한양대학교 박물관

Hanyang University Museum (Director Shinwon Ahn) is presenting the 85th-anniversary special exhibition ≪CEMENT: MOMENT≫ in the Special Exhibition Galleries on the 2nd and 3rd floors from Tuesday, May 28 to Saturday, October 12, 2024. This is the first exhibition in Korea devoted exclusively to cement, showcasing the “moments” created by cement on the Korean Peninsula through architectural and industrial history, scientific research, and art. 

◆ Part 1, “Faces of Cement,” introduces the diverse character of cement through works made of this material, including a rubbing of a cement gravestone for a Korean immigrant in Hawaii, Concrete Gwanghwamun by photographer Koo Bohnchang, and Simsan (Deep Mountain) by artist Jeon Ah-hyun.

◆ Part 2, “Cement Centennial,” presents materials related to the Onoda Cement Factory at Seungho-ri in South Pyongan Province, the first cement factory on the Korean Peninsula. Cement bags and brick molds used during the ‘Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement)’ are also on view, shedding light on the role of cement in the history of Korean industry.

In the “Cement and Cultural Heritage” section, the exhibition presents, for the first time in Seoul, cement components used in the 1915 repair of the Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan and in the 1957 repair of the Stupa of State Preceptor Jigwang from Beopcheonsa Temple Site. It also reveals, for the first time, restoration drawings produced in the 1960s for the Mireuk Buddha of Beopjusa Temple (Mireuk Daebul)—a cement Buddha statue created in 1939 by Kim Bok-jin, widely regarded as Korea’s first modern sculptor.

◆ On the second floor, the “Cement Aesthetics” series extends the exhibition into the realm of contemporary art. The first installment, ≪cæméntum: 생동하는 물질≫ (cæméntum: Living Matter) (2024.05.16–06.18), features six young artists—including Jeon Ah-hyun, Jeon Chi-ho, Choi Hye-ji, the collective LAB.CRETE, and others—who experiment in diverse ways with the materiality of cement. Exhibitions by Kwon Min-ho (July) and Kim Sang-gyun (August) will follow, further expanding the aesthetic possibilities of cement as an artistic medium.

◆ In connection with the exhibition, the museum has organized two competitions on the theme of cement: a moving-image competition and an object–pavilion competition. The five award-winning films from the video competition are screened on the media board at Seongsu Atelier, operated by the Seongdong Foundation for Arts & Culture (CEO Yoon Kwang-sik). The prize-winning pavilion projects, created by Hanyang University students, are being fabricated with production support from Studio MICON, a leader in ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), and installed in the museum’s outdoor spaces. In addition, the “Cement Connect Tour”, jointly organized with the Seongdong Foundation for Arts & Culture, visits cement-related local cultural-heritage sites in Seongdong-gu, including the former Sampyo Remicon (ready-mixed concrete) plant site in Seongsu-dong.

◆ Thanks to the efforts of the late Dr. Nam Gi-dong, Hanyang University established the Department of Ceramic Engineering in 1960—the first such department at a private university in Korea—and has since pursued research and education on cement as a new material. Today, the Multi-scale Architectural Materials Laboratory, led by Professor Bae Seong-cheol in the Department of Architectural Engineering, is at the forefront of research on low-carbon cements and related topics. In the field of architectural history, a recent doctoral dissertation by Hong Kyung-hwa (Department of Architecture, advisor: Professor Han Dong-soo) examines the production of cement and the development of cement-based building materials during the Japanese colonial period, underscoring Hanyang University’s long-standing contribution to cement research.

◆ This project has been selected and supported as a 「Museum·Art Museum Week Flagship Program」 and as part of the 「University Museum Promotion Support Project」, both sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in cooperation with the National Museum Foundation of Korea and the Korean University Museum Association. Additional sponsorship is provided by the Korea Cement Association (Chairman Lee Hyun-joon) and Studio MICON, a leading company in UHPC.

Museum Director Shinwon Ahn notes that this exhibition aims to re-examine cement—the primary material that has shaped cities and architecture over the past 150 years—and to offer an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between humans and cement. The exhibition runs through October 12, 2024, and further details are available from the museum’s Curatorial Office (Tel. 02-2220-1392).