'Korea failing to promote its art'

Robert Turley, president of Korean Art Society, poses at Insa-dong.[ Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald]

To listen to Korean galleries and art insiders, Korean art seemed to have made it big overseas during the last few years, especially in the United States.

According to one New York art expert, that is not the case.

"Korean art culture is still so unknown in America, while everyone knows about the Japanese culture. You can ask any 7 year old and they would know what samurai is, but nobody knows what hwarang is," said president of Korean Art Society, Robert Turley.

Turley's art society is a non-profit organization based in the United States that holds events regarding Korean art, as well as publishing a semiannual journal and monthly newsletter. It was established in 2008 and currently has more than 1,200 members.

Turley fell in love with Korean art about 15 years ago during his first visit here. His friends took him to the National Museum of Korea, and the minute he stepped into the "cheongja" (blue porcelain) room it was love at first sight.

"I had never seen anything like that. They were so refined and the colors were so beautiful. Then we went to the Joseon Dynasty room to see buncheong, where I really couldn't believe how the same culture that made the refined cheongja could have also made the wild buncheong. It was like discovering some culture that invented both classical and jazz music," he said.

Dazzled, Turley told his friends to leave without him and stayed at the museum for the rest of the day, reading every single label there. Korean art became Turley's main love ever since then, though his wife is Japanese.

"It saddens me that more people do not know about Korean art. It would be like a world that has never heard of Beethoven. How empty would their lives be?"

Turley taught himself Korean history and culture, opened the Korean Art and Antiques Gallery in New York and started the society. He visits Korea two or three times a year to meet curators and browse artworks, and jumps at any chance to help promote them in New York.

Turley said, however, that he was disappointed to find out what a poor job the Korean government is doing to introduce its own art to other countries.

The recent Korean Art Show in New York in the first week of March was an example, he said. It was organized by the Galleries Association of Korea and Korea International Art Fair and supported by Korea's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports.

"It was a great opportunity to see much Korean art under one roof, but nobody knew about it. The opening day was packed, but after that it was a ghost town. I saw very few red dots in the whole place. I felt sorry for the galleries who had to pay a great amount of money for the booths and especially for the talented artists who must have poured in all their hopes and dreams into the show," he said.

According to KIAF, there were about 3,000 visitors to the six-day show, including 1,500 on the opening day. Only half of the participating galleries made sales.

Turley blamed the organizers' awful marketing for the poor results.

"The whole thing was like a big secret with hardly any promotion. I only found out about it a few days before the show. They had a one-page website, not much press exposure and a video on YouTube that had only 48 views," he said.

He asserted that Korean government really needs to change the attitude and the way of promoting its beautiful art.

The Korean Cultural Service in New York and Korean Cultural Center in L.A., - both operated by Korea's culture ministry - have great resources, but are getting the worst results due to poor marketing, he said.

"Korean Cultural Service, whose mission is to promote Korean culture to non-Koreans, answers the phone in Korean. It sounds like a small funny thing, but it is a big sign of their attitude," he said.

So before visiting Korea this time, Turley tried to contact Korea's culture ministry to discuss better ways to promote Korean art and to learn from each other. However, he got no answers.

"I would think they would try to reach me and have me help them. I am not asking for money or anything. My society is trying to help promote Korean art. I think I can do a lot for them," he said.

He hopes the attitude will change.

"Artists, galleries and the public will finally speak up. I would just like them to realize that it is not that difficult to make changes. The Korean president is always saying 'Let's promote the Korean brand.' Culture is the best way in doing that."

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

비디오 아티스트 박현기 회고전

A look back at video artist Park Hyun-ki

 

"Video Inclining Wate" by Park Hyun-ki [Gallery Hyundai]

If this man were alive, he might be asking for credit for the iPhone and iPod Touch's popular virtual beer drinking application.

In 1979, late video artist Park Hyun-ki captivated the audience at the Sao Paulo Biennale with the "Video Inclining Water" performance. The water image displayed on the TV monitor magically inclined from side to side according to how the artist held it.

Although overshadowed by late Paik Nam-june, this witty artist was doubtlessly one of Korea's video art pioneers.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Park's death, Gallery Hyundai organized a retrospective exhibition titled "The Pioneer of Korean Video Art Hyun-ki Park." Art insiders are showing great interest as it is a rare chance to see Park's representative works all together in a private gallery.

Including photos of the "Video Inclining Water" performance, about 20 of Park's videos and installations are on display.

Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1942, Park studied painting and architecture at Hongik University in Seoul. He then went to his hometown Daegu in the early 1970s and established an interior design firm there.

A few years later in 1974, Park encountered Paik Nam-june's video art "Global Groove" at the Daegu American Cultural Center for the first time. It changed his life forever, turning him into a passionate video artist.

Park's style - with the exception of using video - became somewhat different from Paik's rather universal style.

"As crucial as it was for Park to have encountered Paik's video works, Park's approach to video and technology rather resembles the growing interests of objects and materialism in Korean art of the 1970s, East Asian philosophies and the Japanese Mono-ha Movement, which rejected Western modernism that focused on artist expression or intervention," said Kang Tae-hi, professor at Korea National University of Arts.

Among the exhibits on display, "Video Stone Towers," Park's 1978 piece which became his trademark, sets a good example of his philosophy.

Park piled up stones and furtively placed a TV set on top of them. The TV also broadcasted images of the stones, connecting itself to the stones beneath it.

"Stones embrace ancient time and space. Working with stones is a procedure to ascertain limits to occidental science," Park had said.

This simple work had earned him tickets to the 1979 Sao Paulo Biennale and 1980 Paris Biennale.

Other works found at the exhibition such as "Monitor-Fishbowl," for which the whole TV set seems like a fishbowl as it views fish swimming in one, or "TV Seesaw," for which Park balanced a stone-featuring TV on one side and a real stone on the other, demonstrate his brilliant ideas as well as his philosophies.

The exhibition runs through March 28 at Gallery Hyundai in Sagan-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 2287-3500 or visit www.galleryhyundai.com

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

500년 만의 귀향 - 학고재 조선그림 전시

Returned Joseon paintings go on display

"Horses Graze on a Field" by an unknown Joseon painter [Hakgojae Gallery] Some Joseon Dynasty paintings that had been taken by the Japanese over the centuries are home for good and will be on public display for the first time. Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul, will present 30 pieces at the exhibition "Homecoming after 500 years' absence" which will open on Wednesday. It is part of the gallery's collection of nearly 500 old Joseon paintings. During the last 10 years, Hakgojae searched for the paintings in overseas auctions such as Sotheby's and Christie's, and met many individual collectors in Japan. Compared to how easily the artworks flew out of the country, the private gallery had to put in so much effort and pay such big prices to bring them back. The sad part is that Japan still possesses more than 61,000 pieces of Korean relics, or about 60 percent of the nation's relics currently in foreign countries. At the exhibition, visitors can see what kind of Joseon paintings the Japanese liked back then. "These paintings are like representatives of the first hallyu in Japan. As the Japanese always craved for the continent, or more specifically China, they preferred landscapes, animal paintings or paintings that show ancient Chinese history," said Lee Tae-ho, professor at Myongji University and the organizer of the exhibition.

"Japan thought of Korea as a window that shows the continental culture. They took home many Chinese style paintings from Joseon," added Woo Chan-kyu, director of Hakgojae Gallery.

Among the exhibits, visitors can find 10 paintings that feature ancient Chinese history. They contain landscapes and stories related to famous Chinese writers of the time such as Wang Hsichih, Li Po and Tu Fu.

Animal paintings feature animals that were considered auspicious in Joseon like tigers, hawks and horses.

Horses, especially, symbolized the king's power as Joseon, which was a country established by soldiers. There were more than 120 stock farms throughout the country and even a separate government department that managed them.

The painting "Horses Graze in a Field" depicts a farm scene. Various kinds of horses appear in the 34 cm tall and 119.5 cm wide painting. It is assumed to have been painted by a royal artist to be shown to the king.

The exhibition runs from March 10 to April 25 at Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 720-1524 or visit www.hakgojae.com

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

99세의 예술가- 루이스 부르주아

Louise Bourgeois still vigorous at 99

 

The flower paintings exhibited at Kukje Gallery in Sogyuk-dong, central Seoul, demonstrate such daring lines and intense red colors that not many would imagine it was done by a 99-year-old artist.

But the fact becomes comprehensible when told that it was Louise Bourgeois, one of the most renowned feminism artists of the late 20th century, who painted them.

In Korea, she is well-known for her giant spider-shaped-sculpture "Maman" placed on the front yard of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, central Seoul.

The French sculptor and painter, still passionate about her work, made several new pieces for her Seoul exhibition "Les Fleurs" during the last three years sitting on her wheelchair.

"Her body is getting old but she is still sound in mind. She seems to be still full of ideas. We are grateful to have found her and to be showing her latest works," said Lee Hyun-suk, director of Kukje Gallery.

Bourgeois could be called a late bloomer, as her work was recognized in the art world only after she entered her 60s.

But since her late debut, she managed to conquer so many genres -- from elegant drawings and monumental bronzes to hand-sewn patchworks, dolls and room-sized installation works.

She was the first female artist to hold a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1982 and was awarded the Lion d'Or at the 48th Venice Biennale in 1999.

At the exhibition currently underway, Bourgeois is displaying 29 paintings and three sculptures, including some that are showing for the first time.

"For Bourgeois, the purpose of this exhibition was to find out what was the most important thing in her life. She said that it was 'sexuality,' which has been the main theme of her work for a long time," said Yu Jin-sang, an art critic.

The underlying concept of sexuality in her works was provoked by her father. He has been involved with a lot of women, and young Bourgeois was especially shocked to find out about her father's affairs with her resident tutor.

Since then, she wondered about the origin of men's lust or what it means for a woman to meet a man, and sublimated her thoughts through art. At Kukje Gallery, visitors can peek into her thoughts shown on flower drawings and sculptures.

"Flowers are like letters that I cannot send. It helps me forgive my father's infidelities and soften my hostility. Flowers are like forgiving letters that talk about rebirth and compensation," Bourgeois has said.

In her latest works, Bourgeois took a step further and expanded the sexuality concept into motherhood and women. She adopted flowers also as symbols for women, motherhood and vitality.

Paintings of a pregnant woman or red flowers with five buds -- in which each bud represents one of her five family members -- show glimpses of Bourgeois' maternal love.

The exhibition runs through March 31 at Kukje Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 733-8449 or visit www.kukjegallery.com

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

일본 고지도에 나타난 "독도" "동해" 표기

Old maps point to Dokdo and the East Sea

 

Old maps serve as crucial evidence to prove whether a territory belongs to a certain country and not another.

The Northeast Asian History Foundation is currently hosting the exhibition "East Sea and Dokdo in Old Maps" at the National Assembly Library in Yeouido, southwestern Seoul.

A total of 40 old maps featuring the East Sea and Dokdo are on display at the exhibition.

Dated between 1531 and 1929, the majority of the maps are in fact from Japan, which has claimed sovereignty over Dokdo and the designation of the sea east of the Korean Peninsula, despite their own maps saying otherwise. The remaining maps have been drawn up by Westerners or Koreans.

Among the exhibits, 14 maps including "Carte de l'Empire du Japon" by French geographer Jacques Nicolas Bellin in 1752, "Touzai Chikyu Bangkoku Zenzu" by Japanese cartographer Nobuaki Kurihara in 1848 and "Dainihon Zenzu" by the Military Affairs Bureau of Japan in 1877 are shown to the public for the first time.

"I hope this initial event will serve as a modest step toward useful discussions and dialogue between Korea and Japan," said Chung Jae-jeong, president of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, at the opening ceremony.

"By relishing these exquisite old maps, I hope, the viewers will understand that the sea located east of the Korean peninsula has long been called 'East Sea' and that the Japanese themselves have long reckoned Dokdo to be part of Korean territory."

Indeed, the majority of Japanese maps published prior to 1905 claim Dokdo as Korean territory and colored it the same as the Korean peninsula.

On "Sangoku Setsujo Chizu," one of the five maps included in the "Sangoku Txuran Zusetsu" published by Shihei Hayashi in 1785, Dokdo is not only orange, the same color as the peninsula, but also has a note, "Possessed by Joseon," written next to it in Japanese.

On "Shintei Bangkoku Zenzu," the official map of the Japanese government produced by Kageyasu Takahashi in 1809, Dokdo and Ulleungdo are placed next to Wonsan Bay in the area marked as "Sea of Joseon."

More clearly, Dokdo was completely excluded on such Japanese maps as the "Dainihon Zenzu" by Japan's Military Affairs Bureau in 1877, "Oki Chizu on a scale of 1:200,000" by Japan's Land Survey Board in 1889 and "Shimaneken Zenzu" by Rikinosuke Ando in 1929.

The map "Isotakeshima Ryakuzu" was attached to the formal document sent to the Department of the Interior of Japan by Dajokan, or Japan's Great Council of State, in 1877. To the department's question about the inclusion of Ulleungdo and the other island - known as Dokdo - in the Japanese National Land Registry, Dajokan had replied that Japan had no relationship with either island.

Dokdo was also recognized as Korean territory on many old European maps such as "Royaume de Coree" by French royal geographer Jean Baptiste Bourguignon D'Anville in 1737, "Map of Joseon's Eastern Seashore" by the Russian Navy Hydrographic Service in 1857 and "Kang Neung" by the French Army Map Service in 1904.

On those maps, Dokdo is referred to as "Tchian-chan-tao," "Liancourt Rocks," "Hornet Rocks," "Menelai" or "Olivutsa."

Regarding the name "East Sea," it is notable that certain old maps printed in European countries such as Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom had used the name even before it was marked as such on some Korean maps.

In "Asia Antiqua et Nova" by German geographer and historian Philip Cluver in 1690, the sea placed east to the Korean Peninsula, is named "Mare Eoum," which means a sea in the east in Latin.

"The World in Two Hemispheres" by the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1737 and "A Map of Marco Polo's Voyages" by Emanuel Bowen in 1744 also labeled the area as "Eastern Sea" or "Sea in the East."

The exhibition runs through March 9 at the Browsing Room and Gallery on the second floor of the National Assembly Library in Yeouido.

For more information, visit National Assembly Library at www.nanet.go.kr

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

 

뉴욕에서 한국아트페어 열린다

Korean art to capture Big Apple

 

Korean art is going to New York.

The Korean Art Show, organized by the Galleries Association of Korea and Korea International Art Fair and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, kicks off at La Venue in New York, tomorrow.

The show could not be better timed, as March is the when art fairs in New York come into full bloom. The Armory Show, SCOPE, PULSE, Red Dot and VOLTA will coincide with the Korean Art Show.

"This exhibition will be a milestone in introducing Korean art to an international audience and in giving recognition to the exciting and compelling contemporary art currently being produced in Korea. Our mission is to show the world the talent and unique vision of Korean artists while connecting them to international collectors from across the globe," said the organizers through statement.

Korean Art Show features 24 top-tier galleries from Korea including Gallery Hyundai, Gana Art Gallery, Leehwaik Gallery and Pyo Gallery.

More than 100 artists, ranging from the rising ones to veterans, will be exhibiting paintings, photographs, installation works and media arts.

The show will also promote KIAF 2010, which will be held this September in Seoul. KIAF is Korea's biggest art fair, and has been organized by Galleries Association of Korea since 2002. It has earned a global reputation as one of Asia's most promising art fairs.

Korean Art Show runs through March 7 at La Venue, New York. La Venue is located on the first floor of The Terminal Stores, 608 West 28th Street, New York. A shuttle bus runs from The Armory Show and SCOPE to Korean Art Show. Admission is $10.

For more information, visit www.koreanartshow.com

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

누구나 참여할 수 있는 미술로 아이티돕기!

Help Haiti through art

 

If you want to help earthquake victims in Haiti, consider donating your artistic talent.

A group of amateur artists has organized a project "Art Helps Haiti," in which anybody who likes art can donate their creations or proceeds from their work.

Professional artists can donate their existing work, while both professional artists and ordinary citizens can visit Seoul Art Space in Seogyo-dong, central Seoul, through March 5 to make your own. The center will provide the space as well as basic art materials.

All proceeds from sales will be donated to UNICEF for relief activities in Haiti.

"It started out from the question 'what can art do to help Haitians.' Through the project we can connect creation with donation, and lend hope to our global neighbors who are in a desperate situation," said Jeong Eun-hye, a representative of Changong Village, the project organizer.

Changong Village is a community of amateur artists who aim to help the world with their creations. They support fellow amateur artists and come up with creative ways to invigorate small donations through art.

Following the completion of the project, the donated works will be shown at an exhibition and auctioned online.

Pop singer Koo Jun-yup is one of the participants in the project. He is a former member of boy group Clon and is now also known as DJ Koo.

"He majored in art and is known to be quite an art lover who collects art and exhibits them in the bar he runs. He agreed with the project's purpose and decided to join in to help art get closer to the public," said Jeong.

"Art Helps Haiti" runs through March 5 at Seoul Art Space and will open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for those wishing to join in the project. It is closed on Mondays.

The exhibition of donated works will take place at the same venue from March 6 to 7. Visitors can buy a "support ticket" for 10,000 won and win an artwork through a raffle.

The online auction will run from March 6 to 12 at www.artpoli.com

For more information, visit Seoul Art Space at www.seoulartspace.or.kr and cafe.naver.com/chang0village

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young