Intense Difference Of Its Own: Cultural Exchange Through Artists With Disabilities

Intense Difference Of Its Own (모두의 어떤 차이) is a multi-medium, multi-faceted art installation that opened at the Korean Cultural Centre of Canada’s Gallery on September 5th 2023. Make sure you go check it out before it closes on the 29th, because my photos do not do justice to the beauty of the work!

Before I get into the details of the exhibition opening I attended, I just want to say that it really warms my heart to see an exponentially increasing number of people in attendance at every event hosted by the KCC. Since this is my fourth year as an Honorary Reporter, and I’ve attended many Ottawa-based celebrations of Korean culture in that time, I can honestly say it’s emotionally moving to witness something I love so dearly gain wider recognition.

I’ve mentioned in many (if not all) of my blog posts that this year, 2023, represents the 60th Anniversary of Korea-Canada Diplomatic Relations, and as part of celebrating this wonderful milestone, Canada’s capital has the honor of hosting the work of Canadian and Korean artists using a variety of mediums.

Always evolving, this month the KCC gallery has transformed to showcase the pieces which make up the collection Intense Difference Of Its Own (모두의 어떤 차이). The remarkable installation will remain in Ottawa at the Korean Cultural Centre until September 29th.

Intense Difference of Its Own is a project focused on the often-overlooked artistic talent of those with disabilities. It demonstrates through visual art, sculpture, and music how potent these voices can be.

As a member of the audience, I witnessed first-hand the way things like instrumental music, sculptures, and paintings transcend the boundaries of language and borders, because at the core, we are all human beings, and humans crave to create.

It makes things like skin color, nationality, class, and religion, seem trivial and superficial when we can all speak directly to the soul through art.

My eyes in particular were drawn to the most brightly-colored paintings. I love color theory and use it to explore several interpretations of what the artist may have been feeling when they created the piece.

Besides, in a world where earth-tones are fashionable and desaturation has overtaken media like shows and movies (I call the phenomenon “Nolanization” because I attribute the shift to the success of Christopher Nolan’s gritty Batman trilogy), nothing pleases me more than seeing others who are unashamed to use high-impact colors in their lives.

As for the musical performances of the night? Each and every one of them was a breathtaking display of skill. Some of the artists wore ballgowns and modern formalwear, while others wore stunning traditional clothing to accompany their song.

Initially I planned to take some video, since obviously music is something that can’t be captured in a photo; however, once in my seat, I noticed there were several professional photographers as well as a video camera mounted on a tripod. I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way, especially the staff, and I also considered that their video would be of much higher quality than mine. With that said, I highly encourage everyone to visit the KCC’s YouTube channel and check out some if not all the beautiful songs.

My favorite performer of the evening was probably the powerful-voiced Park Mingyu, who sang a version of This Is The Moment (from Jekyll & Hyde). I was blown away by his vocal control and the true depth of his baritone which gave me goosebumps all over.

In my personal opinion, he has the skill necessary to sing Hey Little Songbird from the musical Hadestown. Or any of the songs Hades sings. The role calls for a baritone and Mingyu definitely has the right kind of show-stopping vocals to take the role on.

I also very much enjoyed Jeong Juhyeok and his ability to play the Daegeum, which is a traditional Korean instrument that resembles a flute. It has the most distinct sound though, more beautiful and soul-gripping than any other pan flute or similar woodwind. As someone who played the boring regular flute in high school, I can only imagine the dedication it would take to practice and perform with the Daegeum.

So, did Intense Difference Of Its Own (모두의 어떤 차이) speak to me? Absolutely. I’d never before had the honor and pleasure of viewing the talent and resulting work/pieces of artists with disabilities, and now that I know there’s so much more to the art world out there, I want to make an effort to seek out more.

If you’re in Ottawa, remember to visit and experience it for yourself at the Korean Cultural Centre, anytime between now and September 29th!