▲ Co-produced by students of Sookmyung Girls' High School, Peacocks under Wisteria, 1939 ⓒ MMCA Korea

An exhibition to examine the history of Korea's embroidery culture, 'Korean Modern and Contemporary Embroidery: Birds Trying to Catch the Sun', was held.

The exhibition will be held until Aug. 4 at the exhibition hall in Deoksugung Palace, where about 170 works will be displayed.

▲ Ten-panel Embroidered Screen with Flower and Bird›, 19th century, Amorepacific Museum of Art ⓒ MMCA Korea

Embroidery, one of mankind's long-standing cultural heritages, is an art culture that decorates fabrics with colorful colored threads using needles as tools.

In particular, the Korean embroidery culture, which has more than 2,000 years of history, has shown unique and beautiful cultures in each era amid exchanges with East Asian countries.

▲ Han Sangsoo, Embroidered Folding Screen of Pheonix with Royal Style, 1994 ⓒ MMCA Korea

However, due to the nature of the fragile material, there are very few ancient and medieval artifacts, and most of the artifacts called 'traditional embroidery' were produced from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.

In particular, embroidery as a traditional craft produced and enjoyed by women in the Joseon Dynasty has been rare since modern times.

▲ Kim Kyujin et al., Embroidered Folding Screen of Plum Blossoms and Cranes, 1870s-1930 ⓒ MMCA Korea

This exhibition is designed to discover and introduce unknown embroidery artists and works, and to examine the culture that has been developed according to the trend of the times.

Visitors will realize that various elements are intricately intertwined behind embroidery's delicate and beautifully embroidered history.

Sayart / Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com