Coin Dragon I by Kwon Jy Eun. The use of bold colors in this piece leaves a quite subtle yet lasting impression on the audience. The three-dimensional features of the artwork also help capture the essence of the characteristics of a dragon. Photo by Park Ye-eun.
Artist Kwon Jy Eun, who mainly creates art on the theme of dragons by drawing inspiration from ancient Buddhist works of art, held a special exhibition at the Jang Eun Sun Gallery titled 'Layers of Dragon' in celebration of the new year.
K-Dragon VIII by Kwon Jy Eun. The piece shown in the photo above is the main artwork that was featured on the brochure for the exhibition. Kwon used gold foil to create this piece. Gold foil is known to be an extremely difficult and delicate material to work with, which is why creating a single piece of art such as this one takes an immense amount of time and effort. Photo by Park Ye-eun.
In honor of the year of the blue dragon, the artist draws strength from the blue dragon to wish all those around her a happy and healthy year ahead through her art pieces.
The wide variety of colors and textures used to portray the dragon within this piece fully captures the attention of the audience. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
Behind The Blue Dragon
For those who are not familiar with the Korean zodiac, being informed that there is a different animal that represents every year may seem quite puzzling. However, the animals that are a part of the zodiac can be seen as a crucial part of the Korean culture itself. The start of the year 2024 was symbolized by the 2023 zodiac sign, which was the black rabbit, passing the torch to the blue dragon.
The Korean zodiac consists of 12 animals in the following order: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and lastly, the pig. Consequently, with each animal representing the entirety of a single year, the Korean zodiac consists of a 12-year cycle that begins with the year of the rat and ends with the year of the pig. As this year is the year of the dragon, those who are born this year will have the zodiac sign of the dragon.
Many believe that the zodiac animal one is born under can say a lot about one's personality and one's broad future. Each zodiac animal represents different personality traits and attributes that the person may carry. For instance, people born in the year of the dragon are said to be more adventurous and confident. This would include people born in years such as 1988 and 2000.
To delve deeper into the Korean zodiac, there are five colors that are cycled through with every rotation of the zodiac signs. The said colors are blue, red, yellow, white, and black. The year 2024 happened to land on the color blue and the sign of the dragon, thus being named the year of the blue dragon.
Blue Dragon Sightings Around Seoul
The Seoul Lantern Festival, which was held at the Gwanghwamun Square, was joined by a flea market, which had several stalls selling hand-made dragon-themed goods. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
With the dawn of the year 2024, companies have started to use what is now being called the blue dragon marketing tactic, where they release a wide variety of limited edition items such as merchandise and events specifically designed to represent the blue dragon.
Starbucks released three different beverages along with three different types of desserts in order to celebrate the year of the blue dragon. Photo by Park Ye-eun.
Aside from the different limited edition food and beverages they released, Starbucks also came out with different blue dragon-themed Starbucks merchandise that aimed to celebrate the start of the new year. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
The Seoul Lantern Festival
The Seoul Lantern Festival is an annually held event at the Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. While the lanterns are lit at 6 PM, there are several of those who come to see the lanterns during the day as well. Regardless of the fact that the lanterns do not exude the same vibrant energy during the day as they do at night, exploring Gwanghwamun Square under the radiance of the sun can be a pleasurable experience.
The main attraction at the Lantern Festival was a large model of a blue dragon that drew the attention of all passersby with its vibrant colors and immense size. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
There was a wide range of fables and folktales from all around the world that were illustrated through the various lanterns showcased around Gwanghwamun Square. For instance, characters of an extremely well-known Korean folktale called Gyeonwoo and Jiknyeo were portrayed at the festival as well. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
The variety of lanterns that were on display was able to truly encapsulate various aspects of Korean culture. Several lanterns had been created and displayed to represent a Korean samulnori performance, which is typically filled with music performed with traditional instruments. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
The main entrance to the Lantern Festival was bustling with people who had stopped to admire the vibrant lights and the stunning displays. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
Gwanghwamun Square
There were displays of Korean traditional samulnori as well, which seemed to serve as a popular photo spot for several onlookers. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
The Lantern Festival also included some references to modern-day pop culture, by having displays of characters that can be regularly seen on present-day social media. Photo by Sohn Chae Yoon.
There were several models of the blue dragon, that could be admired during the day and night. The various interpretations of the dragon that could be seen from the differences between the lanterns drew the attention of several of the tourists. Photo by Park Ye-eun.
