Jangseung
(© Julia Bachmor/DRK)
The hospital
From 1954 to 1959, the DRK ran a large hospital in Busan, South Korea, on behalf of the West German government. Initially intended as a field hospital during the Korean War, it was converted into a civilian hospital after the provisional ceasefire in 1953. For five years, the doctors, nurses and other staff there made an important contribution to the reconstruction of the devastated country.
The work of art
The motif of the pair of sculptures is modelled on a jangseung. These are traditional Korean totem poles of guardian spirits that are intended to protect people from demons. The artwork consists of a male and a female figure. The head of the male jangseung represents a terrified “Red Cross man”, with reliefs on the theme of war engraved on his pillar. They metaphorically illustrate the feelings of the founder of the Red Cross, Henry Dunant, at the sight of wounded soldiers after the Battle of Solferino. The head of the female jangseung depicts a nurse holding a war orphan in her hand. The theme of the reliefs on this pillar is post-war reconstruction; they depict healing, care and education.
The pair of sculptures was created in 2024 with funding from the Ministry of Patriotic and Veterans Affairs of the Republic of Korea.
The artist
Kang Dong-whan, born in Busan in 1980, studied art in Seoul and Braunschweig and has lived in Germany since 2008. He devotes himself primarily to sculpture, but also to painting.
GRC mission in Busan
(© DRK)
(© DRK)