The National Museum Foundation of Korea, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has unveiled new cultural products (MU:DS) tied to the National Museum of Korea's special exhibition "Our Table."
According to the foundation Tuesday, the MU:DS products were designed around tableware inspired by the exhibition's representative artifacts, including the hojokban (tiger-leg table) and table settings depicted in genre paintings. The foundation said the lineup consists of items suited for everyday use, such as rice bowls, soup bowls, plates, table mats and lunchbox sets.
A distinctive feature is that the products incorporate social value and sustainability through collaboration with developmental disability artists and others. A representative example is a tray series featuring four visual artists with developmental disabilities affiliated with Heart to Heart Art & Culture.
Among them, artist Lee Ju-min added vitality by reinterpreting the figures in Kim Hong-do's genre painting "Tavern" with her distinctive dynamic brushwork, while artist Park Se-jong expressed the scene of Seong Hyeop's "Grilling Meat" with simple lines and calm colors, capturing the warm sentiment of sharing food together. Artist Jeong Hye-in embroidered the hojokban with numerous flowers to create a lyrical and dreamy atmosphere. Artist Choi Hee-min presented a sensuous design by reconstructing traditional artifacts with modern patterns and bold colors.
Collaborations with tableware brand companies also draw attention. With the ceramics brand "Korea Ceramics," the foundation produced plate and rice bowl-soup bowl sets, while with the cutlery specialty brand "Costic," it released table mats inspired by the 12-sided hojokban, Korean and Western tableware sets, and a tea-and-snack tableware set that modernizes a bronze spoon excavated from the Royal Tomb of King Muryeong. With the living design brand "Sseuim," it launched practical lunchbox and cooler bag sets tailored to modern outing culture.
The Korean Food Promotion Institute incorporated eco-friendly materials into the MU:DS by offering traditional liquor cups made from recycled glass.
Jung Yong-seok, president of the National Museum Foundation, said, "These products were designed so that the meaning of Korea's food culture conveyed by the special exhibition 'Our Table' can be naturally carried on in everyday life even after viewing the exhibition."
The National Museum of Korea's special exhibition "Our Table" runs through October 25. The tie-in MU:DS products can be purchased at the special exhibition hall's product store and the online museum shop.
