Statue of Peace

Welcome, esteemed visitor. Before you stands the Pyeonghwaui Sonyeosang, globally known as the Statue of Peace. …

Direct your attention to the face of the bronze figure. You will immediately notice the distinct youthfulness captured in her features; she is depicted as a girl in her early teens. …

Move slightly to the side of the statue and focus your gaze on the back of the girl's head. You will observe that her hair is depicted as having been roughly, almost violently, hacked off. …

Let your eyes travel up to the girl's left shoulder, where a small, delicately rendered bronze bird has alighted. In the context of Korean traditional folklore and shamanistic belief systems, a bird is never merely an animal; it…

Now, observe the hands of the statue resting upon her lap. Notice how they are not folded in a gesture of passive resignation, but are instead sculpted into tightly clenched fists. …

Look downwards toward the base of the statue and examine the girl's feet. You will see that they are bare, but more importantly, if you look closely at her heels, you will notice that they are hovering slightly, completely…

Immediately to the left of the bronze girl sits an empty chair. In the language of monumental architecture, an empty space is never truly empty; it is pregnant with intent. …

Finally, I ask you to look down at the pavement extending behind the bronze girl. Here lies one of the most brilliant and subtle elements of the entire installation: a shadow cast upon the ground, rendered not in bronze, but in a…

As we conclude our detailed exploration of the Statue of Peace, I urge you to take one final, comprehensive look at the monument in its entirety. What began as a local memorial created by two dedicated South Korean sculptors, Kim…