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The Kingdom of the Winds at 30, Reborn Through Traditional Crafts: 《Winds at Thirty, Carrying Tradition Forward》

The Kingdom of the Winds is marking its 30th anniversary this year in an unexpected form. The game's rogues, squirrels, and Four Divine Beasts have been reimagined in lacquer, mother-of-pearl, dancheong decorative painting, and embroidery, becoming traditional craftworks on display at Gyejodang Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The exhibition, 《Winds at Thirty, Carrying Tradition Forward》, is a collaboration between The Kingdom of the Winds, the Nexon Foundation's social contribution initiative Borderless, and the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. As someone who has mostly covered games, I found this unfamiliar territory, but the project grew more interesting the further I looked into it. Here, I explore the exhibition, its works and artists, and the support for emerging artists that made it possible.

01. Borderless: Offering Game IP as Creative Inspiration

Borderless is an ongoing social contribution initiative from the Nexon Foundation that aims to break down boundaries between games and the arts. It gives creators access to game IP as a source of inspiration, supporting both the production of their works and opportunities for audiences to experience them. For this exhibition, that support went to emerging artists studying traditional crafts.

Game companies routinely produce merchandise based on their own IP. This approach is different: the company opens its IP to outside creators and leaves the interpretation entirely to the artists.

The branch dedicated to traditional crafts is called Borderless Craft판. The second Craft판 exhibition, 'The Magician of Time: Toward Another World,' held at Deoksugung Palace in 2024, brought together intangible heritage practitioners and contemporary craft artists. All merchandise proceeds were donated to a program supporting the development of emerging artists at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. Last November, 'BORDERLESS – Tradition Opens a Dimensional Gateway' was held at Saengmulbang in Gyeongbokgung Palace, featuring MapleStory and DNF IP.

This exhibition builds on that work. Rather than a one-off anniversary event, it is this year's result of a support initiative that has been running for several years.

02. On View at Gyejodang Hall, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Through September 21

Category	Details
Exhibition Title	Winds at Thirty, Carrying Tradition Forward
Dates	September 9 (Wed) – September 21 (Mon), 2026
Venue	Gyejodang Hall, Gyeongbokgung Palace
Viewing Hours	9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Last Admission to Gyeongbokgung Palace	5 p.m.
Palace Closed	Tuesdays
Exhibition Admission	Free
Gyeongbokgung Palace Admission	3,000 won (free for ages 24 and under)

The exhibition is free, but its location inside Gyeongbokgung Palace means the separate palace admission fee of 3,000 won still applies. Visitors aged 24 and under are exempt from that fee as well. Plan your visit for any day other than Tuesday, when the palace is closed.

The title's 'irip (而立)' is a classical term for the age of thirty—a traditional expression chosen to mark a game reaching that milestone.

The exhibition features 15 works: 5 traditional craftworks based on The Kingdom of the Winds IP and 10 works by students in the Department of Traditional Arts and Crafts at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage.

03. 5 Traditional Craftworks Inspired by The Kingdom of the Winds

Work Title	Main Subjects	Participating Artists	Traditional Techniques
The Rogue Rides the Wind	Rogue, squirrel	Yang Ho-seong, Choi Hyo-ryeong, Han Hye-in	Dry lacquer · Lacquerwork · Mother-of-pearl
Guardian Divine Beasts Protecting the Realm	Four Divine Beasts	Lee Sol-chan, Kim Jeong-u	Ceramics · Traditional roof tiles
Collars Holding the Wind	Four Divine Beasts	Kim Hui-seon	Traditional painting
Myriad Forms of 용전설	용전설	An Yu-jin, Lee Dong-min	Dancheong · Traditional painting
A Cornered Pouch Holding the Wishes of a Squirrel and a Rabbit	Squirrel, rabbit	An Eun-jeong	Traditional embroidery

The Rogue Rides the Wind

This sculpture depicts a rogue and a squirrel NPC using dry lacquer, lacquerwork, and mother-of-pearl. Dry lacquer builds form through successive layers of lacquer. In effect, the game's fastest class has taken shape through the slowest of layering processes.

Yang Ho-seong holds a national heritage repair craftsperson qualification in lacquerwork and works primarily in dry-lacquer sculpture. Choi Hyo-ryeong holds qualifications in lacquerwork, gilding, and conservation treatment, with a practice centered on metal and cloisonné enamel. Han Hye-in creates lacquer-based figures and sculptures, applying traditional lacquer techniques to contemporary forms and characters. It is hard to imagine a team better suited to translating game characters into lacquer.

Guardian Divine Beasts Protecting the Realm

This ceramic work depicts the Four Divine Beasts that protect beginners, giving them the textures of ancient ruins. The clear, refined quality of white porcelain meets the rough, sandy texture of traditional roof tiles in a work that portrays both the Four Divine Beasts and the form of a traditional game board.

The pairing of two distinct material traditions is what makes this work interesting. Lee Sol-chan has completed certified training in the National Intangible Heritage craft of pottery and works in ceramics, using clay as a medium. Kim Jeong-u has completed certified training in the National Intangible Heritage craft of roof-tile making and works with traditional roof-tile materials and production methods. Both fields involve firing clay, but they differ entirely in use and texture. This piece brings those two areas of expertise together.

The Four Divine Beasts are the first choice players make on the character creation screen when starting The Kingdom of the Winds. Even those who have not played in years may remember that moment. Giving that memory the texture of ancient ruins feels particularly fitting for a 30th anniversary.

Collars Holding the Wind

This painting personifies the Four Divine Beasts as figures in traditional clothing. Blue, vermilion, white, and black—the colors associated with the cardinal directions—distinguish the four figures. Their original divine beast forms appear behind them, allowing viewers to compare the two within a single composition. Their appearances have changed completely, but the symbolism remains intact.

Kim Hui-seon is an illustrator whose work is grounded in traditional painting, bringing a distinctive perspective to Korean colors and humorous stories.

Myriad Forms of 용전설

This work reinterprets the boss monster 용전설 through the techniques and aesthetics of traditional dancheong, the decorative painting applied to wooden palace and temple architecture. Dancheong follows established rules for patterns and colors, giving it a fundamentally different starting point from free-form painting. To bring a game's boss monster into those conventions, the artist must reshape it to fit the visual language of the patterns. The process is closer to translation than reproduction.

The setting inside Gyeongbokgung Palace adds another dimension to the work. Outside Gyejodang Hall, the same painting technique appears on the rafters and eaves. The exhibition and the building are, in effect, speaking the same language.

An Yu-jin holds a national heritage repair craftsperson qualification in painting and has completed certified training in dancheong. The artist's practice draws on dancheong's traditional techniques and aesthetics. Lee Dong-min holds the same painting qualification and has continued to study dancheong, with a particular interest in the materials and expressive methods of traditional painting.

A Cornered Pouch Holding the Wishes of a Squirrel and a Rabbit

This textile work features a squirrel and a rabbit embroidered onto a traditional cornered pouch. These pouches were worn to carry belongings and invite good fortune. Here, monsters once hunted in early-game areas become symbols of wishes for good luck.

An Eun-jeong is a traditional embroidery artist with 14 years of experience and an ongoing practice spanning embroidered pouches, rank badges, wrapping cloths, and other works.

04. How the Exhibition Supports Emerging Artists

Alongside the 5 IP-based works are 10 works by students in the Department of Traditional Arts and Crafts at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. On the surface, this is a 30th-anniversary celebration. At its core, it is a program supporting emerging artists.

The participants are students of traditional culture, including national heritage repair technicians and craftspeople, as well as practitioners who have completed certified National Intangible Heritage training. The credentials listed for each artist above reflect that background. Their names may not yet be widely known, but they have undergone substantial training in their respective fields.

Beginning in April, the Nexon Foundation selected enrolled students from this group who held professional qualifications and supported the production of their works. It also arranged separate exhibition opportunities for 10 students. A total of 67,180,000 won was donated, combining contributions from the Nexon Foundation with funds voluntarily raised by Nexon employees to celebrate the 30th anniversary.

For creators, funding production costs is one kind of support; providing a place to exhibit the finished work is another. That distinction matters all the more when the venue is Gyeongbokgung Palace.

05. Beyond the Artworks

It is worth starting the web catalog mission before entering the exhibition. Scan the on-site QR code to take on the role of a traveling merchant squirrel, exploring the palace and answering questions about the works. The mission encourages a closer look at each piece, offering a substantially different experience from a quick walkthrough. After completing it, visit the reward station in front of Gyejodang Hall to receive a commemorative exhibition ticket that includes a coupon for in-game items in The Kingdom of the Winds.

You can view the merchandise in person, but purchases must be made elsewhere. Borderless merchandise inspired by the traditional craftworks is on display at 왈숙's General Store, with sales available only through the idus website starting September 9. A portion of the proceeds supports the ongoing creative work of participating Borderless artists. If a particular piece catches your attention, buying the merchandise can help support the artist's next work. There is also a photo zone, and a photo-sharing event is running on the Borderless Instagram account.

06. Closing Thoughts

A game IP exhibition usually brings to mind a fan event filled with original artwork and figures. This exhibition takes a different approach: the game supplies the source material, while emerging artists interpret it. A thirty-year-old game entrusting its characters to young creators in another field, then seeing what they make of them, strikes me as a healthy way to mark an anniversary.

I would recommend the exhibition to three groups in particular. For anyone who has played The Kingdom of the Winds, the appeal lies in seeing familiar characters reimagined through lacquerwork and dancheong. Those interested in traditional crafts or National Intangible Heritage need no knowledge of the game to appreciate the opportunity to see work by certified practitioners and craftspeople in one place. And for anyone planning an autumn outing to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the exhibition fits naturally into the visit.

The exhibition runs at Gyejodang Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace through September 21. Remember to plan around the palace's Tuesday closure.

Related Links

• Nexon Foundation Borderless Exhibition Details: https://borderless.nexonfoundation.org/news/proceeding/3532778

• The Kingdom of the Winds Official Notice: https://baram.nexon.com/Notice/List/1/149790

• Borderless Merchandise on idus: https://www.idus.com/v2/event/regular/14fbae10-d433-48e2-96f8-e18e777ec317

Sources

The exhibition schedule, visitor information, and descriptions of the works and artists are based on official Nexon Foundation Borderless materials and official notices from The Kingdom of the Winds. Details on funding and the opening were drawn from reports by Yonhap News Agency, Inven, and other media outlets.

Image Source: Nexon Foundation