Stepping into Hanok for the New Millennium

The Korean Cultural Service NY presents the exhibition Stepping into Hanok for the New Millennium from October 9 to October 17, 2008, and the opening reception will be held at Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Service NY from 6:00pm to 8:00pm on Thursday, October 9, 2008. Organized by the National Trust of Korea, the Hanok exhibition is the first exhibition to introduce Korean architecture style hanok to the U.S. audience. The show was generated from the show at the Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul, Korea, in November, 2007, which received an overwhelmingly positive response, and U.S. exhibition will tour Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C. The Hanok exhibition will feature the photographs, models, and projections on the selected fourteen hanoks. The term “hanok” refers to a building with traditional Korean wood-frame construction, and these traditional buildings took the form of palaces, temples, and houses. The Stepping into Hanok particularly is focused on the residential houses, and introduces fourteen hanoks, which represent the traditional structural features as well as contemporary lifestyle. In the era of advanced technologies, hanok is currently well received and there are more than 10,000 units of hanok style. More recently, hanok has become viable choice for those interested in living a healthy lifestyle in an environmentally friendly atmosphere. Among the hanoks being introduced in this exhibition are the Yun Posun residence which belongs to the family of the former President of Korea, and is almost palatial in scale; Habib House which is the American Ambassador’s residence; and Goam Seobang, built in France to commemorate the master painter Lee Ung-no. The topography and environment, size and workmanship, and the lifestyle in each of the hanoks are different. However, what all fourteen hanoks share in common is that they show a great deal of potential as an alternative environment- friendly living space. Through this exhibition, the National Trust of Korea hopes to help the viewers understand how hanok can co-exist in harmony with the modern life-style of large cities in the twenty-first century. It also hopes to provide useful information on Korea’s outstanding architectural heritage to Koreans living in the United States, and to the American public. Gallery hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm from Monday through Friday, and on October 11, Saturday. Exhibition catalogue is available for purchase. For more information, contact Yu Jin Hwang, curator of Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Service NY at 212-759-9550 or [email protected]. Address: Gallery Korea, 460 Park Ave., 6 Fl., New York, NY 10022 www.koreanculture.org