Wikipedia:Minimalism and its effect on south korea

Minimalism and Its Effect in South Korea

Minimalism, a recent extension of Western aspects of “healthy living” is not a stranger to Korean art and lifestyle. South Korean Minimalism with its monochrome trend and neutral tones is a phenomenon that goes back to an art movement in the 1970s, called ‘Dansaekhwa’ (단색화) or ‘Monochrome Painting’. The term was used by the critic Lee Yil in 1980 to indicate a group of mostly non-figurative paintings in neutral tones. Later, while being promoted in places like Seoul, Paris, Tokyo, New York, the art form gradually became an extension of the contemporary and unique characteristic features of the country (Kee, 2013).

Origin of the Concept of Minimalism:

‘Dansaekhwa’ or ‘Tansaekhwa’ originated during the post-war period of South Korea, as an attempt to break away from the influence of Japanese colonist rule. Developed through three decades, it was influenced by the Expressionism of the 50s, the geometrical and colour abstraction of the 60s and the monochrome style of the 70s (Lynch, 2020). Combining a sense of traditional value, deeply embedded in the country’s value and an attempt to distinguish from the Western abstract style, ‘Dansaekhwa’ includes simplicity, based on the Asian ink paintings. The artists used objects such as Korean paper (한지 ), mulberry paper, acrylic, oil, black coal, powder colour, pencil on several surfaces like canvas, board or woodblock. Inspired by the natural beauty, the artworks also showed South Korea’s take on the modern cultural trends (Kordic, 2016).

Lee Ufan (http://artistproject.metmuseum.org/5/lee-ufan/)

The primary philosophy behind this meditative art form is the relationship between the material, creator, the artwork and its audience. As explained by Lee Ufan, a key pioneer, the artwork becomes complete only with the dynamic gaze of the audience, creating a direct, transformative movement between the artwork and the viewer’s mind (Lynch, 2020). Some of the significant artists of this art form are Park Seo-bo, Chung Chang-Sup, Kim Whanki, etc.

'''Impact on Aesthetics of Interior: '''

One of the most alluring aspects of the South Korean Minimalist aesthetics is perhaps the use of clutter-less, single, neutral, nude colours in the interior along with the usage of soft textures. Contrary to the western trend, the Korean trend encourages making the most of ‘negative spaces’, including an illusion of “lived in” feeling. The trend includes use of vintage and rustic items, small trinkets, earthy tone colours such as light brown, nude, peach, white, tan, cream, in terms of interior decoration and architecture. Like the Danish concept of ‘Hygge’ which means ‘cosiness’, here also the primary aim is to curate a look that reflects a clean and cosy mindset (Gullestad, 1992). The philosophy is to be grateful for the small happiness of life without being too materialistic.

Minimalist Room Interior (https://girlstyle.com/sg/article/54922/10-easy-steps-to-get-a-cosy-korean-style-bedroom)

In addition to the interiority of the household, most of the cafes in South Korea also have adopted this minimalist look. From the set earthy-pastel colour palette, the absence of too much heavy furniture, inclusion of more space to use a combination of naturalist and sleek modern outlook, popular cafes like Cafe Oriente, Saem Cafe, etc. are an epitome of such outlook.

Minimalist Philosophy and Its Effect on the Changing Paradigms of Home:

Since 2015, South Korea has witnessed a huge rise in single-person households. According to a report by the Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, the number will rise more. A large number of these people, living alone due to work or study, seem to realise the limitation of relying on materialism as the sole source of happiness. Instead of regarding ‘home’ as a place to ‘buy’ new items, these young people are now visualising it as a place to ‘live’, preferring quality over quantity (Park, 2017).

Minimalism and Social Media:

Being some of the most tech-savvy races, South Korean social media is filled with projects and blogs related to Minimalism. It began with Hwang Yun-Jeong, the 47 year old teacher, wife and mother of three, when she started to declutter her house in September 2014. Following her documentation, in 2016, thousands of fellow netizens joined the movement of decluttering their houses. Now, Hwang is the manager of a virtual community with more than 45000 registered users sharing their experiences (The Korea Herald, 2016).

Many Koreans have started to participate in the “Minimalism Game”, pioneered through the website “The Minimalists”, created by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus in 2010. As per the game rule, the participant needs to throw away one item on the first day, two items on the second day and it goes on like this. To be considered the winner, one needs to throw away 465 items. There are now more than 6000 Minimalism related posts on Naver (Park, 2017). On Instagram, the Korean hashtags “ #minimalism” and “minimallife” includes more than 29000 posts. There is a Naver Cafe called the “Minimal Life”, that opened in 2014. Not only the customers get encouragement to declutter but also to donate items to the senior citizen homes or children’s centres.

With the rediscovery of this simple but powerful art style and philosophy, South Korea seems to once again muster the art of globalising their culture while keeping their own traditions alive and thriving among the significant contemporary philosophies and aesthetics from around the world.

Sources:

1. Kee, Joan: Contemporary Korean Art: Tansaekhwa and the Urgency of Method (1 ed.). University of Minnesota Press. 2013, p. 384

2. Lynch, Selina: “Dansaekhwa: Exploring the “Korean Monochrome Art Movement” in SINGULART, 2020, retrieved on April 1, 2022. Accessed at https://blog.singulart.com/en/2020/10/08/dansaekhwa-exploring-the-korean-monochrome-art-movement/

3. Kordic, Angie: “These Korean Artists Introduce a New Era in Minimal Art”, 2016, retrieved on April 2, 2022. Accessed at https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/korean-artists-dansaekhwa-minimal-art

4. Gullestad, Marianne: “Home Decoration as Popular Culture” in The Art of Social Relations: Essays on Culture, Social Action and Everyday Life in Modern Norway. Oslo: Scandinavian University Press, p 235

5. Park, Diana: “Minimize For More” in Seoul, 2017, retrieved on March 31, 2022. Accessed at http://magazine.seoulselection.com/2017/04/27/minimize-for-more/

6.“More S. Koreans Embrace Philosophy of ‘living with less” in The Korea Herald, 2016, retrieved on March 30, 2022. Accessed at http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20161013000997

7. Dagen, Natasha; Kim Kibum: “The Korean at the Top of the Art World” in New Yorker, 2015, retrieved on March 31, 2022. Accessed at https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-koreans-at-the-top-of-the-art-world