KCC in France hosts 'Colors of Korea' to mark 140 years of ties

The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Paris is hosting "Colors of Korea: Light on Contemporary Korean Art" through August 29, an exhibition marking the 140th anniversary of bilateral relations.

Opened on Oct. 24 last year, the exhibition shows works by Korean artists across generations and media including painting, sculpture, photography, installation and digital art to show the evolution of Korean color aesthetics.

The works explore how contemporary artists engage with materials, forms and traditional references in diverse ways. Some work with traditional materials such as Hanji (traditional paper) or ottchil (traditional lacquer), using them in ways that differ from their original purposes.

Others focus on texture, fragments, light, space or the transformation of familiar forms. A recurring theme is the relationship between tradition and contemporary practice. Many artists do not reject traditional techniques but adapt them.

The exhibition also featured how certain materials are prepared. For example, traditional Hanji is made from mulberry bark, soaked, pulped and layered by hand. Some contemporary artists reinforce the sheets or combine them with modern fibers to increase durability while preserving the paper's traditional texture.

Like the name "Colors of Korea," the exhibition introduced the use of natural pigments and dyes. Contemporary artists sometimes adjust the grinding process or mix traditional pigments with acrylic binders to stabilize the color for modern exhibition environments. The choice to mix contemporary aspects and traditional features together is conceptual as well as technical, reflecting the artists' intent to maintain the continuity of Korean heritage.