Art With a View on History

An exhibition featuring work from more than two dozen contemporary artists of Korean descent, “The Shape of Time: Korean Art After 1989,” explores pieces from a generation—born between 1960 and 1986—who lived through South Korea’s transition from an authoritarian regime to current democratic freedoms. The art uses an array of mediums such as painting, ceramics, embroidery, and fiber to explore how the past shapes the present and future, and also touches on complex cultural experiences. The exhibition was created through a grant from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where it was on display through mid-February. It is the first major showing of Korean contemporary art in America since 2009 and has received critical acclaim.

“The artists share an experience of South Korea by birth, residence, or ancestry,” says Paula Marincola, the Center’s executive director. “Many of them are well known in South Korea or internationally, but this exhibition introduces some to American audiences for the first time.”

The exhibition can be viewed in Minnesota at the Minneapolis Institute of Art until June 23.