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Kang Changwon
Limb Eungsik, Portrait of Kang Changwon, 1971, Gelatin silver print on paper, 33x26cm. MMCA collection

Kang Changwon

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Kang Changwon (1906-1977) was a dry-lacquer artist who was active from the Japanese colonial era through the 1970s. His real name is Kang Changgyu and his sobriquet is Changwon. Born in 1906 in Haman, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Kang graduated from the Haman Common School in 1920 and studied at Okayama Institute of Technology. In 1929, he enrolled as a second-year student at the Lacquering Department in the Tokyo Fine Arts School (present-day Tokyo University of the Arts) and graduated in 1933. In April of the same year, he was admitted to the research department, which is equivalent to today’s graduate school, but dropped out in November due to overdue tuition. It has been commonly believed that he used his real name “Kang Changgyu” before Korea’s liberation from Japan and after liberation he used his sobriquet “Changwon.” However, catalogues for national exhibitions show that his sobriquet had been used since at least 1934. He submitted his dry-lacquered vessels for snack and flower vases to the fourteenth and fifteenth Imperial Art Academy Exhibition in 1933 and 1934, the Ministry of Education Art Exhibition in 1936, and the second New Ministry of Education Art Exhibition in 1938. Kang was the first Korean whose work was accepted for the crafts section of these Japanese national exhibitions. He won a special prize at the Joseon Art Exhibitions [Joseon misul jeollamhoe] six times, starting in 1933. In 1941, he was awarded the Achievement Award, and he became a recommended artist in the 21st edition. In the 23rd edition, he was given a position to assist judges, making him the only Korean to be appointed to an honorary position in the crafts section. Soon after Korea’s liberation from Japan, Kang joined the Korean Plastic Arts Federation [Joseon johyeong yesul dongmaeng], served as vice chairman of Korean Craftspeople Association [Joseon gongyega hyeophoe], and was a member of the Seoul Arts Committee and of the art council of the Ministry of Education. In 1946, he established Changwon Craft Center. He also taught students at Ewha Womans University and Seorabeol Art College, but his teaching career did not last long. He participated in the first National Art Exhibition (Gukjeon) as a judge and invited artist, but he began to actively engage with the National Art Exhibition from 1966. Particularly in 1973, he won a prize as an invited artist. In December of 1974, his first solo exhibition was held at Midopa Art Gallery. He held several solo exhibitions since then. After he passed away, a retrospective exhibition entitled Special Exhibition on Dry-lacquer Works by Kang Changwon was held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (now MMCA). Kang Changwon established dry-lacquer craft as an art form. His works take on strictly proportional and sculptural forms that exclude surface decoration in favor of layers of paint over hemp cloths. They were highly regarded by contemporaneous artists and critics. Dry-lacquered Try (1933) by Kang in the collection of the National Museum of Korea was designated as a registered cultural heritage.
* Source: MMCA

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