Bunkers and Museums: Demilitarizing Art in South Korea

In celebration of Anthropology Day, new Wake Forest Assistant Professor of Anthropology Dr. Timothy Gitzen will speak about his research in South Korea. Located mere feet from the busy Yeouido Bus Transfer Center, the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) Bunker is a former military bunker from 1970s authoritarian South Korea that now showcases changing art exhibits. Debuting in November 2019, Paju (by artist Kim Seung Rea) features a series of paintings and statues capturing life in the town of Paju in the Geyeonggi Province near the border of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea. In this presentation, Dr. Gitzen will explore the exhibit, bunker, and implications of this demilitarizing exhibit inside this militarized infrastructure. Admission is free.