The exhibition “Ssack” is planned on the site where people had lived and the new museum is due to open. The facade of the house is in the traditional Korean style, but the interior was finished in the Japanese style under the influence of the Japanese occupation and annex on the right side is Western style. It seemed to give off a scent of our ancient national heritage. That annex, which was constructed in recent days, stand near the gateway. The traditional Korean building is not seen from the entrance. This symbolizes Korea’s recent history. After the Liberation, Koreans tried to retrieve their ethnic culture, which had been suppressed during the Japanese colonial period. But they were drawn into the flood of Western culture, especially American, particularly after the Korean War. Koreans tried to discover their identity, but are confused by these rampant foreign intrusions.

Koreans are living with a chaotic sense of values about their ways of thinking and acting, even on such basic matters. Art is no exception. Many in the early days of Korea’s Western painting learned altered, Japanized Western painting. And when the Korean government freed up travel abroad, Korean artists became accustomed to American art. With the movement of the Korean popular arts from the ’80s, artists raised questions about ‘Korea’, about ‘Social identity’, and about ‘themselves’. From the ’90s the movement of the Korean popular art stared to flow back. Instead of one distinctive leading movement, various small movements started to appear. What are the common traits of artists in the ’90s? They have critical attitudes about society. It is clear that they are influenced by the Korean popular arts. But unlike the artists in that movements, they are dealing indirectly not only with political issues but also with many other aspects of society.

The exhibition “Ssack” was planned in order to show the characteristics of these artists of the new generation and for these young artists to be able to illuminate themselves through it. The main concept of this exhibition is that inviting them into an inhabited place instead of the usual fluorescent and square space, artists choose a proper place to display their works, and they works on the basis of using new technology and free imaginations about their chosen places, which will soon disappear. Ruminating again about tradition within the traditional house, these artists try to discover their own identity in a mixed culture. Through this opportunity, viewers can think deeply about the ideas Koreans have about their traditions or about how these traditions have changed. Have Koreans accepted ideas about their tradition which have been distorted by foreigners? And when we say that we have to restore indigenous Korean culture, just what is it?