A Black Dance in the Air

Sarangbang (사랑방), a traditional Korean reception and study room, was a multi-use space for male scholars and noblemen in the Joseon Dynasty. The space involves various elements of traditional Korean culture. Nowadays, the use of the room is open to everyone and has expanded to a more interactive space. To reflect these changing interpretations of the sarangbang and to emphasize its communicative power, Ewon Moon has been selected to feature a work that engages with this specific room.

Ewon Moon expresses the sublime beauty of the life cycles of annual plants and flowers that give life to the next generation as they wither. From the joys and sorrows of the process to the plants’ last struggles as they scatter into the cold air, their lives are celebrated and sublimated into a unique beauty. Her paintings, made of inlaid mother-of-pearl, ask us about the essential values of life and invites the audience to breath together with the art.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.