From donors to networks: analyzing the “donation of the century” in South Korea through actor-network theory

Abstract This study explores the act of giving, a topic underexplored in semiotic research. To develop a semiotic perspective on gift-giving, it investigates the “donation of the century,” an unprecedented contribution of 23,000 items by the late Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee to South Korea’s national and public museums, which demonstrates how donation transcends material exchange and carries symbolic, social, and cultural significance. Based on actor-network theory, the study analyses the complex networks of donation. It challenges the traditional human-centric perspective framing donation solely as the actions of donors or heirs, rather revealing it as the outcome of intricate and dynamic interactions between human and non-human actors, including laws, artefacts, and recipient institutions. This study recognizes musealization as a process that creates new meanings and knowledge through material-semiotic interactions and that a collection’s defining characteristic lies in its transmissibility. Accordingly, the study highlights how the musealization of the donated collection – grounded in the materiality of artefacts – fosters new relationships and redefines the collection as “dynamic national treasures.” This study presents an exemplary case of art donation, exploring its semiotic, epistemological, and ontological dimensions and offering insights into the dynamics and significance of gift-giving in contemporary society.