KOREAN NET

The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in New York on Sept. 25 unveiled Hangeul Wall, a 22 m-long, 8 m-wide installation work, on the outside of the center's new compound. Shown is a screen capture of a KCC notice on the wall and a description.

By Yoon Sojung

A large-size wall 22 m high and 8 m wide featuring Hangeul (Korean alphabet) on Sept. 25 was unveiled on the outer wall of the new compound of the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in New York's Manhattan district.

Korean media such as Yonhap News said the KCC that day opened to the public its completed wall project of creating a large mural with renowned installation artist Ik-joong Kang (Kang Ik-joong) at the center's new compound opened in June.

The wall has about 20,000 blocks of Hangeul letters on the theme "Things I Love to Talk About."

These blocks contain 1,000 selected messages some 7,000 project participants from 50 countries translated into Korean and their names.

For this project, the center created a separate website to help non-Koreans type messages in their languages and have them translated into Hangeul.

A New York resident for 40 years, Kang said, "Visitors to the KCC can experience the beauty of Hangeul and create and share digital art of their own via the kiosks."

In addition, the center until Nov. 7 is hosting a retrospective of Kang's works, "We Are Connected," to mark the 40th anniversary of his art career this year. This exhibition displays 6,000 of his works from the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York for the first time in three decades.

Other leading works by Kang are shown at New York's Guggenheim Museum such as "1392 Moon Jars."

The Hangeul Wall installed at the KCC in New York contains 1,000 selected messages from some 7,000 project participants from 50 countries written in Korean and their names. Shown are messages on the theme of love. (Screen capture of e-book of Hangeul Wall Project by KCC in New York)

Along with the unveiling of the Hangeul Wall, the KCC in New York through Nov. 7 will also host a retrospective of artist Ik-joong Kang, who marks the 40th anniversary of his career this year. Shown is the official poster for the event. (KCC in New York)

arete@korea.kr