[Square] Erasing Numbers

There have been major issues in the art world recently. One of them concerns the donation of artworks. The collection of the late Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung, was divided and donated to national and public museums and art galleries by his family, attracting great attention. First of all, the sheer volume of over 23,000 pieces is astonishing, as is the appraisal value of 3 trillion won. Among these, 1,488 pieces were donated to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. With this, the museum has entered the era of owning 10,000 pieces for the first time in its 52 years since opening.

Let’s take a moment to think interestingly. If we had to explain the meaning of donation to people without using numbers, what and how could we explain it?

Recently, I personally facilitated the donation process of works by artists Seo Se-ok and Choi Man-rin. It was a noble act of donating almost all their works to the region where they lived their entire lives. These artists are figures who have led Korean modern art in Seongbuk-gu. However, what people are most curious about is the quantity and price of the artworks.

This may be a natural phenomenon. We spent our school days sensitive to grades and rankings rather than character. Everything was judged by numbers. We became members of society with grades and English scores emphasized. Even after that, achievements are mainly evaluated quantitatively. Even the way to work is explained by bus routes or travel time. Meanwhile, the small details filling the space receive little attention.

Health is also determined by numbers. If you deviate even slightly, you feel anxious. In sports, first place is decided by records rather than fair play. Popular authors are determined by sales volume rather than the content of their books. We live in an era where the best in every competition is decided by numbers.

For artists, numbers have become an inescapable shackle. The price of a work is measured by the size number indicating its dimensions. Artists whose works are traded at high prices become more famous. Unfortunately, for many people, Picasso or Monet are more familiar names than their Korean counterparts like Geunwon Kim Yong-jun or Sojeon Son Jae-hyung. This numeric-based perception has taken a superior place over our own history.

Working in a museum, I feel that people relatively do not know much about Korean artists or collectors. Artists like Kim Whanki and the recently deceased Kim Chang-yeul have become recognized by the public as their works have set new auction records. Except for a few artists who have triumphed in numbers, many artists are still unfamiliar to the general public. Their works are not traded expensively in the global art market and have not been widely handled. Ultimately, they have not been given the opportunity to add numbers to their works.

Currently, the art world is receiving rare and intense attention through numbers. However, we must remember that there is greater value beyond numbers in donation. There are many predecessors in modern history, like Wi-chang Oh Se-chang and Kansong Jeon Hyeong-pil, who preserved our cultural heritage; collectors like Sujeong Park Byung-rae and Dongwon Lee Hong-geun have long been donating works to national museums; and modern and contemporary artists are striving to leave their unique assets to future generations. Ultimately, thanks to donations, we transcend time and space to meet those who protect these works and join their spiritual journey.

When we erase the numbers, we have the opportunity to encounter other values?whether in art or people...

Kim Bora, Director of Seongbuk-gu Art Museum

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.