Chairman Young-Chan Kim Donates Sculpture to Commemorate KAIST’s 50th Anniversary

• The 10m-tall sculpture ‘HOPE’ is installed in the green space on the eastern side of campus, cheering on the hopes of all who pass by
• GOLFZON NEWDIN Group Chairman Young-Chan Kim: ‘I hope that through this work, many people will find inspiration and courage, and achieve goals beyond imagination’

GOLFZON NEWDIN Group Chairman Young-Chan Kim announced on the 26th that he had donated ‘HOPE’, a work by Polish artist Tomasz Koclęga, to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

At the donation ceremony held at KAIST on the 25th, GOLFZON NEWDIN Group Chairman Young-Chan Kim, GOLFZON NEWDIN Holdings CEO Deok-Hyung Choi, KAIST President Kwang-Hyung Lee, Museum Director Hyeon-Jeong Suk, artist Tomasz Koclęga, and Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski attended to celebrate the unveiling.

Cast from 7 tons of bronze, the work is a large-scale sculpture measuring 6.5m wide, 4.5m deep, and 10m tall. The image of two figures holding clouds in both hands conveys the message that, with joint effort, hope can become a successful reality.

The sculpture is installed in the green space on the eastern side of campus, surrounded by KAIST’s Daejeon main campus along with the Administration Annex, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Convergence Research Building, where it will cheer on the hopes of all who visit KAIST, the cradle of science and technology talent in Korea.

KAIST Museum Director Hyeon-Jeong Suk, who oversaw the acceptance and exhibition of the work, explained, “We made every effort regarding the environment and space in which the work would be placed, so that it could serve to lift our gaze to the sky and let us look toward the future with composure. It emphasizes how humanity should transcend the limits of science and technology, the deep understanding of the natural environment, and the importance of connection and cooperation between people. ‘HOPE’ is an outstanding work that represents all of this.”

GOLFZON NEWDIN Group Chairman Young-Chan Kim said, “GOLFZON NEWDIN Group was able to grow to where it is today thanks to the great help and support of KAIST in 2000, in the early days of its founding,” adding, “I sincerely hope that through ‘HOPE’, a work carefully selected to commemorate KAIST’s 50th anniversary, many people will find inspiration and courage, and achieve goals beyond imagination.”

Meanwhile, Tomasz Koclęga, who was born in Poland in 1968 and has worked as a sculptor since graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow in 1993, has created figurative sculptures centered on human nature. Koclęga’s representative work ‘Inner Balance’ is permanently installed in New Delhi, India, and he is also actively engaged in exhibiting his works in many countries, including the United States, Japan, France, and Austria.