Republic of Korea Pavilion

130 X 194 cm     ac     2010/6/2

The three-story Republic of Korea Pavilion is composed of 20 basic letters of the ROK alphabet, with the theme “Friendly City, Colorful Life.” The main exhibition area on the second floor is divided into four sections– culture, technology, humanity and nature. On the first floor, the iconic buildings and mountains of the capital city Seoul are shrunk 300 times, giving visitors amicroscopic view.
 
In this artwork, Dr. Chen collages many of the elements of the Republic of Korea’s beautiful Pavilion and culture. On the upper part, we see panels of the whimsical, 3D facade of the Pavilion. Around that are images of some of the wonderful performances that took place: traditional celebration shows, Sino-Korean cultural exchange programs, Korean movies and TV festivals, Korean parades and fashion shows, displays of Korean martial arts, etc. Korea absorbed and integrated Chinese culture harmoniously, and often added their own unique style as well. Also exhibited are Seoul “Tang Style” palaces with men and women in traditional dress, yet with Chinese characters and Chinese elements such as the yin and yang as well. The Chinese symbol of yin and yang have become part of the flag and cultural spirit of Korea, though adapted into dynamic primary colors, rather than the original black and white. This symbol has also evolved into the famous Korean Fan Dance, presented here by the colorful abstract whirling energy mass which occupied the lower central place in this canvas.