Conversation about Diversity in Korean Embroidery Arts
- Gallery Rotation
Korea Foundation Gallery
Detail of Ten Longevity Symbols (십장생도), 1700s. Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392−1910). Eight-panel folding screen; embroidery on silk; overall: 141 x 365.9 cm. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from the Founders Junior Council and the Korean Community, 1985.14. Image courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts
About The Exhibition
Conversation about Diversity in Korean Embroidery Arts is co-organized with the Seoul Museum of Craft Art. This exhibition introduces a wide range of embroidery works of the Joseon period (1392−1910) including rank badges and multipanel folding screens, showcasing works made in partnership by both men and women among different social classes. The two embroidered folding screens on view—one with ten symbols of longevity and the other with geese on a riverbank—are outstanding examples of collaboration between both men and women and members of the working class and aristocracy, widely practiced toward the end of the 19th century. On the other hand, selected textile works such as rank badges and ceremonial attire introduce embroidered decoration as a significant medium to symbolize one’s sociopolitical status. This rotation compliments the exhibition Gold Needles: Embroidery Arts from Korea that celebrates Korean embroidered works of art created by women as tools of empowerment to overcome social and cultural restraints.