The Art Newspaper | LISA MOVIUS
China has lifted an 11-month ban on South Korean art that followed the deployment of a US anti-missile system at a site in Seongju, south of Seoul. A diplomatic rift followed the installation last year of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system in response to North Korea’s growing nuclear threats. The move triggered angry retaliation from China, which saw the system as a danger to its own security. Visual art from South Korea was unofficially embargoed, along with other cultural and economic imports, including the hugely popular K-pop music and Korean dramas. The dispute was resolved on 31 October after high-level talks between the two countries.
“It is not surprising that exchanges in art are affected by political issues. Diplomacy and politics are always stronger than art and culture. What was surprising was that, this time, the ban and embargo were so strong and visible,” says Eun Yong Kwon, a visual arts planner at the Korean Arts Management Service in Seoul…read more
Images | South Korea’s deployment last year of a US anti-missile system angered China US Army