The Colors in Korean Life and Culture

Blue sky, red sunset, green forest. Everything we see has its own color just like nature changing to different colors through the turn of the seasons. We encounter various colors in everyday life, associate each color with certain images and base decisions about many different subjects in relation with colors. Colors have been used in different ways all over the world, but there exist differences in what they allude to or signify, due to different philosophies and customs from one country or period to another.

The Colors in Korean Life and Culture explores the values and color associations present in the lives and perceptions of contemporary Korean people. Focusing on the colors applied to items traditionally used in daily life, and in modern craft works, the exhibition consists of three sections, “Monochrome,” “Color Scheme” and “Polychrome.” The “Monochrome” section presents the symbolism and the definition of the five most predominant colors in Korean culture: blue, red, yellow, white and black. In addition, the sections of “Color Scheme” and “Polychrome” display the harmony of colors residing in our lives through color combinations such as blue and red, black and white and the saekdong(Multi-colored).

Through exploring the changes in the colors applied in everyday life from the past to the modern era, the audience is invited to enjoy the Korean colors in this exhibition, examining their meanings and values, which surround us in our lives.