Suncheon City Successfully Concludes the Korea-China-Japan Future Convergence Festival

Expansion of Culture - Ecological Menagerie, Fusion of Nature and Art Based on Ecology in Korea, China, and Japan

Heoseok, Mayor of Suncheon, is posing with the artwork Mir by artist Wisuhwan. Photo by Suncheon City.

[Suncheon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Suncheon Cultural Foundation (Chairman Heo Seok) announced on the 31st that it held a large-scale international exhibition called the ‘Korea-China-Japan Future Convergence Festival’ for nine days starting from the 20th, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Jeonnam Province, and Suncheon City, receiving great response from over 2,000 citizens.

Under the theme ‘Beyond Culture-Ecology all things,’ the festival showcased diverse convergent elements based on ‘Korea-China-Japan’ and ‘ecology,’ including the fusion of technology and art, the convergence of genres and disciplines, and the spatiotemporal fusion in history and culture.

In particular, at ‘Exhibition Hall 1,’ the regional artists’ invitational exhibition ‘History and Future of Suncheon’ allowed visitors to appreciate Suncheon’s history and old topography through Oriental paintings by artist Kim Man-ok. Alongside original works capturing the splendid scenery of Suncheon Bay by artists Jang An-sun, Han Im-su, and Wi Su-hwan, the 50-year history of the Suncheon Art Association and a video exhibition planned by Jo Gang-hoon Art Studio provided an opportunity to introduce local artists nationwide.

At ‘Exhibition Hall 2,’ the Korea-China-Japan main artists’ invitational exhibition ‘Ecological Resilience’ displayed artist Kwon Chi-gyu’s large-scale installation work ‘Great Nature Network,’ which expresses the vitality of ecology through cold iron. This created a spectacular scene where anyone could take selfies within the unique perspective offered by the large structure.

Professor Ahn Jin-ui’s ‘Time of Flowers,’ which uses natural mineral pigments as paint materials, showed flower colors changing from various angles. More than ten invited artists from Korea, China, and Japan presented diverse works including sculptures, flat works, media, and installations conveying the story of ecological resilience, receiving favorable reviews.

At ‘Exhibition Hall 4,’ the East Asian Tea Carnival exhibition hall featured stories and entertaining displays centered on tea, a common cultural code connecting Dunhuang’s Silk Road tea trade route, the wild tea fields of Seungju-gun (an old name of Suncheon City), and Korea-China-Japan.

Visitors experienced similar yet distinct tea cultures inside traditional tea rooms from the three countries, and the scent of future-oriented tea utensils filled the exhibition space, symbolizing progress toward the future.

Especially, the exhibition of artifacts related to Lady Yi Bang-ja, who sublimated the pain of Korea-Japan history into art and welfare projects, titled I am Masako Lee, the Last Crown Princess of the Korean Empire, moved visitors deeply with works such as tea bowls, calligraphy, paintings, and letters revealed for the first time in Korea.

Strict measures were taken to ensure safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, including limiting simultaneous visitors through advance reservations, social distancing, and disinfection according to quarantine guidelines, enabling a safe and high-quality exhibition event. This is expected to have a significant impact as a model case in the future national cultural and artistic landscape.

One visitor said, “It feels like they put their heart and soul into the exhibition with fresh and high-quality works,” adding that it was their third time viewing the exhibition with their family.

Meanwhile, this exhibition was planned as part of the East Asian Cultural Cities project, which selects representative cities from Korea, China, and Japan annually to hold official events and year-round cultural exchange activities in each country.

The Korea-China-Japan Future Convergence Festival featured participation from over 210 artists from the three countries, expressing the fusion of nature and art, hopes for overcoming COVID-19, and visions for the future. It was linked with the Tea Carnival, a common cultural code of Korea-China-Japan, in cooperation with the Korea Tea Committee, and was fully organized by the Suncheon Cultural Foundation through collaboration with the Suncheon Federation of Arts and Culture Organizations, the Suncheon branch of the Korea Fine Arts Association, and China’s Asia Art Center.

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