Organized by Coreana Museum of Art Supported by Coreana Cosmetics Co., Ltd. Cooperated by Coreana Cosmetics Muesum, WWF Participating Artists Hwang Jongha 황종하 Kim Kichang 김기창 Seo Jung Mook 서정묵 Yoo Sam Gyu 유삼규 Nam June Paik 백남준 Oh Yoon 오 윤 Eunsil Lee 이은실 Young Joo Lee 이영주 Ye Seul HANJU 한주예슬 Jessica Segall Phillip Warnell The tiger, as it exists in the human world, is
kaleidoscopic. The figure of the tiger straddles the boundaries between power
and desire, imagination and reality. A key figure in Korea’s national origin
myth on Dangun, the tiger resides deep in the roots of our tradition, culture,
and sentiments across thousands of years. The image of the tiger also served as
an emblem of major events and sports teams, representing the national spirit. In premodern and folk art, the tiger is
featured in a variety of ways – a national symbol, a sublime creature with
mystic powers, but also at times comical and friendly. This big cat is brave
and regal, nimble, rough, and also tough; but it is also thought to be a humane
animal of wise, compassionate, jolly, and funny nature. The tiger is also a
familiar figure in East Asian culture, serving as a mythological symbol.
Despite their unfortunate status as an endangered species of late, the tiger
and its symbolic presence lives through history, alive and well in our midst.
Tiger Lives
is a special exhibition consisting of cultural relics and paintings of tigers
in the Coreana Museum of Art and the Coreana Cosmetics Museum’s collection,
presented alongside contemporary videos, paintings, and installations. Taken
from video artist Nam June Paik’s eponymous work, the title emphasizes the
persistent belief in the tiger’s symbolic presence in its present-progressive
tense. From tiger claws – known for their power to ward off ill fate – to tiger
embroideries on the military attire, paintings of roaring tigers and their
comical renditions in folk art, tigers occupy a wide spectrum of
representations to encompass disparate classes and beliefs. The symbolism of
the tiger, meanwhile, stimulates new explorations in the minds of contemporary
artists, mediating discrete points of history, culture, and myth. We hope that
the exhibition would present the visitors with an opportunity to experience the
rich oeuvre of tiger symbolisms through traditional representations and
contemporary recontextualizations.