On Korean Aesthetics
The notion of ‘Koreanness’ in modern Korean culture has never been more appreciated than it is now. What was once dismissed as a thing of the past has been brought back to life — minus the systems that made the country poor, beliefs that separated men and women, and customs that hindered progress towards modernity — through creative endeavours, individual and collective. But the question of how exactly to define Korean aesthetics and recontextualise the Korean tradition in contemporary life has challenged the arbiters of Korean culture and arts, who, like ordinary citizens, are accustomed to Westernised lifestyles.
One of the most referenced tropes in Korean culture and arts today is the reinterpretation of the Korean tradition with modern sensibilities; cafes.
