Glendale Library, Arts & Culture and ReflectSpace Gallery in cooperation with the City of Gimpo, South Korea and the Gimpo Cultural Foundation is proud to present “Beyond the River: Free Zone-DMZ, The City that Lost the River,” an exhibition that reflects on borders and divisions, specifically the far-reaching impact of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea at the City of Gimpo.

The DMZ is a 2.5 mile wide swath that separates North and South Korea at around the 38th parallel. At its western edge is the estuary of the Han River where it flows into the waters of the Yellow Sea and where the City of Gimpo is situated. Even though the Armistice of 1953 designated the estuary as a “Neutral” or “Free” zone for commercial maritime travel, neither side has allowed this to happen. Gimpo, an ancient city with a history of maritime trade, has lost its river. In the exhibition several Korean artists reflect on this ephemeral and inaccessible border/river and consider how a city navigates the treacherous waters of partition.

The artists in the exhibition are: Han Ho, Lee Lee Nam, Lee Tae Soo, Kim Seung Woo & Cho Doo Young, Lee Ho Jin, and Floworks. Exhibition is curated by Monica Hye Yeon Jun and Ara & Anahid Oshagan.

“Beyond the River” is held simultaneously at the Gimpo Museum of Art in Gimpo, South Korea and ReflectSpace Gallery in Glendale. The exhibition is organized in cooperation with the City of Glendale and the City of Gimpo, the Gimpo Cultural Foundation, the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange.

“Beyond the River: Free Zone-DMZ, The City that Lost the River” is part of a new cultural exchange program with the City of Gimpo, a sister city of Glendale.