Upon entering the museum, the "Baekmae" (white plum blossom) dress emerges from deep darkness under soft lighting, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. Its elegant form, resembling delicate frost flowers, overwhelms viewers. Made with transparent beads, the piece sparkles subtly with light, its shadow rippling below.
"I was inspired by the plum tree in my garden, especially the white plum blossoms that bloom every spring. I wanted to capture the vitality of plum blossoms and the passage of time in my work," the artist says.
In another space, wire dresses and hanbok of various shapes and colors are displayed, alongside upcycling works and archival materials.
The donation special exhibition "Dancing, Dreaming, Enlightening," showcasing 40 years of work by Keum Ki-sook (74), a pioneer of Korean "fashion art" best known for designing the "Snow Fairy" costumes worn by placard bearers at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony, is being held at Seoul Museum of Craft Art in Jongno. Since opening on December 23 last year through February 8, the exhibition has attracted 366,046 visitors—the highest attendance in the museum's history.
Since the early 1990s, the artist has reinterpreted the concept of "art costume" within a Korean context, building a distinctive body of work using unconventional materials including wire, beads, nobang silk, and discarded waste such as sequins, straws, sponges, and foil. She is credited with expanding the horizons of fashion art by treating garments as both "wearable art" and spatial sculptural art. She served as president of the Korea Fashion Culture Association and founding president of the International Fashion Art Association (IFAA), remaining active today. With the intention of transforming personal achievement into public asset, she donated 56 works spanning her lifetime to the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, which organized this special exhibition in commemoration.
Her works are primarily displayed suspended in air, as they are three-dimensional rather than flat. Hanging from ceiling wires, the pieces create different atmospheres depending on viewing angle and lighting. Visitors should also look at the floor—the shadows themselves become works of art.
Another category revealing her artistic world is hanbok. The artist has created various forms of hanbok while focusing on capturing its beauty in her work. For pieces that might appear monotonous due to their flatter nature compared to dresses, she emphasized lines and colors by creating rhythm through varying bead density.
In response to enthusiastic public reception, the museum extended the exhibition from the original closing date of March 15 to March 22. Admission is free without reservation, and the exhibition is open until 9 PM every Friday. The "Baekmae Dress" has become particularly popular as the exhibition's signature space and major photo spot.
The exhibition hall is packed daily with young visitors, averaging approximately 10,000 per day, with peak attendance reaching 20,368 on January 31. This is considered the highest-grossing exhibition ever for a Seoul Metropolitan Government museum. Reviews describe it as "a must-see exhibition this winter," "an exhibition where you can experience both the artistic value of craft and contemporary sensibility," and "a highly refined realization of harmony between tradition and modernity."
Kim Su-jung, Director of Seoul Museum of Craft Art, said, "Despite featuring fashion art, a subject that may be unfamiliar in the craft field, this Keum Ki-sook special exhibition has achieved meaningful success by resonating with a broad public. We hope the extension will allow more citizens and visitors from home and abroad to experience this exhibition."