Education
Ph.D. in Art History, Hongik University
Experience.
Bae Wonjung’s primary curation interest focuses on Korean’s ink painting and calligraphy. Her recent curations include:
The Modern and Contemporary Korean Calligraphy, MMCA and HCAC, 2020 and 2024
The Most Honest Confession: Chang Ucchin Retrospective, MMCA, 2023
DNA: Dynamic & Alive Korean Art, MMCA, 2021
Art of the Korean Empire-Seeking a New Path, MMCA, 2018
Korean Seal Engraving, 2011.
Description
Bae Wonjung is a curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Korea. In recent years, she has focused on curating exhibitions and conducting research on modern and contemporary East Asian ink painting and calligraphy. Her 2011 exhibition, “Seal: Koreans and Their Seals”, was the first to systematically trace the genealogy of modern and contemporary Korean seal engraving artists. It introduced the public to the historical depth of Korean seal culture and garnered widespread attention across the country.
In 2019, MMCA presented “Script in the Museum: Korean Modern and Contemporary Calligraphy”, which for the first time showcased calligraphy as part of the museum’s contemporary art program. The exhibition demonstrated that calligraphy is not merely a traditional artifact for historical display, but also a valid category of modern art. It highlighted how the traditional concept of "calligraphy and painting" underwent a separation in the 20th century, with calligraphy losing its place as an object of aesthetic appreciation within Korea’s fine art institutions.
The exhibition pointed to a critical issue: that calligraphy in Korea had found itself excluded from both museums and art museums, prompting deeper reflection on the relationship between "art" and "calligraphy." By raising the provocative question, “Is calligraphy art?”, the exhibition sparked renewed debate in the Korean calligraphy world and significantly expanded public engagement with the medium. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition's video presentation on YouTube attracted over 130,000 views and received high praise.
