'K-Women' and the Stories That Continue

After five transformative months, the exhibition K-Women: Celebrating Korean Female Artists came to a close on April 19th. Hosted in generous collaboration with Kingston Museum, this exhibition brought together the works of 17 Korean women artists working across the UK and beyond — and it was far more than just a showcase of artistic talent. It became a space for dialogue, discovery, and deep reflection.

As the curator, I feel an immense sense of gratitude and purpose. From the very beginning, K-Women set out to explore what it means to be a Korean woman artist navigating multiple identities, cultures, and expectations in a global context. These themes—of identity, visibility, vulnerability, and resilience—were not just present in the artworks, but also lived and shared in the conversations that unfolded around them. 

Throughout the exhibition, visitors connected with the work in deeply personal ways. Many responded with emotion, surprise, and even recognition—particularly those who shared similar cultural or diasporic experiences. It reminded us that exhibitions like this have the power not only to reflect, but to reveal: to make visible the experiences often left on the margins.

In the final days of the show, our team gathered with the artists for a post-exhibition reflection. We sat together in a circle—some meeting for the first time, others reconnecting after months—and shared feedback, stories, and honest questions. We talked about the challenges of sustaining creative practice as international female artists: the uncertainty of funding, the reality of cultural displacement, and the internal pressure to remain "relevant" in unfamiliar art systems. But we also shared moments of strength, solidarity, and joy—how art continues to serve as both a survival tool and a form of resistance. One recurring theme in this conversation was the sense of invisibility that many had felt before becoming part of this collective. Being seen, heard, and valued—not just as individuals but as Korean women with layered and shifting identities—was deeply meaningful. K-Women offered not just representation, but community.

Interview with the group 'A Story of Moving' at Kingston Museum

Online interview with the group 'Who Am I'

Interview with the group 'Endless Journey' at Sueann's house

As a curator, I have always believed that exhibitions should not only display but engage; not only present but provoke. K-Women did exactly that. It brought together stories that are often untold and created a shared space where artists and audiences could reflect, question, and imagine new possibilities.

Though the exhibition has now ended, its impact continues to ripple outward—in the artists' ongoing practices, in the hearts of those who visited, and in the growing network of support it helped to build.

Thank you to Kingston Museum for their invaluable support, to the audiences who came with curiosity and openness, and most of all, to the 17 remarkable artists who trusted us with their voices, their visions, and their vulnerabilities.

We closed the gallery doors on K-Women, but the conversations—and the creativity—are far from over.

Written by Dr GeeSun Hahn

 4482 SASAPARI Lead Curator

Uri SUM Projects Director

University of Leicester, Museum Studies, UK