Just like in summer, winter encourages us to look for indoor activities!

‘Art Gallery Mankyeong’ offers a special experience where you can view a broad range of artworks and participate in interactive activities. For kids on winter break, there are art exhibitions at ‘Jeonju Hanbyuk Cultural Center’ based on fairy tales. And don’t miss the solo exhibition at ‘Chungmok Art Gallery’ by an artist we’re all excited about!

I’m excited to tell you about three art gallery trips that are both warm and unique.

 

“Art Gallery Mankyeong: A place for culture and relaxation.”

| Art Gallery Mankyeong

Art Gallery Mankyeong is located in Jeonju, a city known for its culture and art. It opened in January 2023, transformed by artist Ok Ja Kang from a studio and a space for communication into ‘Art Gallery Mankyeong’ after 14 years of use.

Located in Donggye village of Dodeok-dong, ‘Art Gallery Mankyeong’ allows you to enjoy various art styles such as folk paintings, terracotta Western paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, and crafts in a single space.

Ok Ja Kang, who initially focused on Western painting and sculpture, explored folk paintings to widen her artistic expression. She became an advocate for folk art in daily life after learning about the detailed techniques, color depth, and expressive methods of Korean painting.

Folk paintings often bring to mind images of vibrant tigers, blue dragons, or Buddhist paintings. However, at Art Gallery Mankyeong, most of the folk paintings are more like Shin Saimdang’s insect and bird paintings, which focus on botanical and zoological themes.

The pleasure of viewing art might lie in the fact that each observer can interpret the pieces in their own way.

Thanks to the personal investment of artist Ok Ja Kang, ‘Art Gallery Mankyeong’ has become a space for culture and rest for its visitors. In January 2024, the gallery opened Mankyeong Café to provide an ideal resting place for its guests.

Art Gallery Mankyeong also offers spaces where the general public can try out different art activities.

At Art Gallery Mankyeong, you have the chance to explore a variety of art forms such as terracotta, folk paintings, Western paintings, and calligraphy through one-day classes. There are also pottery workshops where you can experience working with clay hands-on. The ability to engage with folk paintings, typically less accessible, in a one-day class highlights the unique appeal of Art Gallery Mankyeong, which aims to be a fully equipped art destination.

Consider leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Jeonju’s city center to soak in the scenic beauty of the Mankyeong River in all four seasons, witnessing its transformation from morning to evening. Discovering your own favorite piece among diverse artworks and savoring the simple pleasure of a coffee could be a delightful experience.

 

 

“Jeonju Hanbyuk Culture Hall <Fairy Tales in the Wind> Exhibition”

| The Jeonju Hanbyuk Cultural Center

The Jeonju Hanbyuk Culture Hall provides a variety of cultural offerings to the community, including the Hanbyuk performance hall, a courtyard for weddings, Gyeongup Hall, and an outdoor stage.

On my visit today to the Hanbyuk Exhibition Room, I found it hosting the works of four artists under the theme <Fairy Tales in the Wind>. This exhibition is set to be a treasured experience for children on winter break, blending the art genre with fairy-tale fantasy.

Fairy tales have been a part of human hearts and our surroundings for hundreds of years. They are tales of the past, yet they live in the present and extend into the future.

Illustrators Flavia Sorrentino and Jose Pablo, known for their collaborations with Aga World Montessori, bring a familiar touch to their creations. Their depictions of The Blue Bird and The Little Match Girl offer an excellent opportunity for creative storytelling with your children.

Artist Lee Joo-eun showcases the importance of memories that linger forever by recycling discarded items from a dull city environment into enchanting, fairy-tale sculptures, giving these objects a new purpose.

Artist Cho Hye-woo shares her creation, ‘The Forest of Dreams,’ a world crafted from her imagination. She creates images of spaces that are both strangely familiar and foreign by editing and combining photographs taken from various places around the world and from the air, imbuing them with her unique sense of color and form to create a space of wonder.

The Hanbyuk Exhibition Room’s <Fairy Tales in the Wind> curated exhibition not only presents art for viewing but also includes activity sheets for children to engage with.

The <Fairy Tales in the Wind> exhibition, perfectly suited for children on winter break, is available until February 6, 2024.

 

 

“Chungmok Art Gallery: A Showcase for Gallery Artists”

About Chungmok Art Gallery

Opened in June 2021, the Chungmok Art Foundation is on a mission to extend the reach and joy of art in society. The foundation holds creativity, openness, adaptability, and the knack for fostering connections and embracing change in high regard.

Currently, the gallery features a show from the Chungmok Artist Residency program. This is Jung Yuri’s solo exhibition named <way out>, displaying a collection of 17 flat artworks alongside 5 installation pieces, totaling 22 pieces.

The artist tackles the issue of internal trauma that arises from difficult communication with others. Through her art, she introduces multiple spaces, aiming to symbolize the desire to communicate not through confining barriers but through open, liberating spaces, expressed through symbolic images.

The exhibition ‘way out’ captures the concept of seeking an escape, with leather selected as the dominant material for the installation works.

Positioned at the forefront, leather represents the first layer of interaction in dialogues with the outer world. In these artworks, it is explored more intimately as the ‘inner skin’. The goal is for the space represented by leather to facilitate healing and offer consolation for the emotional scars caused by fragile communication.

The artist holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the College of Art and Design at Wonkwang University and is presently pursuing a Ph.D. at Hongik University.

In 2023, she took part in the Chungmok Artist Residency Group Exhibition “Fireworks of Jeonbuk 3,” and the Carbon Art Planning Exhibition “Carbon and Art.”

Since last year, the Chungmok Artist Residency has offered spaces on the 3rd and 4th floors of the Chungmok Art Gallery building for artists to live and work in.

Keep Chungmok Art Gallery in mind as a venue where artists come together for creative interactions and collaborations, presenting a range of experiments and artistic outcomes. It’s a place to appreciate diverse sensory artworks.

With a variety of art galleries scattered throughout, Jeonju invites you to a warm indoor exhibition space this cold winter for a bit of healing.

Jeonju, a city rich in flavors, style, and art!

Check out and experience the uniqueness of Jeonju’s art galleries.

 

 

Art Gallery Mankyeong

Jeonju Hanbyuk Cultural Center

Chungmok Art Gallery