Ari – Arirang

“Ari – Arirang. Korea – Faszination für ein verschlossenes Königreich”
13.10.23 – 15.07.24, Humboldtforum Berlin

A special exhibition of the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, National Museums in Berlin

Land of Hats
Joseon-period hats, for which Korea, referred to as the “Land of Hats” in 19th-century travel literature, was known, are a focal point of the Berlin Korea collection. With an expansive hat landscape, the exhibition presents the diversity of these hats and shows what they stood for. In addition, it draws a bow to the present with hats made especially for the exhibition by the Berlin-based artist and fashion designer Fiona Bennett, whose creations are worn by celebrities worldwide. It illustrates the extent to which the technically elaborate Korean hats continue to fascinate the hat trade, which is almost extinct in Germany. Bennett’s hats themselves are made to speak in the exhibition and, as “Talking Hats”, tell fascinating
stories about her eventful life in an interactive audio installation.

Photo: Klaus Mellenthin