Poster image of 《A Narrative for and About Nature》 © Daecheong Ho Museum of Art

《A Narrative for and About Nature》 at Daecheong Ho Museum of Art presents works from the collections of the Cheongju Museum of Art and the Art Bank of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, centered on the theme of nature.

The exhibition was conceived to raise awareness of the value of nature and the urgent need to protect it at a time when climate crisis, industrialization, and indiscriminate development continue to damage the natural environment.

Through works that address the intrinsic value of nature and the relationships between humans and animals that coexist within it, the exhibition seeks to pose ecological questions about sustainability by examining both humanity’s attitudes toward nature and the narratives artists construct around it.

《A Narrative for and About Nature》 is organized into three sections. The first section, “It Has Always Been There,” focuses on the current condition of the Arctic Ocean. Through moving-image works that reflect on the value of nature’s existence, the section invites viewers to reconsider the meanings of humanity and nature, existence and time, life and death.

The second section, “On Its Own, Naturally,” presents landscapes that capture the materiality, dynamism, cyclicality, and temporality found in nature. By encouraging slow observation, the works reveal forms of internal energy that often escape immediate perception. Contemplating nature in its most autonomous state—existing without external intervention—this section asks what we, as individuals, can do to protect the natural world.

The third section, “Humans and Animals: Their Relationship,” examines the longstanding relationship between humans and animals within nature. Through representations of animals that have lost their original form as a result of human desire, as well as the distorted and unstable aspects of humanity embedded within those images, the section reflects on the possibility of coexistence between humans and the natural world.

By presenting multiple perspectives on nature, the exhibition invites viewers to consider what nature means to us today. It also serves as a reminder that environmental pollution, the destruction of biodiversity, and other forms of ecological neglect ultimately return to affect humanity itself.

Coexistence with nature is no longer a matter of choice but a necessity. Through this exhibition, visitors are encouraged to reflect on the direction in which we and nature might move forward together in the future.

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