Korea Times, 11-02-2011 16:27
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Maya Stiller, a visiting German researcher on Korean art, praised the natural elegance and practicality of Korean design, saying it is gaining more interest in Germany, as interest in Koreanology heightens.
“Chinese art strives for perfection, while Japanese tends to be decorative. However, Korean art has a balance between practicality and refinement,” the researcher said.
She gave an example of Korean ceramics, saying, “When you hold a Korean celadon, the haptic experience of holding it in your hand makes you feel that it was actually used in daily life.”
Stiller is participating in a workshop hosted by the Korea Foundation. The foundation has been operating annual workshops for Korean art curators overseas for 13 years. This year’s was held from Oct. 24 to today, focusing on Korean ceramics in East Asia and their influence and development.
“I have taught Korean art history, but I learned a lot of new things at this workshop, especially about international relations,” Stiller said. She excitedly explained how China influenced Goryeo celadon from north to south.
Stiller was born in Berlin; her mother was a Korean nurse who moved to Germany.
“So I was exposed to Korean culture since I was born.”
She became interested in Buddhist culture studying philosophy in high school. Her mother allowed her to go to Korea after graduation and she attended the Yonsei University Korean Language Institute in 1995, when a painting led her to the world of Korean art.
“I fell in love with Kim Hong-do’s genre paintings on display at an exhibition at the National Museum of Korea, especially the ‘Tiger under Pine Tree.’ It was so lively. I thought I just have to learn more about it.”
She studied at Freie Universitat Berlin and earned her doctoral degree in Korean art, specifically “goseungjinyeong,” or Buddhist monks’ portraits. She is working on her second doctoral degree at the University of California, Los Angeles about pilgrimage places in Mt. Geumgang.
Stiller wrote exhibit descriptions for the catalogue of “Korea Rediscovered! — Treasures from German Museums,” a touring exhibition of Korean artifacts from 10 museums in Germany, which opened at the Museum of East Asian Art Cologne in March. The exhibition will travel to the Museum of Ethnography Leipzig, the Museum of Applied Arts Frankfurt and Linden Museum Stuttgart in 2013.
She said it was difficult to write about daily articles such as books and clothes.
“I never had to deal with ‘norigae,’ or pendant trinkets, before and I had to research all kinds of norigae. Usually when you study about art history, you only study masterpieces, but it was a good chance to learn about daily necessaries.”
Stiller added that the some 160 pieces on display are only a portion of the Korean collection in Germany estimated at up to 8,000 pieces including modern art.
“The exhibition brought awareness and expanded understanding on Korean art in Germany. This is just a beginning and more museums will host exhibition on Korea,” she said. “There could be specialized exhibitions on Korea such as printing, clothing and ceramics.”
She said writing the catalogue was a dream-come-true for her. “Finally I was able to use something I learned. It was worth studying after all.”
Stiller added that Korean printing culture could interest Germany, the home of Gutenberg.
“Korean type is highly sophisticated and each book has different types based on calligraphy. However, it is not very well known in Germany and I think it’s worth exploring.”
Now Stiller is studying at the Department of Art Studies in Kyushu University’s graduate school in Fukuoka, Japan as a visiting researcher.
“I am interested in the interregional influence of Asian art. A common narration is that China affected Korean art and Korea did to Japan. However, things could go back and forth, influencing each other,” she said. “People ask me why I study Korea and I have to know the difference with other Asian countries to answer that question.
Stiller said Koreanology is booming in Germany, but there are few people who can teach it. “Korean studies, which has some 50-year history in Germany, was very exotic. After the 2002 World Cup, the interest in Korea soared combined with K-pop and Korean soap operas. There is high demand for Korean studies in German universities, but for instance, only one professor teaches some 120 students at Freie Universitat Berlin,” she said. “I will continue studying Korean art, organize exhibitions in Germany and teach students who are interested in Korea.”
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