The Seoul Museum of Craft Art opened 'The Hybrid,' a special exhibition on the craft of the Korean Empire period, in May. It is an exhibition that follows the hands of the artisans of the port-opening era, when a gat and a felt hat brushed past each other on the same street. It is held in the city center of Jongno, Seoul.
At the center of the exhibition are the things people set on their heads. The gat, woven strand by strand from horsehair, is black and open enough that light passes through it like a net, and the bamboo brim gives off a dry sound when flicked with a fingernail. The felt hat placed beside it is a thick surface of pressed wool, so when a finger touches it, it sinks without a sound and slowly returns.
The two objects do not push each other away. The workshops of the port-opening era swallowed foreign materials in their own way rather than shutting them out, and laid unfamiliar textures over familiar techniques. During the short span after the Korean Empire was proclaimed in 1897, craft endured by mixing in just this way.
The title 'The Hybrid' comes close to a declaration that this period will not be summed up as a collision. Instead of counting the marks left where tradition disappeared, it looks at the face tradition changed into in order to survive. What survived was mostly not what had been kept pure.
An old tension surfaces here. Should handmade things be sealed under glass to preserve their original form, or brought back out for today's use and worn down. The artisans of the port-opening era chose the latter, and thanks to that choice the techniques were not cut off. Craft today stands at the same fork.
The museum is a place made by renovating an old school building. The building itself is a case of holding preservation and use in one body, so it reads together with the exhibition's theme. It is better to check the museum's notices for detailed hours and visiting procedures before setting out.
Looking at a single hat for a long time passes more slowly than expected. Watching the light that slips through the horsehair make an open pattern on the floor, you remember that some hand more than a hundred years ago set those intervals. If you have reason to go to Jongno, setting aside about an hour is worth it.
Event Information
Date: Opens May 2026
Venue: Seoul Museum of Craft Art (Jongno, Seoul)
