Chungnam Province announced that it will host the 2026 Chungnam Art Museum Research (CAM-Studies) presentation titled “We Have Never Been Modern: Six Artists and Chungnam Modern” on the 11th from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM in the main auditorium of the cultural education building at the Chungnam Library.

The Chungnam Art Museum Research is the first project launched by reorganizing the program previously operated under the name of "Research Group" into "CAM-Studies."

This year's event was planned to examine how modernity originated and spread in Chungnam art and further in Korean art, focusing on six Chungnam artists who opened new doors in Korean art history across the fields of painting, sculpture, calligraphy, and crafts/design.

Since last July, the research group has selected and studied six artists who played pioneering roles in their respective fields, and this presentation marks the first public disclosure of those results.

Going beyond "Chungnam Modern," the event will explore the meaning of "modern" in Korean art by genre, proceeding in the order of researcher presentations by artist, individual discussions, and a general panel discussion.

The presentation topics by artist are as follows:

*Lee Ma-dong's and the Formation of 1930s Social Portraits (Choi Jung-joo, Former Director of Jeju Museum of Art)
*Shimwon Cho Jung-hyun's 1950s Activities in Chungnam and Their Significance in Regional Art History (Song Mi-sook, Instructor at Korea National University of Transportation)
*Wongok Kim Ki-seung's Korean Modernist Calligraphy (Chang Ji-hoon, Professor at Kyonggi University)
*Expansion of Abstract Thinking Through Human Figures: Yoon Young-ja's Human Sculptures (Ahn So-yeon, Art Critic)
*The Grid of Kim Kyo-man's 1980s Illustrations (Choi Ho-rang, Ph.D. Student at Seoul National University)
*Lim Sook-ja, Opening the Profession of Designer (Noh Yu-nia, Professor at Myongji University)

The discussions will feature Kim Bok-soo, a public official at the Chungnam Provincial Art Museum Preparation Division; Kim A-ran, a public official at the Seoul Metropolitan Government Museum Division; Cho Min-hwan, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University; Yoon Tae-gyun, Representative of Alternative Space Faction; and Kim Sung-cheon, Representative of CDR, who will examine the significance and tasks of the research content.

In the final general discussion, participants will look at how the modernity of Korean art was forged through the new doors opened by these figures, and jointly discuss the direction and tasks for research on Chungnam's modern art history.

Provincial residents wishing to attend can apply via the pre-registration QR code, and on-site registration will be available starting at 1:30 PM on the day of the event.

Based on these research results, the province plans to strengthen its regional art history research capabilities and reflect them in the planning of exhibitions, academic programs, and educational programs following the opening of the Chungnam Art Museum.

A provincial official stated, “This event is the first opportunity to examine the process by which six Chungnam artists opened new doors in modern and contemporary Korean art and to check with residents how modernity was shaped within it. We will continue to lay the foundation for the Chungnam Art Museum to lead regional art history research even after its opening.”

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