Throughout our history, hats have served as a cultural marker of social status and rank in addition to satisfying practical and ornamental needs. Gat, in particular, reflects the authority and dignity of the Sadaebu(scholars who gained government posts in the Joseon Dynasty) with its wide-ranging materials, forms, colors, and symbolism with their height and width varying across eras.

Gat is characterized by its transparency, subtly engineered through the use of horsehair and bamboo along with the ripple patterns arising from the intersection of delicate materials. Gat also showcases exquisite decorations, from Jeong Kkots(flower patterns on the upper part of Gat) to dangling hat strings featuring rare stones such as jade, amber, and other gems.

In appreciation of the unique position Gat occupies in Korean hat culture, this exhibition demonstrates that the cultural legacy of Gat persists into contemporaneity and also extends toward the future instead of remaining taxidermied in the past through diverse range of artists. We hope that visitors would appreciate the uniqueness of Gat, which has been a key element in the traditional attire of Korea.

Hong Soun, Series of Ancillary Participants, 2014

                                                      Roh Il Hoon, NODUS, 2014                  Lee Kyu Yeol, #0152LKY-HEUKRIP, 2020

Supported by Coreana Cosmetics, Co., Ltd.