11-meter Buddhist hanging scroll to be showcased at museum

Major museums and exhibition spaces across South Korea are opening up again after the COVID-19 crisis.

The National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul has launched an exhibition titled “A Rain of Flowers: Buddhist Hanging Scroll at Eunhaesa Temple” in the Buddhist Painting Gallery of the paintings and calligraphic exhibition hall on Wednesday. This is the first exhibition to be showcased by the museum since its temporary closure on February 25. The exhibition features a Buddhist hanging scroll of Eunhaesa temple in the skirt of Palgong Mountain in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, as well as a Buddhist painting titled “The Shortcut to Rebirth through Buddha Mindfulness.” The eleven-by-five-meter hanging scroll was painted in 1750. Donated works from the head family of Yi Hang-bok is also exhibited at the paintings and calligraphic hall.

The Chuncheon National Museum has also opened its special exhibition, “Rediscovered Treasures of Gangwon,” on Wednesday after postponing the original opening schedule in March. Thirty pieces, including a thinking Buddhist image excavated from the Heungnyeong temple site and gravestone fragments from a Buddhist temple site in Heungjeon-ri, Samcheok, are showcased. The Daegu National Museum also opened again, along with national museums in Gyeongju, Gimhae, and Jeonju.

The Cultural Heritage Administration also reopened 22 indoor exhibition facilities, such as the National Intangible Heritage Center of the National Palace Museum of Korea, on Wednesday. The King Sejong Shrine Management Office of the Cultural Heritage Administration Royal Palaces and Tombs Center will also host an exhibition featuring sundials of the Joseon Dynasty and Hemispherical Sundial at the King Sejong History and Culture Center until June 28. The Mokpo Modern History Museum of the National Maritime Museum in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province has also launched an exhibition focusing on the history of Korea’s independence movement.

The Horim Museum will showcase the 2020 special folk painting exhibition featuring new collections at its Sinsa location in Gangnam from May 12.

The “social distancing as lifestyle” policy still continues at re-opened museums. The National Museum of Korea has limited the number of visitors per hour to 300 through an online reservation system. Visitors need to go through temperature checks and wear face masks before entering. Education programs and cultural events with large audiences have not resumed yet. Information on how to book a visit can be found on museums’ websites.


Jong-Yeob JO jjj@donga.com