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Road movie: Art between Korea and Japan since 1945

  • 2026-05-14 ~ 2026-09-27
  • Gwacheon 1F, Gallery1,2, Main Hall and Sculpture Park

Exhibition Overview

Road movie: Art between Korea and Japan since 1945
Cho Yanggyu, ‹Sealed Warehouse›, 1957, Oil on canvas, 162×130.5cm, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Cho Yanggyu, ‹Sealed Warehouse›, 1957, Oil on canvas, 162×130.5cm, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Hi-Red Center, ‹Photographic Plans for Shelter Model(Nam Jun Paik)›, 1964, Photograph, 26.7×28.8cm, Private Collection © Genpei Akasegawa, Courtesy of SCAI THE BATHHOUSE
Hi-Red Center, ‹Photographic Plans for Shelter Model(Nam Jun Paik)›, 1964, Photograph, 26.7×28.8cm, Private Collection © Genpei Akasegawa, Courtesy of SCAI THE BATHHOUSE
LEE Ufan, ‹From Line›, 1974, Pigment on canvas, 194 × 259 cm. MMCA Collection.
LEE Ufan, ‹From Line›, 1974, Pigment on canvas, 194 × 259 cm. MMCA Collection.
TAKAMATSU Jiro, ‹Benches in Reversed Perspective›, 1967, Silkscreen, 61×80 cm. The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
TAKAMATSU Jiro, ‹Benches in Reversed Perspective›, 1967, Silkscreen, 61×80 cm. The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
KWAK Duckjun, ‹Ten Scales›, 1988, Scales, 400×300×85 cm. MMCA Collection.
KWAK Duckjun, ‹Ten Scales›, 1988, Scales, 400×300×85 cm. MMCA Collection.
NAKAMURA Masato, ‹Korea and Japan›, 1993, Baryta paper, 27.9 x 35.6 cm. Collection of the artist.
NAKAMURA Masato, ‹Korea and Japan›, 1993, Baryta paper, 27.9 x 35.6 cm. Collection of the artist.
TANAKA Koki, ‹Vulnerable Histories (A Road Movie)›, 2018, Video installation, Dimension variable. Private Collection.
TANAKA Koki, ‹Vulnerable Histories (A Road Movie)›, 2018, Video installation, Dimension variable. Private Collection.
JUNG Yeondoo, ‹Magician’s Walk›, 2014, 4k single channel video, sound, 55min. 15sec. Collection of the artist.
JUNG Yeondoo, ‹Magician’s Walk›, 2014, 4k single channel video, sound, 55min. 15sec. Collection of the artist.

The exhibition Art between Korea and Japan since 1945 has been co-organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and the Yokohama Museum of Art in Japan to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries and shed light on the trajectory of their artistic exchanges over the past eighty years. The term “road movie” in the Korean title of the exhibition refers to a cinematic genre in which a protagonist grows by means of encounters with unexpected people and events over the course of a journey. In a similar manner, Korean and Japanese artists have ventured into uncharted territory through cross-cultural engagement, broadening the channels of artistic exchange between their nations.


The exhibition explores how artists from Korea and Japan have developed relationships across the turbulent historical currents from Korea’s liberation and Japan’s defeat in 1945, through the Cold War and the division of North and South Korea, to the normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan and into the present day. It focuses on artistic exchanges as manifested not only in official exhibitions but also in personal networks, informal encounters, and solidarity movements. By doing so, it demonstrates that these exchanges were not universally rooted in smooth or symmetrical relations, but were in fact often accompanied by rupture, misunderstanding, asymmetry, and tension.


Korean and Japanese artists sited within their distinct social, political, and historical contexts have taken part in multilayered exchanges across borders, recalling the diverse experiences encountered by the protagonists in road movies. This exhibition seeks to illuminate the efforts not only of the artists participating in the exhibition, but also of all artists who have worked to bridge contemporary art in Korea and Japan. Above all, it is hoped that the exhibition will reconsider the artistic exchanges between the two countries from a new perspective and serve as a milestone toward a shared future.

  • Artist
    Quac Insik, Nam Hwayeon, Koki Tanaka, Nakamura Masato, Murakami Takashi, Park Seo-Bo, Suh Seungwon, Lee Bul, Lee Ufan, Jung Yeondoo, Cho Yanggyu and around 40 artists
  • Numbers of artworks
    around 200 works

Related Materials

Road movie_brochure.pdf Road movie_Sculpture Park_Leaflet.pdf Artwork caption for LEE Bul.pdf Vulnerable Communities_Tanaka Koki.pdf NAKAMURA Masato_Luminous Despair.pdf

Audio Guide

#1. Introduction Welcome to the exhibition. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, has co-organized the exhibition «Art between Korea and Japan since 1945» in collaboration with the Yokohama Museum of Art. The term “road movie” refers to a cinematic genre in which the protagonist embarks on a journey, encountering unexpected people and events along the way, and ultimately undergoes transformation. In many ways, the paths taken by Korean and Japanese artists resemble such journeys. From 1945 to the present, over the past eighty years, artists from both countries have ventured onto unfamiliar paths, willingly embracing uncertainty and forging multiple routes toward one another. We invite you to join us on this special journey that connects the past eighty years.
Introduction

1.Introduction

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