The ASEAN-Korea Center wrapped up a 10-day photo exhibition featuring diverse cultures of Southeast Asia in Seoul on Sunday. The ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition Exhibition will move to Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, next week and to Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in February.

“The 11 talented artists have opened new horizons in our cultural cooperation, adding valuable input to our political and economic exchanges,” ASEAN-Korea Center secretary-general Chung Hae-moon said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony at Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Jan. 8.

“Both sides have a lot to learn from each other. Korea, making a transition into a multicultural society, can learn from ASEAN’s value of ‘harmony in diversity.’”

The exhibit featured 22 award-winning photographs from a competition held last year. By highlighting fashion, food, craftwork, architecture, religion and customs under the theme “Lifestyle of ASEAN,” it gave the Korean public a unique peek at the rapidly developing region.

“This exhibition attempts to spotlight ASEAN’s new cultural values by dealing with daily subject matters. Art and culture can open people’s hearts better than politics and business. Our curiosity and interest can move beyond national borders,” said Kim Mi-jin, a professor of curatorial studies and art management at Hongik University, who helped select the works.

The winning works successfully captured moments of societies modernizing without breaking with traditions, “giving a glimpse into Korea’s yesteryears of development through innocent smiles, eclectic mixes of buildings, rice paddies, mass calisthenics and so on,” Kim said.

The artworks were recognized for their unique identities, Kim stressed, not as “peripheral works” according to Western art standards. At the same time, she noted, Asian artists should avoid the “cliche” of presenting “Asianness” without taking into account art history and theory.

The exhibition will continue at the Hanam Art Center from Jan. 27-Feb. 15, and at Gyeongju Arts Center from Feb. 26-March 29.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)