DENVER, CO.- The Denver Art Museum (DAM) and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) jointly announced today dual shows in the spring highlighting Korean art and culture as part of a first-ever collaboration between the two institutions. The new exhibitions, Lunar Phases: Korean Moon Jars at DAM, and Suki Seokyeong Kang: Mountain—Hour—Face at MCA Denver, invite visitors to explore Korean culture and art from both a classic and contemporary perspective.

Suki Seokyeong Kang: Mountain—Hour—Face opens at MCA Denver Feb. 21, 2025, and showcases Kang’s deft use of materials—from traditionally woven grass mats, dyed wool, and mulberry paper to industrial materials like steel and brass—to create wondrous and spiritual objects and installations, bringing the artist’s unique vision of the landscapes into three dimensions. Sculptures, paintings, textiles, installations and video will occupy the entirety of MCA Denver’s building and highlight Kang’s singular approach to engaging with these materials.

Lunar Phases: Korean Moon Jars, which opens at the DAM March 2, 2025, welcomes visitors to explore how the moon jar from Korea’s Joseon dynasty (1392-1897) has evolved into a national artistic icon of Korea and how contemporary artists, both within and beyond Korea, reflect on the moon jar. Moon jars are elegant white globular jars that flourished in Korea during the 17th and 18th centuries, when naturalism and spontaneity became the desired aesthetic. The show will give visitors a new perspective and understanding of Korean culture from a traditional lens as the show traces the artistic phases of the moon jar with twelve exquisite ceramics spanning from the 18th century to the present, each implying a month of the lunar calendar.

“We’re thrilled to share in this significant moment for the city of Denver – two art institutions in the same city collaborating with Korean artists and encouraging our community to engage with the breadth and impact of this particular region in East Asia,” said Nora Burnett Abrams, Mark G. Falcone Director of MCA Denver. “Our hope is that viewers will visit both exhibitions at MCA Denver and the Denver Art Museum and begin a layered dialogue about contemporary Korean art and visual culture more broadly.”

“Modern and contemporary Korea is an extraordinary embodiment of a culture that is built upon rich and storied traditions that thread together the past, present and future of the nation that has influenced the entire world,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the Denver Art Museum. “The two exhibitions being on view in the same season present the perfect opportunity to create the first of many special moments to elevate arts and culture in Denver.”

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“The exhibition Suki Seokyeong Kang: Mountain—Hour—Face is an invitation to explore the rich practice of Suki Seokyeong Kang and also to contemplate one's relationship to nature and to other individuals,” said Miranda Lash, Ellen Bruss Chief Curator and Leilani Lynch, Associate Curator of MCA Denver. “This is the most expansive presentation of Kang’s work in the U.S. to date, and as visitors travel upwards through the galleries, Kang’s vision of the landscape is brought to life and reaches new (literal and metaphorical) heights.”

“Both exhibitions focus on the power of materials, techniques, and aesthetics or philosophies as an expression of Korean identity and culture, with traditional and contemporary artists contributing their works,” said Hyonjeong Kim Han, Joseph De Heer Curator of Arts of Asia at DAM. “With more than 40,000 Koreans calling Colorado home, now is the perfect time for all Coloradan to connect with their fellow residents and create more opportunities for cultural and artistic exchange and creativity. This is a start to bring Korea and Colorado to closer.”

Lunar Phases: Korean Moon Jars is organized by the Denver Art Museum. This exhibition is generously supported by the National Museum of Korea Overseas Korean Galleries Support Program. Additional support is provided by Gay-Young Cho, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.