An exhibition of work by five Korean women, who were brought up according to the values of their strict society, deals with inner conflicts that derive from Confucian mores and thought through various mediums such as painting, video, installation, and performance.

Since the 10th Century, Confucianism has profoundly influenced culture in Korea. Korean patriarchy is founded on Confucianism. Under these circumstances, women’s status has been very restricted.

In the current climate of globalisation, culture in Korea becomes interwoven with western culture. But contrasted with this industrialisation and western-isation of Korea, the standards of morality and virtue of woman are still decided from the male point of view. As an artist, being aware of this fact is not only a rebellion against Confucian culture but also the discovery of one’s identity as a woman.

lm and Kim are dealing with sexuality under the pressure of Confucian morality. Lee’s work is based on morphology, and in her work, she digitally mixes people’s faces of different race and gender. In doing so, she is constantly inquisitive about who we are and from where we come.

You conveys her suppressed inner emotions culturally and socially through her paintings. As the oldest child in her family, Yun’s conflict with the responsibility of filial duty shows her difficulty in accepting her prescribed reality. Through her animation, she often uses well-known folk stories and presents them in a distorted form.

According to Korean traditional custom, hiding one’s inner emotion is the virtue of beauty. But it is a beautiful thing to be honest about who we are and what we can gain through works of art. Struggling with the pressure of Confucian thought is one step in the quest to define and improve women’s position within Korean society.