A promotional poster for "L’Avenir Ancien: 140 Ans, Dialogue des Images Corée-France" exhibition / Courtesy of The Trinity Gallery
The Trinity Gallery opened a joint exhibition with the French Embassy in Korea to commemorate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, featuring works by three Korean artists exploring the visual dialogue between the two countries across 140 years.
The exhibition, titled "L'Avenir Ancien: 140 Ans, Dialogue des Images Coree-France" — or "An Ancient Future: 140 Years, A Dialogue of Images between Korea and France" — runs through Sunday at The Trinity Gallery inside the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District.
Artists Kim Hong-shik, Bae Joon-sung and Lee Lee-nam each approach the relationship between past and present through distinct mediums.
Kim engraves historical art images onto metallic surfaces to reframe them in contemporary space. Bae unsettles the boundary between painting and photography, shifting the viewer's perception as their vantage point changes. Lee combines classical imagery with digital technology to animate still works, reviving them as moving, time-layered experiences.
The exhibition's premise is that the two countries' 140-year relationship, formalized by the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation in 1886, has extended beyond diplomacy into art, culture, architecture and everyday sensibility. It positions art as the medium through which that shared history continues to be reinterpreted and renewed.
"This exhibition captures the long artistic dialogue and mutual curiosity between France and Korea on the occasion of the 140th anniversary," said Pierre Morcos, counselor for culture, education and science at the French Embassy in Korea.
"It holds special meaning in that it highlights artistic exchanges with Korean artists who have deep ties to France."
Park So-jung, director of The Trinity Gallery, said she hopes visitors will experience "what new images emerge when the 140-year history of Korea-France relations is reimagined through the artists' vision."
The exhibition is open by appointment only. Inquiries can be directed to 02-6953-9879 or [email protected].
Source: Korea Times News
