The face talked, the story came out - Gwangju, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Portraits of Japanese Military Comfort Women Victims
The face talked, the story came out
Gwangju, Gyeonggi, South Korea
The grandmothers of the Japanese comfort women history have nothing to say. Tell the past years with your face. The grandmothers in the paintings are deeply stacked with sad stories in fan folds. There are about 1000 faces on the face of the museum. Some faces seem to want something, while others seem to realize the uselessness of emotions over time. Seeds of time and woven faces of stories. He visits Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do to listen to the myriad faces.
The tears on her face have wrinkles
The fluffy white girls of the 1930s became gray-haired grandmothers in 2019. It has been 80 years since the victims of the Japanese comfort women. Of the 238 grandmothers who were registered with the government, only 22 survived. Their average age is in their 90s. There may not be much time left. We need a place where we can better remember our grandmothers. So good news. The Japanese military comfort women's museum in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do was newly expanded.
“We must leave in history the work we did not overcome.” It was first opened in 1998 on the back of Grandmother Kim Hak-soon, the first to testify to the damage of the Japanese military 'comfort women'. Since then, in late 2017, a relic exhibition hall and memorial archives have been established. It is a memorial to the back of the sharing house, passing through the entrance where the girl's flower, which is a symbol of victims of the Japanese military 'comfort women', and the bust of grandmothers. It is a two storey building with tiled walls. The memorial building on the first floor is divided into three parts. There are grandmothers portraits in the exhibition hall, the relics of the grandmothers in the relics exhibition hall, and about 20 paintings painted by grandmothers in the paintings exhibition hall.
Grandmother bust of `` comfort women '' at the entrance of Japanese comfort women history museum
There are 10 paintings side by side that are more than 1 meter wide. It is a picture of grandmothers by performing artist Poppin Hyun-joon. He said. "I painted it again with the hope that my grandmother's face would not be forgotten." Every grandmother has a different look and mood. Grandmother Park Ok-ryon of the white hair shut firmly on the date of her mouth, and Bae Choon-hee raised her mouth as if smiling. Kim Gunja grandma soon said, "Did you eat?" It's playful eyes like I'm talking. Instead of opening up their mouths to explain themselves, grandmothers spend much of their lives with expressions of lines and colors. The girl's tears dried up and became her grandmother's wrinkles. The grandmothers in the painting closed their eyes without receiving official Japanese apology.
Portraits by Grandmother Poppin Hyun Joon
Older girls talked and painted
"I don't know why things are so vivid, even if I can't remember what's near."
Kim Soon-deok says. In the exhibition hall, there are seventeen grandmothers' life histories, photographs, and items they used during their lifetime. 'Live a life together' is the title of the exhibition. It was a life where there was something more lonely than something pleasant, something more than something to remember.
Exhibition of exhibits
"All of my friends are dead and I'm just living back."
11 years old, the youngest of the "comfort women" registered with the government. Grandma Kim returned home alone from Hokkaido, Japan. Kim Ok-joo was deceived by a Japanese landlord saying she had a job. The arrival was a comfort station in Hainan Island, China. Each story is long and long to abbreviate in just a few lines.
Relics Exhibition Hall
The things you used in your life are so simple. Magnifying glass, Hwatu, Hangul textbooks, passports that would hold 'Dandy' in hand . I was crying and angry, and I was slowing down as I calmed my heart.
Grandma's Rustic Keepsakes
There is still music in the picture exhibition. Seochon Alley, it seems that you entered a small gallery. Grandmothers have been painting since 1993. At first, I was drawing along things around me, but as time passed, I began to express the past.
A picture exhibition featuring over 20 paintings painted by grandmothers
Maybe fifteen? A girl in a white jacket is drawn to someone's arm. The wild flowers that bloomed in her homeland were so beautiful that she could not hear the girl's cry. Kim Soon-deok's <Attracting> vividly depicts the moment she was taken to the comfort woman.
Grandmother Kim Soon-duk's Work
Most of the girls in the paintings cover their faces with their hands, their eyes closed, or they have no expression.
Grandmother Kang Deok-gyeong's work
Yes. The only thing a girl could do in front of the Japanese soldiers waiting in line and waiting for one person to lie down.
Kang, Deok-Kyung's work <Penant Officer>
In the memorial hall, you can see the hand-printing of the victims, photos of 105 victims of domestic and foreign “comfort women” and a list of 280. It is the face of courageous accusers of Japanese war crimes. If you want to know more about the history of the Japanese military 'comfort women', you should also look around the existing history. The background of the establishment of the comfort women system, a record of activities on finding out facts, and a map showing the location of the Japanese military comfort station are arranged in detail. In the third exhibition space, there is a comfort station model with reference to victim testimony. The side room is 5 ~ 7㎡. I was upset at the moment, but I put up with it. Don't lose your composure and vow to see the historical truth.
Don't turn around. Don't forget to not forget even in the midst of your busy life. Face the pain of your current grandmother. The grandmothers in the painting are handing over.
Photos and lists of domestic and foreign victims of comfort women
Huge archive of faces
With a deep tingling feeling, he heads to the museum face to meet more diverse faces. Should it be like a junk or a loft that gathered all kinds of miscellaneous secrets? This is the first impression of the museum's face in Namjong-myeon, Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do. This museum is the first time. The exhibits are not organized by age or have friendly explanations. Faces sway across the times and regions. There is a picture of actor Audrey Hepburn next to the shamanism and James Dean next to the Buddha. The museum's face exhibits more than 1,000 facial sculptures, from photographs, paintings and portraits to masks, puppet and stone statues. It's a huge archive of faces. It has been collected by senior theater director Kim Jong-ok for over 50 years.
Inside view of museum face
The center of the first floor is empty. It's like a theater stage. It is the architectural intention of the director who thinks that the works of the museum are actors on the stage and wants to make a festival ground with the old people. There are colorful masks on the left wall and pictures of theatricians on the right wall. Traditional masks have a slightly different look just by the eye. Eyes that are raised uphill are biting impressions, and eyes that are gentle like downhill are sullen. Stone Buddha has nothing but a peaceful face. Actor James Dean is keen on something.
Various face sculptures including masks, sculptures
Unlike the first floor, which is a mix of East and West works, the second floor is rich in oriental colors. The exhibition focuses on bonuses and marionettes, especially the various marionettes.
Kiln to carry dead body to grave at traditional funeral, bonus
The puppet was decorated with bonuses at traditional funerals. A friend of the road that sees the souls of the dead. There is no saddening puppet. He is dressed in colorful clothes and smiles. 'Let me forget all the hardships of my life and have a good memory.' I pray for the paradise birth of the deceased.
Cheerful expression of puppet to accompany dead man's journey
“Don't frown, everything will be washed away”
The highlight of the museum's face is the stone gardeners in the outdoor garden. A stone man is a stone in the form of a man who was built at the entrance of a tomb or village. Jangseung acted as the patron saint of the village, and the gates and copper seats in front of the tombs honor the dead.
Stonemason in the outdoor garden
There is no one person like Seok-in brought from each province such as Jinju-si, Gyeongnam-do, Jindo-gun, Jeonnam, and Jeju-do. Some have a serene look, while others have round eyes. It usually wears off over time and winds down, making it hard to see. What did the mason look like when he pricked stones and breathed freshly? Imagine a face hundreds of years ago. An open mouthed stoner speaks. “Don't frown like that. Don't be so happy. Then everything is washed away. ” It is comfort that only those who endure for hundreds of years can do. Those who have passed through these long and long years teach without change.
Tianjin Innocent Face
When you enter the face of the museum, you may be confused about what to look for. The viewing method is simple. Keep an eye out for the disordered objects, and then look at them when you see a catchy face. Soon silence will be broken. A museum with thousands of faces is full of quiet turmoil.
There are many faces in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do. Look carefully. To hear beyond what he does not say. So we dare to understand others. If 'expansion of awareness' is called travel, Gwangju is a good destination.
※ The above information was updated in March 2019 and may change afterwards, so please check before you travel.
※ The information such as text, photos and videos used in this article is copyrighted by Korea Tourism Organization, so unauthorized use of the article is prohibited.