As part of the World Culture Days and Real Art programmes on 10 April in the Exhibition Hall of the Youth Education Centre an exciting opening ceremony was held for the new display of graphic work and installations by the famous Korean artist Lee Bo Suk Russian Arirang – Hangul 2008. Hangul is the name of the Korean alphabet, and the word arirang is the name of the national song, the most famous song in Korea.

Lee Bo Suk, is the president of the 21st Century International Association of Artists (21c ICAA), in the majority of her paintings and installations she makes use of hangul letters which consist of dots, margins and lines. Lee has brought 34 pictures with depictions of Hangul characters (ink, traditional Korean paper, mixed techniques). Lee Bo Suk’s installation Russian Arirang – Hangul 2008 was carried out using Korean paper and polyfoam. The artist had linked her creativity first and foremost with the names of the great Russian 20th century artists: Malevich and Kandinsky.

Welcoming speeches for the Lee Bo Suk’s project at the Youth Centre of the State Hermitage Museum was made by the General Consul of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Choi Jae-Keun, the chairman of the Korea Tourism Organization in Moscow, Jeong Byeong Ok, the chairman of the organizing committee for the Korean Festival, Yun Seung-kyu, chairman of Unesco, Ŕ. Konyushin and director of the Youth Centre of the State Hermitage Museum, S. Kudryavtseva. The artist thanked the guests and organizers and talked about her project. A song was played from Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor performed by South Korean students from the St. Petersburg Conservatory Park Ye Yong (viola), Soo Yeon Son (violin), Son Hyo Jin (violin), Seol Min Jae (cello).

Guests had the opportunity to see not only the wonderful work of Lee Bo Suk, but also picturesque photographs from natural locations, places of interest and large cities in South Korea – which are extremely interesting and yet poorly known by St. Petersburg residents. The photographs were provided by the National Organisation for Korean Tourism.

The Korean Cultural Days and Lee Bo Suk’s project Russian Arirang – Hangul 2008 were organised by the Youth Centre of the State Hermitage Museum together with the organising committee of the St. Petersburg Korean Festival with the support of the General Consulate of the Republic of North Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization and the editing board of the St. Petersburg Korean paper Dabai Koreya.

As part of the Korean Cultural Days at the Youth Centre of the State Hermitage Museum, there will also be a lecture The Republic of Korea: History and Traditions (lecturer R. Tangalycheva, St. Petersburg State University) and a master class run by Lee Bo Suk on Korean calligraphy on 11 April. There will be a lecture on contemporary Korean cinema and a showing of an art film Blood Rain (South Korea, 2005).

Lee Bo Suk’s work can be seen from 10 to 20 April at the Exhibition Hall of the Youth Education Centre of the State Hermitage Museum: the General Staff building, Moika River Embankment, No. 45, 2nd story.

Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 12:00 - 17:30, Sunday 13:00 - 16:30. Closed Mondays.

At the opening of the exhibition

Korea – Traditions and Modernity

At the exhibition

Display of Lee Bo Suk’s work at the Youth Centre

String Quartet

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