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| ▲ This image, provided by d/p on Oct. 30, 2024, shows a painting of peony flowers by Huh San-ok (1924-1993), a painter who began her career as a gisaeng (a traditional Korean female entertainer). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- A special art exhibition will be held in Seoul to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Huh San-ok (1924-1993), a painter who began her career as a gisaeng (a traditional Korean female entertainer).
The exhibition will be held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 10 at the d/p exhibition space in Nakwon Arcade, in central Seoul.
Huh, known by her pen name Namjeon, diverged from her peers in Jeonju’s gwonbeon (a gisaeng guild) by pursuing visual arts instead of music. She received art training at the Donggwang Art Research Institute and Hanmukhoe and later studied under master artist Heo Baek-ryeon in Jeonju.
Research highlights Huh’s signature works, which often combined the Four Gracious Plants motif with other natural subjects like magnolias, peonies, plantains, grapes, and birds.
In preparation for this exhibition, over 60 artists and scholars collaborated to secure funding. A discussion event, led by Joo Soo-jin from the Korean Modern and Contemporary Art Research Institute, will be held on November 2, exploring Huh’s artistic legacy.
Art historian Choi Yeol noted that female painters, especially those using traditional ink and color, faced significant marginalization, compounded in the case of former gisaeng like Huh, who was seldom acknowledged.
Exhibition space d/p expressed hopes that this exhibition will revive interest in Huh’s works, which represent a fading style, offering visitors a chance to reassess the value of her largely overlooked legacy.
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