Eui-geum-sang-gyeong : Over her embroidered robe she puts on a plain garment
Eui-geum-sang-gyeong (衣錦尙絅) is an ancient word from 2,600 years ago, meaning, "A hemp robe on top of silk clothes." It appears once in Chapter 33 of Zhongyong (The Doctrine of the Mean) and twice in Shijing (The Classic of Poetry), meaning ‘majestic’ and ‘a man of great virtue.’ This poem was written by the people of the Wey (state) in praise of the virtue of Zhuangjiang (莊姜, ?-B.C. 690), a noblewoman of the Zhe who married the king of the Wey during the Warring States Period.
A tall, slim, slender, pale and beautiful noblewoman wore a hemp robe on top of silk clothes at a national wedding event to avoid disturbing the eyes of the people while showing her courtesy. It is the basic aesthetic of East Asia to hide the glamorous and yet gently reveal the inner light. This spirit of beauty has been passed down to us for a prolonged time.
This exhibition aims to appreciate the art worlds of 15 contemporary Korean artists who are reluctant to use various splendid colors and forms but have revealed their elegant inner light. Baozhao (鮑照, 385-433), a poet, once said, "It is like the first budding of a cotton rose. We have no choice but to love naturally (初發芙蓉, 自然可愛)," and this is what exactly our aesthetic is.