Il Padiglione coreano a Venezia: una questione identitaria
abstract
The Korean Pavilion was held at Venice Biennale’s Centenary, in 1995. This essay reconstructs historical events that led to the creation of a National pavilion for the whole Korean peninsula, which eventually found its place in the traditional site of the Biennale: the ‘Giardini’ area. The analysis of its exhibitions and the story of the pavilion mesh and intertwine. During these twenty-four years, between 1995 and 2019, the Korean contemporary art changed and today it is so different from the typical Orientalist idea of Korean traditional art. Identity issue is leitmotiv of those art shows and of a generation of artists born after the Korean war, traumatised by political fast changes, in a different economical and social scene. The Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale is a proof of this artistic and social journey.
Keywords: Venice Biennale • Korean Pavilion • Korean identity • Identity issue • Korean contemporary art