2008.11.28
The disabled are more talented than ordinary people in many ways. For some, they simply need a little help in finding and developing their talent.
Volunteers and art teachers of the Korean Art Association for the Blind help visually impaired students explore their artistic side -- and enjoy some art.
To ensure artists have somewhere to display their work, the association opened the art gallery Another Way of Seeing, exclusively for the visually impaired, on Nov. 20.
"Disability can lead to another kind of creativity," said Oum Jeong-soon, director of Korean Art Association for the Blind, in an interview with The Korea Herald.
"Another Way of Seeing" is a project the association has organized since its establishment in 1997. They hold art classes at schools for the visually impaired and do collaborative projects with overseas artistic organizations for the disabled.
Celebrating their 10-year anniversary, the association is holding an exhibition titled "Korean-Japanese Visually Impaired Students, a Meeting through Art" at the gallery Another Way of Seeing in Hwa-dong. Tom Gallery, an exclusive gallery for the blind in Tokyo, will partner with Korean Art Association for the Blind on the project.
The exhibition displays sculptures, paintings, and photos, which students of the two countries created. Participants expressed memory and hope in their sculptures.
 |
| "CM Punk the Wrestler," Jeong Mi-young, White Clay [Korean Art Association for the Blind] |
Han Seong-hyeon, a 13-year-old boy, made a clay castle with identical-looking people walking around it. When Han was busy with his work, his teacher asked him why everyone he makes looks the same. "It's because Legos were my favorite toys growing up," he said. "I liked playing with Lego people the most. My sight began to disappear but I can still remember what the Lego people felt like. I think memories are stronger than sight."
Fourteen-year-old Jeong Mi-young made a clay figure of her favorite pro-wrestler and jotted down a wish. "Whenever my friend Chan-byeol makes fun of me, I wish that CM Punk could come to see me at school," she wrote.
"When doing art, the children seem to respect themselves and regard themselves as creative and special beings," explained Oum. "We give them only the highest quality materials. Like how the memory of something delicious you've tasted goes on forever, we wanted to give them a precious memory to last their lives."
The association hopes that eventually the visually impaired students will enter art schools and universities. To that end, they run workshops and seminars.
Oum points out there are many famous blind artists around the world. "Some of our students also have exquisite talents, enough to become professional artists," she said confidently.
To consistently display students' potential, the association opened the gallery Another Way of Seeing, exclusively for the visually impaired, on Nov. 20.
"We hope this exhibition space will be a springboard for young artists and we trust that our art world will be enriched with their presence," Oum said.
The exhibition runs through Dec. 20 at Another Way of Seeing in central Seoul. Admission is free. For more information, call
By Park Min-young
(claire@heraldm.com)
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기