Exhibition of Korean ink art opens in National Museum

Unique exhibition of Korean ink wash painting entitled ‘Sumukhwa Monologue’ has opened in the National Museum of Kazakhstan. This is the first time it is being held in the country. The exhibition features works by 28 well-known Korean masters of oriental painting from Jeollanam-do province and other regions of the country. Each of the paintings is drawn with ink and illustrates beautiful landscapes of nature, and also touches upon topics of the philosophy of the origin of life. All of the art pieces combine modern elements with traditional East Asian painting techniques.

“In general, the Sumukhwa style is a Korean ink and brush painting on unique Korean materials. Typically, Sumukhwa works are paintings drawn with blank ink with the light-and-shade effect, without adding color. It is also divided into three types according to the drawing technique. ‘Sumukhwa’ is a method that uses varying degrees of black ink application. ‘Tamchekhwa’ is a manner where the painting is drawn with ink and painted in other colors. ‘Chesekhwa’ is an approach, where the work is painted in bright colors with thinly defined black ink,” said Lee Heran, Director of the Korean Cultural Center.

The exhibition was organized by the Korean Cultural Center and is dedicated to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence. It will run until mid-October of this year.

Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova

Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova