Korea National University of Cultural Heritage Exhibits 'Traditional Crafts Embracing Games' at Nexon Headquarters

Craftworks Inspired by IPs Such as "MapleStory"

"Traditional Crafts Expand into Living Culture"

Embroidered Five-Color Pouch

Korea National University of Cultural Heritage announced on March 5 that, in collaboration with the Nexon Foundation, it will hold a permanent exhibition of seven works by students from the Department of Traditional Art and Craft at the headquarters of Nexon Korea and Neople.

This project is a follow-up to the “Borderless” exhibition, an art support initiative by the Nexon Foundation held at Gyeongbokgung Palace in November last year. It showcases a meeting between popular game intellectual properties (IP) and traditional crafts. Students combined traditional techniques with the “MapleStory” and “Dungeon & Fighter” IPs to create sophisticated contemporary craftworks.

At the Nexon Korea headquarters, six pieces—including “Four Seasons Orchard Scroll” and “Dokkaebi Norigae,” both inspired by the MapleStory IP—are on display. Of these, three works are placed in open areas for general visitors to freely appreciate. At the Neople headquarters, one piece inspired by the Dungeon & Fighter IP, titled “Hexagonal Madog,” will be exhibited.

Hexagonal horse chestnut

An official from Korea National University of Cultural Heritage stated, “This is a meaningful example of traditional crafts expanding into living culture within the actual industrial field,” adding, “We will continue to work with the Nexon Foundation to discover emerging national heritage artists and foster interdisciplinary talent.”

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