Installation view of the exhibition, "Hanbok, Reborn as Art," at the Museum of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana / Courtesy of Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

Elements of beauty from the traditional Korean attire of "hanbok" are lighting up the capital of Kazakhstan.

The exhibition, "Hanbok, Reborn as Art," at the Museum of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana, brings together the works of 12 Korean creatives who have reimagined the classic aesthetics of hanbok through the lens of contemporary art.

The show, which opened on May 17, has been organized by the Seoul-based Savina Museum of Contemporary Art. This marks the first time that a Korean institution has staged an exhibition at the Central Asian museum.

The 35 pieces on display offer creative twists on the centuries-old clothing's patterns, colors, shapes, designs and materials.

In his "Miindo, Velazquez and some Ants," celebrated media artist Lee Lee-nam juxtaposes the two iconic paintings from the East and the West — Joseon-era artist Shin Yun-bok's "Portrait of a Beauty" and Diego Velázquez's "Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress." The digitized images undergo transformation when a colony of ants on screen begins marching back and forth to switch the dresses of the two figures.

Lee Joon-keun converts the traditional dance costumes and choreography of mask dance into kaleidoscopic geometric patterns using computer graphics and artificial intelligence.

Installation view of "Hanbok, Reborn as Art" at the Museum of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan / Courtesy of Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

Some creatives have opted to reinterpret classic accessories using modern materials — such as Lee Soo-in's version of "jokduri," a type of coronet worn by women with ceremonial garments, and Lee Hoo-chang's butterfly-shaped "norigae," which has been reimagined with glass and neon light.

Artisan Lee Bong-yi's meticulously reproduced version of the early 19th-century "hwarot," a traditional Korean bridal costume with embroidered silk, is another visual delight.

"Hanbok, Reborn as Art" runs through June 23.