The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea has won one of the world’s largest and most distinguished design competitions with its recent Korean monochrome painting exhibition, becoming the country’s first national art museum to receive the award.

NMOCA’s “Dansaekhwa: Korean Monochrome Painting” was chosen for the Red Dot design award in the category of communication design among a total of 6,823 design works from 43 countries that were considered, according to NMOCA officials.

“The award means a lot for us because our exhibition design has been recognized on the global stage. It also proves our exhibition design focusing on the narrative of the works has been appreciated amid the trend in which exhibition designs are becoming glamorous focusing on techniques,” said the NMOCA design team. 

The Red Dot design award, organized by Design Center Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany, one of the oldest and most highly reputed design institutions in Europe, was established in 1955. Today, it is one of the largest design competitions, receiving more than 14,000 entries from some 70 countries in 2011.

The exhibition, which ran from March to May this year, highlighted Korean monochrome paintings, featuring about 150 paintings by 31 artists.

According to the design team, the exhibition allowed viewers to find a common theme on their own by navigating through the exhibition hall. The walls also served as a medium for communication between paintings and viewers, featuring Korea’s traditional architectural structure.

The archive faade which resembled a big white canvas enabled viewers to feel the simple and minimalistic atmosphere of the monochrome paintings, they said.

The award ceremony is expected to be held in October in Berlin.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)