Community

Following last year’s success, the International Mask Arts & Culture Organization (IMACO) is once again presenting the World Mask Special Exhibition. This year’s exhibition will be held within the “Mask Culture Street” set up at the festival grounds, and it will be expanded on a larger scale compared to the previous year. On display will be traditional masks used in “Korean Mask Dance,” inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, alongside a wide variety of masks from around the world. In particular, the exhibition of mask dolls prepared in collaboration with the Hahoe World Mask Museum is expected to provide visitors with a new cultural experience.

The exhibition is organized into several sections: ▲Hall 1: Exhibition of Korean Mask Dance ▲Hall 2: The relationship between festivals and masks ▲Hall 3: The meaning and uniqueness of masks as a universal human culture ▲Hall 4: Traditional masks and mask dolls created by Director Kim Dong-pyo of the Hahoe World Mask Museum

Through this exhibition, IMACO aims to highlight the value of Korea’s mask culture and emphasize the importance of its transmission and preservation both domestically and internationally. In addition, a variety of engaging programs will be offered, including demonstrations of the mask-making process using the Yangban mask, a tactile experience zone, the “Treasure Hunt in the Festival” where participants can receive IMACO-designed T-shirts and eco-bags, as well as photo zones featuring the Lion Mask and the IMACO logo, all of which are designed to enrich the experience of festival visitors.