Mal Industry Journal | [National Museum of Korea] National Daegu Museum’s Special Exhibition “Women’s Hanbok, Encountering Modernity”

"An Encounter with the Hanbok in the Cherished Everyday Lives of Our Mothers and Grandmothers"

National Daegu Museum Special Exhibition "Women's Hanbok, Encountering Modernity"

The National Daegu Museum (Director Hong Jin-geun) will hold the special exhibition "Women's Hanbok, Encountering Modernity" from December 8 (Sat) to March 10, 2019 (Sun). This exhibition sheds new light on the hanbok worn by women in their daily lives from the 1900s to the 1970s, and the stories of Daegu women embedded in them. From the schoolgirl hanbok uniforms worn during the independence movement 100 years ago, to velvet skirts of the 1950s, and lace jeogori and Arirang skirt-and-jacket sets of the 1960s-1970s, some 150 items of hanbok representing each era along with accessories and materials showing the trends of the time will be exhibited.

In particular, the prologue presents, side by side, Kim Hong-do's "Album of Genre Paintings" (Treasure No. 527), familiar only from textbooks, and Shin Yun-bok's "Album of Women's Customs," while the epilogue offers a special opportunity to compare paintings of women in traditional and contemporary hanbok by displaying works by Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung. It will also be a meaningful encounter, as 1950s-1960s style wedding hanbok made by the late Lee Young-hee, a world-renowned hanbok designer from Daegu, are presented together with wedding photos of Daegu and Gyeongbuk women from that era.

The exhibition is composed of three main parts.

Part 1, "Modern Women Attempt Change in Hanbok," examines the transformation of women's hanbok across three periods (1900s-1920s, 1930s-1940s, 1950s-1970s). Along with hanbok from each period showing changes in jeogori form and fabric material, related accessories and the latest fashion magazines of the time are also introduced. The highlight of Part 1, "Mother's Workshop," recreates a room where women of the 1950s-1960s made and wore hanbok by hand, offering visitors a chance to feel the nostalgia of that era.

Part 2, "Women's Hanbok, Strolling Through Modern Daegu," introduces little-known stories of modern Daegu women and the hanbok woven into their lives. On a stage set up as the "Daegu Women's Theater," five women in hanbok appear and recall important historical moments of Daegu, such as the National Debt Repayment Movement and the March 8 Independence Movement, telling stories of that time. Photographs captured by photographers who represented modern Daegu -- Gu Wang-sam, An Wol-san, Park Yeong-dal, Bae Sang-ha, Do Ju-ryong, and Jo Sang-min -- are also introduced.

Part 3, "Daegu Women Speak of Hanbok," introduces stories embedded in the hanbok and photographs of women from the Daegu and Gyeongbuk region. It tells the small, personal stories held within the hanbok of the late Mrs. Kwon Bun-sun, Mrs. Lee Su-eok, and Mrs. Kim Gi-jun. In particular, Part 3 is a space created through the participation of citizens of the Daegu and Gyeongbuk region, and the faded photographs collected from the depths of wardrobes through a photo contest will be a precious opportunity to turn personal memories into our shared memory.

This exhibition, unfolded through various kinds of "encounters," will be a time to look back on the appearance and everyday lives of our mothers and grandmothers, and the stories hidden within them, through the modern hanbok that has now disappeared from around us and become all the more wistful and dear. It is hoped this will be a unique encounter that stirs nostalgia and longing for the past generation, while offering the younger generation a chance to feel the fascinating atmosphere of the modern era, which is currently in vogue.