The eighth Kyung Hee University (KHU) College of Arts & Design’s Collective Exhibition was held under the title “MANIFESTO: Declaring Myself”. Since students from all majors in the college could participate, the event created a forum for academic interaction. This facilitated not only skill development within specific majors but also provided valuable career development opportunities.

“LOCKLET: A small declaration facing me”, a work including user interactive element

Eighth Collective Exhibition, “MANIFESTO: Declaring Myself” 

The Collective Exhibition is the College of Art & Design’s annual event. Unlike department-specific exhibitions, this event makes all departments from the college eligible to participate, bringing all the different disciplines under one roof.

The primary goal of this event is to foster cross-disciplinary interaction. The D&, the student association of the college, and the event organizer explained, “The college has various art fields, from pure arts such as ceramics to applied arts such as industrial design and visual design. By bringing all departments together, the exhibition creates opportunities for different majors to interact closely.”

D& added that the event featured the diverse interpretations of each work. Then, this leads students to unexpected collaboration or inspiration, establishing their unique artistic perspectives.

This year’s theme was “MANIFESTO: Declaring Myself”, encouraging the students to reject external pressures and express their authentic selves, using skills developed through their academic studies. “Today’s world is full of standards—from university curricula to how art is judged. We wanted to break away from these expectations and focus on discovering our authentic selves, the person we want to be,” D& explained.

Under this theme, the event was held from August 4 to 9 at Itaewon 1289 Bunker. This showcased 31 unique works throughout the two-floor space. Visitors could freely explore the diverse collection during operating hours.

Diversity, the Feature of the Exhibition

Students were free to participate either individually or in groups. Particularly, an interesting aspect of the group projects was how they expressed their common ground through evocative team names like The Aesthetics of Instability, Atypical Research Institute, or Sooduguri Studio.

The works reflected the makers’ academic backgrounds. For example, Team Mulmangcho, composed of students from the Dept. of Textiles & Clothing, designed “Crossing”, a piece consisting of two wearable garments that feature red thread, wrinkles, and a hoodie design to express their identity. Since their major focuses on fashion design, “Crossing” clearly embodies their unique form of

self-expression.

Team ZZOL, composed of students from the Dept. of Industrial Design students, created a work titled “Haru”. This is a food delivery trolley, incorporating the team members’ characteristics into its design. As the department primarily focuses on designing manufactured goods, “Haru” designs to symbolize the team’s identity.

Team PRISM from the Dept. of Digital Contents created an animation titled The “Trajectory of Emotion” that visually represents emotional fluctuations. This department specializes in creating digital content such as videos, games, websites, and augmented or

virtual reality experiences. Its animation work stands out from other majors due to its clear features.

Some works invited interaction, adding attractions. In “LOCKLET: A small declaration facing me” by Kim Ha-rang, viewers picked colored pebbles based on their emotions. “Twelve Blood Gates,” created by Dung Beetle Studio, was a horror game that viewers could play. Team I.AM’s “Breath: I am the stealthiness yield”, sensors responding to movement and breath, triggering pollen and wind inside a

plant box.

Mulmangcho’s work, “Crossing” (above) 

The trolley designed by the team ZZOL (below)

D& explained that this diversity is the core of the exhibition. “Although the theme is the same for all participants, each piece has a different artistic expression. This is the core value that the integrated exhibition pursues.”

Providing Development Opportunity

The exhibition has been a valuable development opportunity for majors. Lee Se-rin, a student from the Dept. of Theater & Film, remarked, “This is my first exhibition experience, and I think my work reflects my lack of experience.” She added, “I discovered several points to revise, such as cut composition, acting direction, and prop arrangement. I would like to create better work based on these findings.”

For some students, the experience opened career doors. Kim Da-hun from the Dept. of Digital Contents said, “I am involved in a brand design team, but it was difficult to collaborate with a company. By participating in the exhibition, we were able to find a partner who supported us.”

More than just forming partnerships, the students gained a practical mindset through participation. Kim remarked, “Previously, I only wanted to create the kind of work I personally desired. However, through the exhibition, I learned how to adapt to the needs of viewers and business partners.”

The integrated exhibition, “MANIFESTO: Declaring Myself,” showcased the diverse ways individuals can respond to a single question. Beyond this, the creators also received valuable opportunities. This raised expectations that future exhibitions will benefit KHU art students in various ways.