Let’s Meet Tagore in the ACC : International Exchange Exhibition on “Rabindranath Tagore”
- write
- 2016-07-12
Lookup 4243
Tagore
was introduced to Korea in 1913 just after he won the Nobel Prize for
Literature. Many of his works were translated and published in the literary
magazine Ch’ongch’un (Youth) in 1916.
His award winning Gitanjali was
translated into Korean in 1920, The
Crescent Moon (children poems) and Gardner
(love poems) in 1924, and his famous play Post
Office and many essays in 1926.
At
the same time, Tagore inspired humankind to resist the forces of colonialism
through his powerful verse and expressed his love and support for Korean
independence from colonization. Although he couldn’t travel to Korea, his deep
sympathy toward Korean people was expressed through his works. In 1929 he
composed the following quatrain about Korea which galvanized Korean nationalism
and dedicated it to Korea during the colonial period. There is hardly a Korean
who has not heard Tagore’s poem ‘The Lamp of the East’. His
expression towards Korea finds its essence in these lines.
In
the Golden Age of Asia
Korea
was one of the lamp-bearers
That
lamp waits to be lighted once again
After
the liberation of Korea, the Ministry of Education included an article on
Tagore’s poem in the textbooks for high school students to perpetuate the memory
of this great poet and supporter of Korean independence. In 1981, The Tagore
Society of Korea was founded and it seeks to promote the ideals and ideas which
Tagore stood for.
There is no doubt that Tagore believed Korea is a land of immense potential and his vision of Korea has become a reality today. An International exchange exhibition on Rabindranath Tagore was ceremonially declared open at the ACC Library Park today (15th June). By doing so, the ACC has lit Tagore’s lamp once again in Korea. This exhibition is held in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA), India. Named as “Rabindranath Tagore: The Art and Life of a Cosmopolitan,” the opening ceremony of the exhibition was held with the participation of delegates from both countries including, Ms. Veena Joshi (Joint Secretary of IGNCA), Mr. Upender Singh Rawat (Deputy Chief of Mission of Embassy of India in Seoul), Professor Kim Yangsik (Director of Indian Art Museum), Professor Kim Gyeonghak (Chonnam National University), Mr. Park Yangwoo (President of Gwangju Biennale), Mr. Song Uijeong (Director of Gwangju National Museum), Mr. Bang Seongyu (President of ACC) and many other guests and invitees.
This
exhibition starts from Shantiniketan, the spiritual hometown for Tagore and the
place where the Visva Bharati is located, tracing his journey in literature and
arts. Materials displayed in this exhibition cover his contributions in poems,
songs, dramas and painting, which reveal his thought, vision and philosophy.
This is a golden opportunity for all of us in Korea to explore the thought and
vision of this great poet and philosopher through his works and life. This
exhibition is held until the 8th of January, 2017 at the ACC Library Park. By
holding this exhibition, ACC has once again become the cradle of Asian culture.
Let’s meet Tagore in the ACC for one more time!
-
Written by: TharangaRanasinghe (9thACC Reporters Corps)