On December 18, Professor Sergey Olegovich Kurbanov, doctor of history, will deliver an online lecture titled “The History of the Republic of Korea: People and Time”.

After gaining its independence in 1948, the Republic of Korea lived through a time of a totalitarian dictatorship, military coups, more than one regime change, and serious economic shocks and booms. Knowledge of the history of the Republic of Korea plays a significant role in understanding contemporary South Korean art, since contemporary artists often make their reflections on living in an environment of continuous repression and political crisis a huge part of their work.

At the lecture we will discuss the most important events in the establishment and development of the Republic of Korea starting from 1948. We will devote particular attention to those aspects of South Korean history that will be of use to visitors to Lee Bul’s exhibition, aiding them in understanding her work. The lecture will be accompanied by photographs from the National Museum of Korea (Seoul).

About the speaker: Sergey Olegovich Kurbanov is a doctor of history, professor, and the director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Korean Studies at St Petersburg University’s Eastern Faculty.

This meeting is part of Manege’s supplementary programme to “Utopia Saved”, the first solo exhibition in Russia of South Korean artist Lee Bul.

The online lecture will begin at 19:00 and last for 1.5 hours.

The discussion will be conducted over Zoom. Participation is free, but you must first register and install the Zoom platform. An hour before the meeting, you will receive a link by e-mail (sent to the address indicated at registration) through which you can join the conference. You will be able to address questions to Sergey Olegovich throughout the conversation.

You can watch this lecture on our YouTube channel.