The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, in Gwacheon is hosting "Road movie: Art between Korea and Japan since 1945," an exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan. Featuring about 200 works by 43 artists and artist teams, the show traces 80 years of artistic exchange since Korea's liberation in 1945, including pieces by Nam June Paik, Lee Ufan, Lee Bul, Takashi Murakami, and others. Jointly organized with the Yokohama Museum of Art, the exhibition first opened in Yokohama late last year, drawing about 37,000 visitors before traveling to South Korea.
This exhibition matters because it directly challenges historical narratives of division between East and West, using art to explore cross-border communication, shared trauma, and solidarity. By highlighting Zainichi Korean artists, post-1965 diplomatic exchange, and contemporary concerns about technology and identity, the show provides a nuanced, multi-generational perspective on Korean-Japanese relations. It also underscores the role of museums as sites for fostering cultural dialogue and reconciliation in a region with a complex colonial and postcolonial history.