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ASEAN Animals: Depictions of Animals in ASEAN Arts & Culture

The adjectives that usually come to mind when we think about animals—familiar, adorable, hardworking—may reflect only a small part of what animals are actually like. From April 30 through August 1, the ACH will be hosting a special exhibition, titled ASEAN Animals: Depictions of Animals in ASEAN Arts & Culture.
The exhibition will explore the symbolic meaning of animals in the respective cultures of the ten ASEAN member states. On display will be handicrafts and other artistic creations that feature animal designs or motifs to provide viewers and visitors an opportunity to learn about ASEAN. The exhibition will show a total of approximately 100 works of art (photographs, paintings, sculptures, media art, etc.), which will be divided into three themes: Animals and Everyday Life in ASEAN, Animals as Subjects of Awe and Worship, Mythical Animals.
The first section will put a spotlight on animals that are closely related to ASEAN people’s daily lives. It will consist of photos, paintings, wooden sculptures, and other artworks featuring animals and related cultural practices, e.g. the long tradition of cockfights and buffalo racing which remain popular in several ASEAN countries. The second section will feature diverse animal-themed handicrafts related to ASEAN’s religious traditions, with a focus on Hinduism and Buddhism. The third and final section will thus feature not only real animals but also a number of mythical animals from ancient mythologies of the ASEAN countries, with a focus on animals of Himavantha (a forest mentioned in Buddhist mythology), to provide viewers and visitors with an even broader range of things to discover. The exhibition will showcase the immense creativity of ASEAN artisans through their renditions of animals of vastly different appearances, such as deer, lions, horses or rhinoceroses. Exhibits will include the works of artists from diverse fields, including photographer Cho Hyun-min, illustrator Shin Yeon-woo and contemporary artist Seo Dong-joo, Cho Han-jin and Arisong Group, in a rare opportunity for the Korean public to experience the fascinating world of animals that have lived in harmony with the peoples of ASEAN for centuries.