Busan is good

Bokcheon Museum Holds Special Exchange Exhibition “Ancient Memory, Modern Form” to Mark Its 30th Anniversary

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Bokcheon Museum, affiliated with the Busan Metropolitan City Museum, announced that it will hold the special exchange exhibition “Ancient Memory, Modern Form” for 88 days from May 22 to August 17 in celebration of the museum’s 30th anniversary.

Planned by Professor Kim Hyun-sook of the Department of Art at Pusan National University in collaboration with the Institute of Plastic Arts, the exhibition newly reinterprets artifacts excavated from the Bokcheon-dong Tombs (Historic Site No. 273), an ancient burial complex located in the heart of Busan.

The exhibition features works by 15 contemporary ceramic artists and presents a convergence of the archaeological value of local cultural heritage with modern artistic aesthetics.

The artifacts serving as motifs for the works were all excavated from the Bokcheon-dong Tombs and include pottery such as cylindrical pottery stands, mounted dishes, shoe-shaped pottery, and duck-shaped pottery, along with representative metal artifacts including gilt-bronze crowns, plate armor*, and Childu-ryeong**.

• ●Plate armor: Armor made by connecting iron plates to protect the upper body of warriors during the Three Kingdoms period.

** Childu-ryeong (Treasure): A Gaya-period bronze bell excavated from Tomb No. 22 at Bokcheon-dong, featuring seven attached bells.

The 15 participating artists in this exhibition, which seeks to broaden public engagement with ancient cultural heritage, are leading figures in Korea’s contemporary ceramic art scene.

The exhibition brings together established professors who balance teaching and creative practice at universities and studios including Dankook University, Dongduk Women’s University, Pusan National University, and Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, as well as accomplished mid-career and emerging artists actively engaged in domestic and international art activities.

Among the participating artists, Professor Park Jong-jin of Seoul Women’s University was selected on May 12 as the 2026 overall winner of the prestigious LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, receiving high praise from the jury and bringing welcome news to Korea’s ceramic art community.

The exhibited works are diverse ceramic creations shaped through the skill and imagination of contemporary ceramic artists, inspired by the symbolism and traditional formative beauty of the Bokcheon-dong artifacts that reflect the lives, deaths, authority, and beliefs of the ancient Gaya people.

Visitors will be able to enjoy and appreciate new interpretations of representative artifacts from the Bokcheon-dong Tombs, which embody the essence of Busan’s Gaya culture, as they merge with contemporary craft art and share in the value of cultural heritage.

This collaboration, combining the museum’s historical and cultural assets with the creative capabilities of the craft art community, is also meaningful as a new model for sustainable cultural and artistic exchange between local universities and public museums.

Admission to the exhibition is free, and visitors may enter directly on site. The museum is closed every Monday, or the following day if Monday falls on a public holiday.

To enhance understanding and enjoyment of the exhibition, related special invited lectures and free craft experience programs will also be offered.

For inquiries, visitors may contact the exhibition and invited lecture program at +82-51-550-0334, the experience program at +82-51-550-0333, or visit the Bokcheon Museum website at museum.busan.go.kr/bokcheon/index.

Seong Hyun-ju, Director of Bokcheon Museum, stated, “We hope that Bokcheon Museum, celebrating its 30th anniversary, will provide enjoyment to citizens through more innovative exhibitions and become a place where visitors can encounter living cultural heritage in new ways.” She added, “Through this exhibition, which presents works interpreting ancient Gaya artifacts through the perspectives of talented contemporary ceramic artists, visitors will be able to discover the diverse possibilities inherent in cultural heritage.”