Contemporary Printing Arts Exhibition for Decade, Pamphlet, 1969, Image provided by Kimdaljin Art Archives and Museum
Contemporary Printing Arts Exhibition for Decade
* Source: MMCA
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Lee Hangsung
Lee Hangsung (1919-1997) was a Western-style painter and printmaker who pioneered Korean contemporary printmaking and a leading publisher who promoted the publication and dissemination of art books. He learned painting from Kwon Jungrok, a Western-style painter active in Daejeon, and worked as a stage artist at Dongyang Theatre in Seoul. In 1945, he established a publishing company Munhwa Gyoyuksa and published art textbooks for elementary, middle, and high schools and art books such as Seoyang misulsa (History of Western art) and Segye misul jeonjip (Collection of world art). In 1956, he established another publishing company Sinmisulsa and published Sin Misul (New art), the first art magazine in Korea, thus exerting influence upon the formation of the culture of art criticism. Lee Hangsung led the founding of the Korea Prints Association [Hanguk panhwa hyeophoe] along with Yoo Kangyul, Chung Kyu, Choi Youngrim, and others. In 1958, Lee held the first solo exhibition of lithographs by a Korean artist. Winning an honorable mention for the lithograph Tender Heart of the Buddha at the fifth International Biennial of Contemporary Color Lithography held in 1959 at Cincinnati Art Museum in the U.S., he secured his place in the Korean art scene as a printmaker. Later, he produced print works using Joseon-era wooden blocks that were used for printing old books, letterheads, book covers, and those for imprinting patterns on rice cakes. In his later years, he continued to create works that revealed his Eastern spirituality by pictorializing Chinese characters, such as “念” (yeom, meaning idea), “情” (jeong, meaning affection), “思” (sa, meaning thought), and “心” (sim, meaning mind). Lee contributed to the development of art education by serving as president of the Korean Art Education Association [Daehan misul gyoyuk gyeophoe] and chairman of the Korean Committee of the International Society for Education [Gukje misul gyoyuk hyeophoe hanguk wiwonhoe].
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National Art Exhibition
A government-hosted exhibition held 30 times from 1949 to 1981, also known by the shorter name Gukjeon. Following national independence, the exhibition was the primary means for young and emergent Korean artists to achieve recognition. The influence of the exhibition declined as a result of the emergence of non-figurative art during the 1970s, the increased opportunities for artists to participate in overseas exhibitions, and the rise of private exhibitions and galleries.
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Korea Prints Association
An art association formed in January 1958 to stimulate the discipline of printmaking and to popularize the concept of printmaking. Members included Yoo Kangyul, Choi Youngrim, Park Sungsam, and Lee Hangsung. The group held its inaugural exhibition from March 18 to 24, 1958 at the Korean Information Service Gallery, and it held regular shows—once or twice per year—until 1968. The association held contests for upcoming artists from 1964 to 1975 in order to expand the base for printmaking. In 1969, the association held a printmaking contest for children. It also notably sought to achieve the internationalization of Korean art through the Korean Print Exhibition in 1968 in the Philippines. The association became less active after several young artists left the association and the Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association (Hanguk hyeondae panhwaga hyeophoe) in 1968.
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Contemporary Prints Grand Prix Exhibition
The Contemporary Prints Grand Prix Exhibition was a printmaking competition hosted by Myeong-dong Gallery in 1971 and 1973. In the 1970s, Myeong-dong Gallery published the Selected Works of Korean Contemporary Prints (1971) to stimulate the distribution of prints and held a competition for the first time as a commercial gallery to discover new talents in printmaking and improve the quality of printmaking. The First Contemporary Prints Grand Prix Exhibition (October 14–20, 1971) was held under the sponsorship of the Asia Foundation and The Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper. Simultaneity-Childhood 71 by Suh Seungwon won the gold prize, Pantomime 2353-II by Song Burnsoo won the silver prize, and Hanging out on Namsan Mountain by Kim Jinsuk won the bronze prize. Wall by Lee Seungil, When a Single Leaf is Shaking by Baik Kumnam, and A Sobbing Woman by Kim Tchasup received honorable mentions. The second competition (September 1–8, 1973) was co-sponsored by The Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper and the Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association [Hanguk hyeondae panhwaga heyophoe]. With sixty-two entries, there was no gold prize winner. Situation A by Jeong Ingeon won the silver prize, and Chisel 7315 by Kim Jinsuk, and Black and White 73/4 by Shim Sookoo won the bronze prize. The competition was only held twice due to the lack of awareness of painting circles at the time and the indifferent response from artists. However, the first gold prize winner Suh Seungwon went to Japan with the prize money, which contributed to the advancement of Korean artists overseas.
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Contemporary Print Exchange Exhibition
The Contemporary Print Exchange Exhibition was an exhibition organized by the Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association (Hanguk hyeondae panhwaga hyeophoe) and the Los Angeles Printmaking Society (Losenjeles panhwaga hyeophoe) and held at Hyundai Hwarang from April 10 to 16 in 1975. The Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association hosted a number of international exchange exhibitions in the 1970s, including three with the Los Angeles Printmaking Society in 1973, 1975, and 1976. The 1975 exchange exhibition was held at Hyundai Hwarang in South Korea, and the other two were held at the USC Pacific Art Museum in Pasadena in the U.S. The Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association was able to establish direct contact with the Los Angeles Printmaking Society largely owing to Kim Bongtae, an artist active in the U.S. at the time. The International Contemporary Print Exchange Exhibition in 1975 featured Kang Whansup, Kim Minja, Kim Sangyu, Kim Choungza, Kim Chonghak, Kim Tchahsup, Kim Tschang-yeul, Kim Hyungdae, Ro Jaewhoang, Park Rehyun, Bae Yoong, Suh Seungwon, Yoo Kangyul, Youn Myeungro, Rhee Sangwooc, Lee Ufan, Cho Kookjeong, and Hwang Kyubaik. They showed diverse trends in contemporary Korean printmaking in the 1970s. This exhibition proved that international exchange through art was active and direct even when printmaking was only recently recognized as a medium of artistic expression in South Korea. The fact that the association organized the exhibition on an equal footing with the U.S. indicates the expansion of communication channels through art and the active transformation of international exchange.
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Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association
The Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association was founded in January 1968 to promote the distribution of and understanding about modern Korean prints while establishing a network between members. It was led by artists such as Kang Whansup, Kim Minja, Kim Sangyu, Kim Choungza, Kim Chonghak, Kim Foon, Bae Yoong, Suh Seungwon, Yoo Kangyul, Youn Myeungro, Rhee Sangwooc, Chun Sungwoo, and Choi Youngrim. It has played an important role in the revival of Korean prints, including holding regular association exhibitions, discovering and supporting artists, sharing knowledge on print through training sessions, and planning international exchange exhibitions. It has helped to produce leading artists in the Korean print field and organized joint exhibitions with various overseas artists to create a place for art exchanges. In 1996, the association announced regulations on original prints to provide an institutional system for the global internationalization of modern Korean print and the identification of Korean prints. Currently, more than 400 members are active.
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