[Gallery Walk] Opportunity to See Woohyang Park Raehyun's 'Nojeom' in Person

'Park Raehyun Triple Interpreter' Exhibition at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Female painter Park Rae-hyun (1920?1976) won the Presidential Award twice in 1956. That year, she achieved consecutive successes at the 8th Korea Art Association Exhibition (Daehanmihyeopjeon) in June and the 5th Korea Art Exhibition (Gukjeon) in November. Both the Daehanmihyeopjeon and Gukjeon were the most prestigious exhibitions of the time. The awarded works were 'Early Morning' and 'Street Stall', respectively.

Currently, both paintings are displayed side by side at the 'Park Rae-hyun, Triple Interpreter' exhibition held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung. Both works are large, approximately 2.5m x 2m, giving an overwhelming impression, and above all, their expressive style is unique. The Gukjeon Presidential Award-winning work 'Street Stall' is part of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's collection. Earlier this year, to commemorate its 50th anniversary, the museum published a collection titled '300 Works from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art'. The collection describes 'Street Stall' as adopting a Cubist style.

"By excluding spatial depth and depicting figures and distances with flat, geometric color planes, it evokes the Cubist technique of facet division." In her own writing, Park Rae-hyun expressed admiration for Pablo Picasso (1881?1973), describing him as "an artist who shows ever-changing and always fresh youth."

Park Rae-hyun, "Street Stall," 1956, color on paper, 267x210 cm, collection of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

1956 Gukjeon Presidential Award-winning 'Street Stall'... 267x210 cm Size, Unique Cubist Style
Not Kim Ki-chang's Wife but Artist Park Rae-hyun... 138 Works Including 72 Paintings and 39 Prints on Display
Daehanmihyeopjeon Presidential Award 'Early Morning' Also Exhibited... Impressive 'Spring C' Painted by the Couple Together

'Park Rae-hyun, Triple Interpreter' is an exhibition held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Park Rae-hyun's birth. The exhibition, open until January 3 next year, showcases 138 works by Park Rae-hyun: 72 paintings, 39 prints, 12 tapestries, 10 ceramics, and 5 drawings.

Kim Ye-jin, a curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art who planned the exhibition, said, "Despite being a great painter representing the 20th century, Park Rae-hyun (pen name Uhyang) has not been properly recognized. This exhibition independently highlights Park Rae-hyun as an artist, not just as the wife of Unbo (pen name) Kim Ki-chang (1913?2001)."

Park Rae-hyun married Kim Ki-chang in 1947. She came from a wealthy family, the daughter of a large landowner, and even studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan. In contrast, Kim Ki-chang was a poor young painter with a hearing impairment. After marriage, Kim Ki-chang showed affection by giving Park Rae-hyun the pen name Uhyang.

The title 'Triple Interpreter' comes from an episode during their trip to the United States after attending the 1967 S?o Paulo Biennale in Brazil. Park Rae-hyun had to translate English into Korean and then further interpret Korean into spoken language and gestures for Kim Ki-chang. She referred to herself as a triple interpreter to poet and essayist Mo Yun-sook (1910?1990), who traveled with them at the time.

Interpretation is a key theme explaining this exhibition. In the 1950s, Park Rae-hyun sought to modernize Korean painting using Western modernist techniques. She also experimented with various artistic methods beyond painting, such as printmaking and tapestry.

Park Rae-hyun also pursued the internationalization of Korean painting through overseas exhibitions. She was a founding member of Baekyanghoe, established in 1957 to explore new directions for Korean painting. Cheon Kyung-ja (1924?2015), who was one year her junior at Tokyo Women's Art School, was also a founding member. Baekyanghoe was the first private organization to hold overseas touring exhibitions, organizing international shows in Taiwan and Hong Kong in the 1950s, and in Japan, the Philippines, and the United States in the 1960s. In short, Park Rae-hyun served as an interpreter who introduced Western art domestically and promoted Korean art abroad.

Park Rae-hyun 'Glory', 1966-67, color on paper, 134x168 cm, Collection of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art [Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

Park Rae-hyun, "Among Forgotten Histories," 1963, color on paper, 150.5x135.5 cm, private collection
Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

Among the exhibited works is 'Glory', submitted when she represented Korea at the 1967 S?o Paulo Biennale. It is an abstract piece composed of yellow, red, and black. Park Rae-hyun judged abstract painting to be the global trend in the late 1950s and devoted herself to abstract work in the 1960s.

Her abstract works give the impression of being painted on traditional Korean paper (hwaseonji). She actively utilized the effect of paint spreading as if soaked. In her 1965 essay 'Abstraction in Oriental Painting', Park Rae-hyun described the beauty of ink absorption into hwaseonji as the skin of the East. This essay is available for viewing at the exhibition. Park Rae-hyun was also skilled in writing, leaving many essays in women's magazines that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s.

The 1956 work 'Spring C', painted by the couple together, is also impressive. Park Rae-hyun painted the tree, while Kim Ki-chang painted the sparrow. Park Rae-hyun boldly expressed the tree trunk with thick brushstrokes, giving a powerful impression as if a great energy was surging. 'Early Evening' is also a 1956 work, depicting a cat's body in a chilling manner.

The exhibition space is divided into four sections, each with keywords: 'Modern', 'Life', 'Abstract', and 'Technique'. The fourth section, themed 'Technique', displays prints and tapestries. Park Rae-hyun continuously pursued new artistic techniques. After participating in the S?o Paulo Biennale, she chose to study in the United States and returned seven years later to hold a print exhibition in 1974, her second and final solo exhibition. After marrying Kim Ki-chang, she mainly presented works through couple exhibitions. The couple held 12 joint exhibitions from 1947 to 1971. Park Rae-hyun's print works are so meticulous and complex that even contemporary printmakers are amazed.

Park Rae-hyun 'Recollection of Time', 1970-73, etching on paper, 61x46 cm, Collection of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea [Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

Park Raehyun, Makeup, 1943, color on paper, 131×154.7 cm, private collection
Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

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