Until 5 January 2024, the Centro Cultural Coreano in Madrid presents the temporary exhibition What I Know, by the renowned Korean multimedia artist who connects people, Kang Ik Joong.
Kang Ik Joong, known as the three-inch artist for the grandeur of his works and his desire to unite people, opens this exhibition on the occasion of Hangeul Day (9 October) or the Korean alphabet, in which the public is the protagonist. It is made up of more than 6,000 blocks of syllables, which compose universal reflections written in the Korean language by students from the Complutense University of Madrid, the University of Malaga, the University of Salamanca, the King Sejong Institute established by the Korean government in Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and by visitors to the Centre.
Among the works on display, the 1-kilometre-long vinyl tunnel in Paju Unification Park, in which 50,000 South Korean children participated in creating the 100,000 Dreams as a symbol of peace, stands out. The Amazed World project, a gigantic labyrinth installation set up in the lobby of the United Nations headquarters in New York, completed in 2001, with the works of children from 150 countries. Moon of Dream, from 2004, a vinyl globe composed of more than 126,000 drawings by children from 141 countries floating above the water at Lake Park in Ilsan, or among others the 175-metre Bridge of Dreams in Suncheon, Korea, containing 120,000 drawings by children from all over the world, which he made in 2013. Kang has installed children’s drawings in many hospitals and public places around the world, including Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (Ohio, USA, 2006), Zaitun Library (Erbil, Iraq, 2008) and Asan Medical Center (Seoul, Korea, in 2010).
The exhibition space consists of 3 colourful art panels with more than 6,000 syllabic blocks in the Korean language brimming with emotions to create this artwork that will showcase people’s connection as the main theme. Kang collected these personal thoughts to create an art installation. The artwork, which is displayed on the murals, represents collective intelligence and wisdom. His most representative work called, Moon Jar, has been used as the end point to finish the sentences. Visitors may encounter a colourful mosaic of letters of the Korean alphabet -Hangeul-.
