Seoul exhibition honors Korea’s master artisans

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Seoul exhibition honors Korea’s master artisans

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By

Lee Kyung-min

Published

May 14, 2026 2:35 pm

KST

A promotional poster for the National Intangible Heritage Center's special joint exhibition in Seoul / Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

The quiet rhythm of scissors slicing through silk, the sharp bite of chisels into aged wood and the rhythmic tightening of knots will soon resonate within a Seoul exhibition hall.

Starting next week, some of Korea’s most accomplished traditional artisans will pull back the curtain on their workshops, offering a rare glimpse into the ancestral techniques that define the nation’s cultural identity.

The Korea Heritage Service and the Korea Heritage Agency announced Thursday the launch of “Gongdeulim,” a special joint exhibition running from May 21 to Aug. 21 at the National Intangible Heritage Center in southern Seoul. The showcase is dedicated to the labor and philosophy of masters who have spent decades preserving crafts that are increasingly rare in a digitized world.

Bringing together 12 artisans representing 11 state-designated intangible heritage crafts, the exhibition spans a diverse range of disciplines, from the delicate art of embroidery and decorative knotting to the robust traditions of woodcraft and musical instrument making. It also features the specialized fields of metal inlay and gat-making, which is the construction of traditional horsehair hats.

The exhibition space is divided into five distinct sections, designed to trace the arduous journey from raw material to finished masterpiece. The experience begins with documentary-style footage capturing the artisans’ daily routines, stripping away the polish of a gallery to show the grit of the workshop. To further immerse visitors, the galleries will play high-fidelity recordings of stitching, carving and cutting, recreating the auditory landscape of a working studio.

At the center of the hall, 45 representative works are displayed not merely as static objects, but as living art forged through inherited discipline. Accompanying these pieces are intimate interviews where the masters discuss the personal meaning of their devotion. For those seeking a tactile connection, the exhibition offers a hands-on program to create bookmarks using patterns inspired by the 12 featured workshops.

Admission to the exhibition and its programs is free. Located in southern Seoul, the National Intangible Heritage Center is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., remaining closed on Mondays.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.