Korean Air expands cultural sponsorship programs

Korean Air, one of the world’s top airlines, has been at the forefront of supporting the arts, partnering with three of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions: the Louvre, the State Hermitage Museum and the British Museum.

The airline was instrumental in the creation of Korean-language commentary for the Louvre’s multimedia guide, which went into use in February 2008. In June 2009, the carrier helped sponsor the development of Korean commentary for the Hermitage, making Korean the first Asian language available for their multimedia guide.

In December 2010, Korean Air expanded its global cultural sponsorship program with the British Museum to launch a new set of handheld multilingual guides, with a touch screen device featuring audiovisual commentary in Korean and other languages.

Handheld multilingual guides at the Louvre (left), the State Hermitage Museum (center) and the British Museum (right) (Courtesy of Korean Air)

The British Museum’s new multimedia guide is available in eleven languages, including Korean, Arabic, Mandarin, and British Sign Language. The airline hopes this will allow an even wider range of visitors to appreciate the museum’s unparalleled collection. With an average of six million international visitors every year, the British Museum now has one of the most comprehensive multimedia guides of any museum worldwide.

Korean Air has been supportive of the arts at home, as well. Its affiliated non-profit organization, the Ilwoo Foundation, supports emerging and established Korean artists through Ilwoo Space and the annual Ilwoo Photography Award.

Ilwoo Space (Address: 41-3 Seosomun-Dong, Jung-Gu, Seoul)

Ilwoo Space is a non-profit art museum specializing in photography and contemporary art in two large exhibition spaces on the ground floor of the Korean Air Seosomun Building. Founded in 2010, it aims at becoming an open cultural space where people can take a rest, away from the bustle of the city.

(left) Ilwoo Space's inaugural exhibition by Bae Bien-u (right) Cheong Kwang-Ho’s solo exhibition “Non-sculptural Sculpture” (Courtesy of Korean Air)

Ilwoo Space’s inaugural exhibit was by Korean photographer Bae Bien-U, known for his Pine Tree series, and has since featured artists like Cheong Kwang-Ho, Back Seung-woo and Kim In-sook. In search of the raw spirit of amateur photography, it also plans to feature award-winning photographs from the Korean Air Travel Photo Contest ).

Currently on display is a solo exhibition by Lee Hun-chung (b.1967). Running through March 2, this is the first large-scale installation exhibit held at Ilwoo Space. Lee’s work encompasses everything from ceramic sculpture, furniture and painting to site-specific installation and architectural interpretation, compiling different elements and a wide range of subject matters.

Lee Hun-chung’s solo exhibition “The Model of Architecture” at Ilwoo Space (Courtesy of Korean Air)

Lee produced one of the world’s largest ceramic murals for Seoul’s newly restored stream, Cheonggyecheon. Since 2009, Lee has participated in the Design Miami in Basel, where his furniture made from a refined combination of ceramic and cement made a distinct impression.

Admission is free. Other cultural places of interest located adjacent to Ilwoo Space include Deoksugung Palace, Hoam Art Hall and the Seoul Museum of Art. For more information, please visit the official website at: www.ilwoo.org (Korean only).

By Hwang Dana
Korea.net Staff Writer