The Art Research Center at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA Art Research Center) announced that it will undertake the digitization and research of Korean modern and contemporary art archives preserved in Japan in collaboration with the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (東京文化財硏究所, TOBUNKEN).
 
The MMCA Art Research Center and the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote comprehensive collaboration in the study of Korean modern and contemporary art and the history of cultural exchange between Korea and Japan. Under this agreement, the two institutions will carry out a five-year joint academic exchange program from 2026 to 2030.
 
Based on the agreement signed on July 7, the two institutions will engage in a wide range of collaborative research activities, including the exchange of researchers, the survey and study of their respective art collections and archival materials, the digitization and sharing of research resources, and the organization of international symposia and scholarly publications.

Among the holdings of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties are extensive archival materials related to Korean artists, ranging from the first generation of modern Korean artists who studied in Japan during the 1930s and 1940s—including Ko Huidong (1886–1965, Tokyo School of Fine Arts), Lee Insung (1912–1950, Taiheiyō Art School), Lee Jung-Seob (1916–1956, Bunka Gakuin), and Yoo Youngkuk (1916–2002, Bunka Gakuin)—to postwar contemporary artists who were active in Japan, such as Nam June Paik (1932–2006), Lee Ufan (b. 1936), and Park Seo-Bo (1931–2023).
 
These archives constitute essential primary sources for understanding the sociocultural contexts that shaped the artists' practices, as well as the production and circulation of their works. They also provide important evidence for examining the multifaceted influence these artists exerted on the development of Korean art.
 
Accordingly, the project aims to identify significant Korea-related materials within the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties' collections and to systematically survey, organize, and digitize them.
 
Through on-site research, large-scale digitization, Korean-language translation, and online publication, the initiative seeks to make these valuable resources widely accessible to researchers and the public in Korea.

Under the agreement, the MMCA Art Research Center will dispatch a visiting researcher to the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties from August to November. As the first phase of the project, research will focus on archival materials related to Korean artists who studied or were active in Japan during the 1920s and 1930s.
 
Following on-site investigation, large-scale digitization, scholarly research, and Korean translation, the materials will be made searchable through the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea's website.
 
Beginning in 2027, the project will expand its scope through a phased investigation of archives related to Korean artists and artworks active in Japan from the 1940s through the 1980s and 1990s. A digital archive will be established and made publicly accessible, allowing researchers and the general public alike to explore and utilize the materials.
 
Building on these efforts, the project plans to present the outcomes of its first three years through an international academic conference in 2028. In 2030, it will publish a comprehensive volume bringing together the art archives compiled over the five-year initiative, laying the groundwork for further expanding research on the art history of Korea and Japan.

References

• 국립현대미술관 보도자료 (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) Press Release)