ABSTRACT
In 1995, the Venice Biennale celebrated 100 years of enduring representation of modern and contemporary art from a select group of international countries in the grounds of the Giardini. That year marked a milestone for the Republic of Korea as it was able to secure the final plot of land in the inner sanctum of the Biennale. One of the features of modern and contemporary Korean art is the ease with which artists demonstrate ‘mastery over Western elements and the effortless incorporation of foreign aspects to their own art’. There was an undaunted effort by Korean artists to maintain currency with contemporary art practices. In 1990, Korea departed from its two-dimensional presentation, choosing to show three dimensional works by Hong Myung-Seop and Cho Sung-Mook, curated by Seung-Taek Lee. In keeping with a national focus, the Korea Culture and Arts Foundation were established in 1973, later being restructured as Arts Council Korea in 2005 or ARKO, as it is commonly known.
