rich in Korean characteristics, promoting the value of Korean ceramic craftsmanship and excellent culture.

Gallery address: 6/F, Korean Cultural Center, PMQ, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong and Jeju Special Self- Governing Province presents the Jeju Haenyeo Exhibition: Life of Jeju Haenyeo. The exhibition includes photographs of Haenyeo in their daily lives around the sea, and diving equipment commonly used by Haenyeo. The exhibition will also feature Jeju related products and adorable merchandises for display.

There will be workshop sessions during the exhibition where the participants can try making their own Haenyeo clay-figurine music boxes. Participants will be selected through a draw if the applicants exceed the number of available spots.

Registration :~19 July 2022 23:59 via

https://forms.gle/Fm5PnU7JucAL3K689

* Only successful candidates will receive a confirmation email on 21 July.

Venue address: 6/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen St., Central,

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong presents the 2022 Korean Young Artists Series: Pith of Cake which exhibits 32 artworks, including paintings, installations, and drawings of four artists, Jihee KIM, LEE Young Ho, PHEE Jungwon and SONG MyungJin, selected through Open Call for Artists and Curators 2022. Although the artists came together as a group from the Open Call, they all devoted themselves to a series of works that share the same theme. The artists established their unique identity with original materials and techniques.

In the exhibition title Pith of Cake, ‘cake’ symbolizes visual art on the outside, whereas ‘pith’ means the core implied in the work that is revealed by visual art. Pithy means 'simple but implicit', and is also a keyword that connects four participating artists. The artists do not try to capture too much on the canvas. Yet, there is an implicit pith in the brevity, and the artists' media or expression methods to pursue the pithiness are not simple at all.

Artists : Jihee KIM, LEE Young Ho, PHEE Jungwon, SONG MyungJin

Gallery address: 6-7/F, Block B, PMQ, Central

Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong presents the first 2022 Open Call exhibition 'Instead of an Afterwards (與其在以後)'. Curated by CHOE Nowk, the exhibition 'Instead of an Afterwards' reconsiders existing priorities, which are categorized into things that need to be done urgently and things that can be done later. For this purpose, artworks intentionally refer to different time zones. By dealing with something that is not “here and now”, ironically, it looks at current trends, highlights their resonating ideas and draws out much deeper connections than seem present on the surface, negating the distinction between a series of times and timeliness.

The five artists — Jaekyung Jung, Daniel Schine Lee, Hyejoo Jun, Suyon Huh and Rong Bao — who are inevitably forced to focus on the subject of timeliness, provide a variety of new perspectives to deal with today by embracing their own reference points and respective attitudes toward different times.

Gallery address: 6-7/F, Block B, PMQ, Central

Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong, and Soluna Art Group are pleased to present a group exhibition ‘Ode to the Moon: 吟風詠月 (음풍영월)’ in Hong Kong. This special exhibition is supported by KOFICE, an organization in charge of international cultural exchange projects of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Korean Cultural Centers abroad. ‘Ode to the Moon’ is part of the bigger project by KOFICE entitled ‘Living by Design’ with an aim to showcase various media works from paintings to photography, objects, and crafts by 12 contemporary Korean artists, and reveal their individual journeys of exploring the diversity of Korean aesthetic values from a synchronized perspective. It breaks down the boundaries between art and materiality to present Korean aesthetics and encourage exploration of their inherent values. ‘Ode to the Moon: 吟風詠月 (음풍영월)’ will be on view from 13 January to 12 March 2022.

Participating Artists:
Huh Sang-Wook, Jo Dae-Yong, Kim Duck-Yong, Kim Chun-Sik, Kim Sun-Doo, Kim Keun-Tai, Kim Woo-Young, Kim Yik-Yung, Kim Young-Hun, Lee Gee-Jo, Lee Kang-Hyo, Park Sung-Wook

Gallery address: 6/F Block B, PMQ, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong and Art Chosun jointly present 滲: Pervade, a duo exhibition features the works of two masters of Korean modern art LEE Ung-no (李應魯, 1904-1989) and HA In-doo (河麟斗, 1930-1989). The exhibition will be held at the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong from 25 November 2021 to 8 January 2022.

Total 11 masterpieces of the two of the most notable names synonymous with the first generation of Korean modern art will be presented- Go-Am (顧庵) LEE Ung-no, who transcended the barriers of Eastern and Western art with his modern and abstract art of nature and humans; and Chung-Hwa (靑華) HA In-doo, whose geometric colour field abstract art has roots that can be traced back to Korean traditional culture and Buddhism.

The title of the exhibition 滲: Pervade reflects how the artistic ideologies of these artists – both masters of their craft who sought to express Korean beauty in their art while also creating their own unique styles by evolving traditional techniques – pervade through onto the canvas. The meaning goes further by embracing the hope that the artists’ sentiments will permeate into the hearts and minds of all who view and appreciate their works.

Gallery address: 6/F, Block B, PMQ, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong and Gallery EXIT jointly present “In Search of Absence”, a group exhibition features recent works of Korean artist JEONG Yun Kyung and Hong Kong artists Lulu NGIE and Hilarie HON. The diverse bodies of works establish a connection with the viewers through colors and lines, while gazing at the artists’ internal state of mind.

Lulu NGIE 倪鷺露

JEONG Yun Kyung 鄭潤慶

Hilarie HON 韓幸霖

Gallery address: 6-7/F Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong is pleased to present the Hay in a Needle Stack (2021 Korean Young Artists Series) from April 28 to June 26 at the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong(Central, PMQ) and also through online(VR). The exhibition showcases works of promising Korean artists LEE Insung, JEON Hyunsun and CHOI Sujin, who create paintings that travel between reality and fantasy, fact and fiction. 

Hay in a Needle Stack is the 4th exhibition of the “Korean Young Artists Series” presented by the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong. The series is aimed to promote and present promising Korean artists to the international art scene.

The exhibition title Hay in a Needle Stack is derived from the Western proverb ‘a needle in a haystack’, equivalent to the saying ‘a needle from the sea’ in Hong Kong. Finding the essence from the canvas that the reality and the fantasy are mixed, is as difficult as ‘finding a piece of hay in a needle stack’, yet still worthwhile.

Gallery address: 6-7/F, Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong, Block B, PMQ

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong is pleased to present a solo exhibition of Korean Dansaekhwa master Chung Chang-Sup (Cheongju, 1927 – Seoul, 2011), in collaboration with Axel Vervoordt Gallery. The exhibition focuses on the artist’s final series in his career “Meditation”, which is a culmination of his forty-year quest to master the technique with tak, a natural material that’s made from the inner bark of the mulberry—a native tree in Korea. 

 Chung Chang-Sup was a prominent member of the Korean art movement Dansaekhwa. After two decades of studying and practicing Western abstract art, more particularly Art Informel, he experimented with hanji, a handcrafted material. 

 Chung stated that it was inevitable for him to rediscover hanji: “When I was young, the first thing I saw as soon as waking up in the morning was soft sunlight penetrating through a tak paper window. […] I felt a strong intimacy when reencountering the paper and I was immediately absorbed in experimenting with it for my art.” The core of his interest was the following: “Through the screen of tak paper, one can distinctively sense the wind, light and the flow of time outside his or her room, which allowed us to experience both feelings of being inside and outside. […] This is the realm of creation with no intention of creating.”

Gallery address: 6/F Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Str., Central

The Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong showcases a group exhibition of young Korean artists presented by Seoul Auction from March 24 to April 24. The exhibition will feature works by Novo, Qwaya, LEE SangMi, LEE JongKie and JEONG JiYoon. "Zero Base × Hong Kong" is will be held on the seventh floor of the Korean Cultural Center, and the online exhibition (VR) is going be presented during the exhibition period as well.

"Zero Base" is a project promoted by Seoul Auction, which finds emerging artists that are not easily seen in auctions due to the high barriers of the auction houses, and introduces them to the art lovers. In this special exhibition, a total of 18 works by five artists Novo, Qwaya, LEE SangMi, LEE JongKie and JEONG JiYoon will be displayed.

Gallery address: 7/F Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Str., Central

Mega Seoul 4 decades presents the photographs of capital Seoul for 4 decades(the late 1960s~the early 2010s) through perspectives of 12 Korean photographers. The group encompasses elder, middle and rising photographers who are still active in the firm of Korean contemporary photography with different ages and backgrounds. They have captured the Seoul city in repeated vortex of collision and construction. The huge city, where different trends co-exist, is exposed by each generation’s distinctive perspective. It is from the late 60s, when everything headed to Seoul while people were singing the “Hymn of Seoul” until the present, when the city blew up to a global mega city. Although the photographers gave themselves into numerous changes and dissonances of the city, they show arduous photographic progress to reveal the inside facts and the hidden side of “Hymn of Seoul” responding with sharp and ironic perspective or remain aloof to the contradictory city. In this exhibition, audiences can experience the documentary of the old Seoul that vanished too many and too fast, and the city’s absurdity.

Gallery address: 6–7/F, Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong, Block B, PMQ, S414, Block A, PMQ