Re-reading V
A Critical Re-examination of the National Art Exhibition (2017)
Issue
Art historical narratives of Korean modern art often focus on particular artists or movements while excluding the National Art Exhibition (Kukjeon), which functioned as the central institutional framework of Korean art from 1949 to 1981.
Submission of Works to the National Art Exhibition (Gukjeon)
18th Gukjeon – Visit by President Park Chung-hee
Key Argument
Without examining the National Art Exhibition, the structural history of twentieth-century Korean art cannot be fully understood. Rather than dismissing it as merely institutional or conservative, Kukjeon must be reconsidered as a key site where artists, institutions, and artworks intersected.
Method / Curatorial Focus
Through archival research and comparative analysis of artists’ long-term practices, the project examined recurring formal languages and painterly codes across decades.
![[출력용]a4접지_리플렛-4.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8ae6de_595ecaed160241e9b83d6c81c672cbbf~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_497,h_323,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5B%EC%B6%9C%EB%A0%A5%EC%9A%A9%5Da4%EC%A0%91%EC%A7%80_%EB%A6%AC%ED%94%8C%EB%A0%9B-4.jpg)
Korean Contemporary Art Through the National Art Exhibition (Gukjeon), KumboSung Art Center, Seoul, 2017
Korean Contemporary Art Through the National Art Exhibition (Gukjeon), Traveling Exhibition (Outstanding Curatorial Project), Gyeongju Arts Center Museum, 2018
Archival Significance
Re-reading V represents the most structural phase of the project. It exposes how art historical narratives are constructed—revealing which actors were positioned at the center and which elements were deliberately excluded.