The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) proudly presents Merging Realms: Art Across Boundaries, a new exhibition of sculpture, installation, fashion, and video works by artists Donghun Sung and Dabal Kim that blur the lines between traditional social constructs, on view June 7 – August 9, 2024. 

The exhibition opening reception on Friday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. (RSVP required) coincides with Art Walk Dupont’s local community art event First Friday and will feature a live performance by fellow artists Junghee Oh and Songhee Lee-Chung in collaboration with featured artist Dabal Kim in front of Kim’s new work, Twelve Doors. This central work in the show reinterprets Korean traditional attire from a contemporary perspective. After the performance, there will be an opportunity to engage in conversation with the artists and performers.

Artists Donghun Sung and Dabal Kim have collaborated for decades. Their visually compelling works aim to blur the lines between different cultures, media, spaces, and times. By crossing the social and cultural boundaries between tradition and modernity, myth and history, and feminine and masculine, their collective artistic journey reflects their objective of creating a novel visual world—one that blends values and questions modern dichotomies of knowledge.

Merging Realms: Art Across Boundaries will remain on view at the KCCDC June 7 through August 9, 2024 during regular visitor hours (M-F, 10 AM-noon & 1-5 PM) 2024 with an opening reception during extended evening hours on Friday, June 7 (6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.). 

👉RSVP here👈

About the Artists 

Donghun Sung explores cross-medium concepts in his sculpted works, often combining various materials that evoke a specific time, place, and set of values. For example, his pieces incorporate iron, representing industrial machinery, alongside wood and ceramics that are reminiscent of traditional Asian crafts. His subjects range from religious and mythical figures to animals, frequently portraying images of Buddha and of deer, symbolizing sacred icons and archetypes of myth across cultures. In this exhibition, Sung features small-scale works that capture this unique artistic essence. Video compilations of his extensive works and interviews provide further insight into his artistic world.

Dabal Kim uses clothing as her primary artistic channel. She explores the cultural significance of traditional garments and ornaments, as clothes often represent socially and culturally defined identities such as customs and gender. By patching various elements into a single costume, she transcends these established values. Her works include large-scale costume installations, performances, photography, and video. A common subject in her work is the reinterpretation of traditional Korean clothing, hanbok. In this show Kim disassembles and redesigns sim-eui, a garment worn by the elites of Korea’s ancient Goryeo Dynasty who were heavily influenced by Confucianism, transforming its cultural meanings through a modern perspective. Also featured are some of Kim’s earlier video works.

About the Opening Reception Performance Artists

Songhee Lee-Chung is a dancer specializing in traditional Korean dance. In 1997, she had her first solo recital “Karma” which was featured in The New York Times. Since then, she has been actively performing around the world and the U.S. at such venues as Flushing Town Hall, Greek National Dance Theater, CID UNESCO World Congress on Dance, NEA Montana Folk Festival, and International Festival at Chihuahua, Mexico. She was also appointed as a member Artist teacher for K-12 public school for “Spotlight Korea” at The Korean Cultural Center New York from 2014. Currently, she is Artistic Director and Choreographer for the Songhee Lee Dance Company and serves as Teaching Artist in traditional Korean dance at Flushing Town Hall. She was QCA Grant Recipient in 2010 and 2014, and awarded QCA New Work Grant in 2022.

Junghee Oh, leader of the group G-Hwaja, is a Korean traditional music artist specializing in Gayageum Byeongchang (singing with self-accompaniment on the 12-stringed Gayageum zither) as well as Pansori, the iconic traditional story-telling art performed by a solo vocalist and percussion accompaniment. Ms. Oh is officially recognized in Korea as a holder of intangible cultural property No. 23 in Gayageum Sanjo and Byeongchang. She has performed at major events as a featured performer in Korea and abroad. She had performances in numerous significant musical events and was featured as the main guest in many Korean Cultural events in prominent institutions. She received her master’s degree in Korean music from Chung-Ang University in Seoul Korea. She currently serves as the music director of the music band G-Hwaja and performing artist based in the NY & NJ metropolitan area.