To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sookmyung Women's University Moon Shin Museum, a special exhibition, "Choi Sung-sook, A World Lit by the Morning Star," was held. The exhibition, held at the Moon Shin Museum located in Renaissance Plaza on the 2nd Foundation Campus, ran from March 13 to July 17, 2024, and was open for viewing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The museum was founded with a collection of more than 900 works donated by the museum's director, Choi Sung-sook, a bereaved wife, to honor the art of the sculptor Moon Shin. He was born in Japan and lived and worked in various cities, including Masan and Paris. His sculptures are characterized by their symmetry, consisting of circles and lines. He made a name for himself after exhibiting at the International Sculpture Symposium in 1970, and Moon Shin Museum reflects his free-spirited approach to art by showing not only donated works but also hosting special exhibitions with young artists. The exhibition "Choi Sung-sook, A World Lit by the Morning Star" was organized to shed light on the work and artistic world of Korean painter Choi Sung-sook, the widow of Moon Shin and the museum's director. Her work is characterized by a traditional Korean painting technique that utilizes the consistency of ink to express texture and thickness through the brush. To this base, she adds her own creativity and observation to complete her works, which are based on subjects ranging from everyday elements such as landscapes to divine beings.
The "morning star" in the title of the exhibition refers to the artist herself, and the works represent the world as she sees it. In other words, the landscapes and figures of mountains, animals, etc. that she has observed are harmoniously interwoven into them. The exhibition was divided into three themes, the first of which being "Seasonal Impressions: Scenery." This section visualized the nature and architecture that she had seen during her travels at home and abroad. One of the works, Night View of the Eiffel Tower, depicts the Eiffel Tower shining alone at night, with a crowd of people watching it in the center, representing the love it receives from people all over the world. The light from the Eiffel Tower itself blends with the stars in the night sky, making it as bright as day, conveying the beauty of the night view that the artist felt. The second theme, "A Thrilling Imagination: 12 Zodiac Signs," featured works that depict the dancing of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, the 12 animal deities that protect the earth in the East. The exhibition pamphlet explained that the artist was inspired by the look of the people who prayed to the zodiac gods in the past asking for immortality, and represented the gods playing joyfully in the hope that everyone would live a happy life. In Nocturne & Capriccio of the God Fairy, a chicken, one of the twelve, blows a trumpet to announce the approach of morning. The chicken's eyes, which appear to be filled with tears, convey the difficulty and sublimity of ending the darkness and welcoming the sunlight. Another piece, The God of the Dragon Playing the Mandolin, depicts a blue dragon gazing at a mandolin, a stringed instrument. In such a way, the works in the second section share the form of a musical instrument and the zodiac signs. The final theme was "Dreams Painted by Memories: Art Museum." In this section, the works expressed memories of the artist's time with her companion, sculptor Moon Shin. Our Garden shows a harmonious natural scene with various types of flowers in vases and insects such as butterflies and praying mantises. It depicts flowers from Moon Shin's garden and is inscribed with the artist's words, "I painted spring," conveying the warmth of spring in the artist's memory. The exhibition concluded with a video of Choi Sung-sook, explaining her work. After visiting the exhibition, Yu Hyeon-seon, Department of History & Culture '22, said, "Like a star in the night sky illuminating the whole world, it was an exhibition that highlighted the warm gaze of the artist who became a dawn star and observed many people and nature from her own perspective." More information about the Moon Shin Museum can be found on its official website, Instagram, and YouTube.
