2008.12.17
Human beings have long been transforming the natural environment to pursue progress. But few pay attention to exactly what we are doing and how nature reacts.
The exhibition "Ancient Futures" at Seoul Museum of Art NamSeoul in Namhyeon-dong tries to tell nature's side of the story.
"This is an opportunity for viewers to reflect on lost values," said Kim Woo-in, curator of the exhibition.
More than 60 works of various genres created by 15 artists seem to retort to humans, "Now look what happened!"
On the first floor, pieces of nature such as rocks and insect wings - often considered meaningless - are magnified, sculpted and photographed under the theme "Ecological Imagination - Principles of Life."
In Yeo-rak's space, hundreds of bones collected from roadkill are lined up behind glass. They are what remain after Yeo picked up the dead animals and cremated them. With what remained after cremation, the artist stuck them together and painted them. It looks like the ground, only hung on the wall.
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"Yeo's art signifies how everything, including small creatures, is connected in a giant circle of time," said Kim.
Upstairs in the "A Symbolized World - Paradise Regained" section, viewers can immediately sense that artists gave consideration to the thin line between the concept of artificial and natural.
Ever seen a deer with ammonites or corals instead of horns? Takuma Uematsu's white, alien-like figures, which are mixtures of various species, stand awkwardly on a table, genetically modified by humans.
In the next room, Son Jeong-eun created a 100 percent artificial paradise where wind blows, water flows and birds chirp.
"This shows how the border between artificial and natural has become vague, and reminds us of people's desire to possess nature," explained Kim.
This exhibition may not be a comforting display of dreamy art depicting flowery scenery, but it will give visitors something to think about.
The current exhibition runs through Feb. 15, 2009 at Seoul Museum of Art NamSeoul in southern Seoul. It is free of admission and closed on Mondays. For more information, call (02) 598-6247 or visit www.seoulmoa.org
By Park Min-young
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