BUSAN — The 1st anniversary of ASEAN Culture House (ACH) will be held on September 14 in Busan, South Korea with a wide range of culture activities and art performances.

An exhibition entitled Playful ASEAN  - ASEAN Seen Through Traditional Leisure Activities will open the anniversary to showcase the nori of ASEAN.

Nori is an activity for two or more people for their amusement which is the most primitive and common act that demonstrates the human race’s basic desire to seek amusement while embodying the most natural and fundamental aspects of life.

This exhibition focuses on the cultural aspects of nori that exist ubiquitously regardless of ethnicity, nation, and region and are mostly developed and maintained in close relation with social-cultural elements, according to Bangbok Lee, director of the ACH’s Performing Arts and Exhibitions Department.

"The exhibition also highlights the cultural similarities and universality, as well as the individual characteristics of the geographic neighbours of ASEAN, by introducing the actions and tools of ASEAN nori and delving into the everyday stories behind them," said Lee.

The exhibition comes to a close with an area dedicated to hands-on experience with the foreign yet familiar customs. Viewers can experience the distinctly ASEAN culture and history that are layered little by little onto their nori.

Playful ASEAN  - ASEAN Seen Through Traditional Leisure Activities will run until December 2. 

The ACH was established last year under the Korea Foundation (KF) as a friendly cultural exchange platform between South Korea and ASEAN countries to promote enhanced cultural familiarity while allowing visitors to enjoy all that ASEAN culture has to offer.

Since opening its doors, the ACH has been constantly working to establish open communication with residents, students, multicultural families and specialists of each academic sphere.

The ACH aims to provide a platform for the bilateral exchange of culture and human resources between South Korea and ASEAN countries in light of the 50th anniversary of ASEAN’s establishment.

Over the past year, a variety of projects filled the schedule, including lectures introducing ASEAN society and culture, performances, culture workshops and exchange programmes for multicultural families from ASEAN, and much more.

These efforts have produced a better understanding of ASEAN culture with more than 20,000 people, including both Koreans and political and social figures from abroad, taking part.

"As a hub of culture and art exchange with ASEAN countries, the ACH vows to stay faithful to its role while promoting cultural exchange," said Sihyung Lee, President of the Korea Foundation. "The ACH looks forward to everyone’s continued interest in and support for its work."

Salt of the Jungle exhibition was held at the ACH from December, 2017 to February, 2018, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Việt Nam.

The majority of Vietnamese artists represented the post-renewal generation who grow up after the 1986 economic reform whereas the Korean artists were of a similar generation who also experienced new social and economic developments starting from the 1980s. 

The title of the exhibition is borrowed from the novel of the same name by Vietnamese Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, one of the influential Vietnamese authors. ACH will host a Việt Nam film show in December. — VNS