Ihwa Mural Village
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Ihwa Mural Village (Korean: 이화 벽화마을) is an area of Ihwa-dong, Seoul near Naksan Park that was revitalized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's public art "Ihwa-dong Naksan Project" in 2006, with paintings and installation art of about 70 artists.[1] It is a popular destination for both locals and international tourists for its murals and scenic setting.[2][3][4]
Ihwa Mural Village is located between Hyehwa Station and Dongdaemun station, just below Naksan Park.[5][6] In 2006, when the public art project started,[7] Ihwa-dong, one of Seoul's oldest neighbourhoods, was a decaying suburb designated for demolition,[2] and home to mostly poor families and elderly people.[8] The government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism "Art in the City" campaign set about to improve conditions in some of these areas,[8] and included the Ihwa-dong Naksan Project in Iwha-dong and Dongsung-dong near Daehangno in central Seoul.[1]
Ihwa-dong is adjacent to Changgyeonggung on the slopes of Naksan.[8] Jongno District's mural village sits at the foot of Naksan Park and is called "Ihwa village" or "Ihwa mural village".[9] Ihwa-dong and Dongsung-dong were culturally isolated towns despite their location near the busy college area of Daehangno,[9] and the historic neighborhood of Dongdaemun with its many tourist activities.[4]
Ihwa-dong was one of South Korea's many daldongnae or 'moon villages', a name derived from their hilltop locations, traditionally thought to offer a better view of the moon than the cities below.[2][10] They were inhabited by mostly working class and poor people who couldn't afford housing in flat or central parts of the city.[10] The mural village sat against the old boundary walls of the capital and was a place where refugees squatted after the end of the Korean War in the 1950s,[2] building homes wherever they could.[10] Many residents worked in the nearby garment and textile industries in Changsin-dong making items sold at Dongdaemun Market. But, as other neighborhoods prospered in the 80's and 90's, with high-rise apartment towers,[10] and the redevelopment of early 2000, residents started moving away, draining the neighborhood's vitality.[5][11]
Artwork
Project beginnings
The village was part of the history of street paintings in South Korea, with locals and visiting artists carrying out similar projects around the country. In the mural village, buildings and surroundings became part of the art; flowerpots, telephone poles, stone fences, stairs and even "the crack on a wall has been transformed into a wrinkle on a smiling woman's face".[1] The 2006 project took about six months, with citizens and college students, including nearby Hansung University students recruited to volunteer.[9] About 70 artists participated with the paintings and installation art that covered the walls, streets,[1] homes, businesses, underpasses and schools.[8]
One of the artworks was a wall of the neighborhood police station which was painted with white eagles and Korea's national flower, the Rose of Sharon; others were a house with the image of Mount Naksan,[1] the painting of a rabbit, the wings of an angel, and a flower staircase.[5] Over the years, the art had a continued evolution of additions and changes.[10]
Naksan Park artwork
The region at the foot of Naksan Park is a preamble to the mural village with its steel art structures. The park was established in 2002 to increase green areas in the region and restore the historical site, as much of the mountain area was destroyed during the Japanese colonial era and again during re-development projects of the 1960s. It is one of the most popular photo spots,[9] and sculptures include a gentleman and dog walking towards the sky and a couple holding hands and looking at each other.[12]
