Woohyun Shim studied Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, completed a graduate program in Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania, and earned a PhD from the Department of Western Painting at Ewha Womans University. She currently lives and works in Seoul.
Woohyun Shim, Director of the Seonkwang Cultural Foundation Art Museum ©
Byun Sung-won
Seonkwang Co.,
Ltd., a logistics company rooted in Incheon, established the Seonkwang Cultural
Foundation in 2002. This was a reflection of the late Chairman Shim Myung-gu’s
belief that the company should give back to the local community through
cultural and artistic services as well as scholarship programs, returning what
it had received.
After his passing,
his granddaughter stepped forward to take charge of the Seonkwang Cultural
Foundation Art Museum, which embodies his long-held convictions. Woohyun Shim,
a painter recognized both in Korea and internationally, was appointed as
director of the Seonkwang Art Museum at the end of last year.
Recently, she
successfully organized the centennial commemorative exhibition honoring her
grandfather, the late Chairman Shim Myung-gu, titled ‘Beyond Time,
Toward You’. We met with her to reflect on Chairman Shim and to discuss the
future direction of the museum’s operations.
▲ Balancing the Roles of Museum Director and
Artist
Director Shim has
held five solo exhibitions in the United States and Korea and has participated
in numerous curated exhibitions, maintaining an active artistic practice. In
2013, she was selected as an artist for Chongkundang Yesuljisang.
“Overseas, it’s
quite common for artists to operate galleries on a non-profit basis. I consider
my primary profession to be that of an artist, and my goal is to maintain a
good balance between my responsibilities as a director and my work as an artist
so that I can continue my practice.”
Due to the museum’s
tight exhibition schedule, she was only able to curate her first exhibition as
director this past September. That exhibition marked the 100th anniversary of
the birth of her grandfather, the late Chairman Shim Myung-gu, founder of Seonkwang
Co., Ltd.
“I felt a deep
sense of longing and gratitude toward my grandfather, but at first I worried it
might be dismissed as a simple act of self-praise. However, I came to believe
that he was someone truly worthy of commemoration and respect, and that if
approached from a cultural perspective, it could be meaningful—so I gathered
the courage to move forward.”
▲ Promoting the Vitalization of Art in the
Incheon Region
Drawing on her own
experience, Director Shim aims to plan exhibitions and operate the museum in
ways that offer practical support to artists.
“Rather than group
exhibitions, I’m envisioning a program centered on solo exhibitions that allow
deeper focus on individual artists. I plan to provide opportunities evenly to
both emerging and mid-career artists, and to offer many chances to artists from
the Incheon region as well.”
She also hopes to
contribute to the development of Incheon’s cultural scene by continuing to
provide diverse forms of support to artists in order to ensure the realization
of high-quality exhibitions.
“I’m also
considering the need to run exhibitions for longer periods—around two months—so
that visitors from Seoul and other regions can attend. I plan to collaborate
with other art institutions as well, in order to promote the broader activation
of regional art.”
