[볼 만한 전시] 조각의 고정관념을 깨는 소마미술관 전시 3가지 리뷰

특히 세 번째 사진,

둥둥 떠있는 박선기씨의 작품이 개인적으로 가장 마음에 들었습니다♥

가까이서 보면 까만 단추처럼 둥둥 떠있는 숯인데,

멀리서보면 저런 모양이 +_+

 

Who ever said that sculptures have to be big, heavy and stuck to the ground? The Soma Museum of Art in Bangi-dong challenges conventional concepts of sculptures through its three exhibitions currently underway.

The first, "Drawing Sculpture: Build House in the Air," shows that the sense of volume, which is known as one of the key ingredients of sculptures, may not actually be such an essential point.

The title of the show implies how the six participating Korean installation artists and sculptors tried to lift their works up in the air like drawings ready to be hung on walls.

Most of the exhibits are not on the floor but float lightly in the exhibition rooms, as if they defy the law of gravity. Of course, the materials had to be quite a bit lighter than usual.

Take Bahk Seon-ghi's "An Aggregate" as an example.

Bahk connected black charcoal on nylon thread and let it hang from the ceiling, making it appear like little black buttons sewed in the air. Seen from a few steps back, viewers will be surprised to realize how the whole thing forms a picture of a threaded needle entering a big black button.

Another artist, Jeon Kang-ok, literally experimented with gravity by carefully placing some stones on fine threads which look like they are pulled out from nylon stockings. The zigzagged threads sparsely fill a box-like-space about as tall as a person.

"If someone jumps beside it, the stones will surely fall down. So the whole sculpture is filled with tension. The artist wanted to capture the moment right before gravity acts on the stones," commented Go Chung-hwan, an art critic.

The next exhibition and also the third in the museum's drawing show series of this year, "Drawing Now 03 -- Wood Meets Paper" showcases Spanish artist Boris Curatolo and American artist Mary Sullivan's collaborative work.

Curatolo, who usually works with wood, and Sullivan, who is well-known for her unique use of paper, have been working together on the "Wood Meets Paper" project for several years. They have shown their work in Brooklyn and Madrid before coming to Seoul.

Curatolo bends soft poplar trees and Sullivan covers them thinly with her specially made Abaka papers. The duo's squiggly works laced all over the ceiling and walls are reminiscent of musical notes, giving the whole a musical feel.

"Lightness and playfulness are the key point of the work," said Curatolo.

"Some people actually started to dance a little bit while looking at it in Brooklyn. Of course, there was always music present in the studio when we made the work."

"Shoebox," the third exhibition currently underway at the museum, proves that small sculptures can be just as meaningful as big ones. The show is actually a traveling exhibition hosted by the University of Hawaii Art Gallery. It has opened in various spots in the world every three years since 1982, and Seoul is its 10th venue.

"For the ease and economy of a traveling exhibition, all works were ordered to be made small enough to fit into shoeboxes," explained chief curator Elyn Y. Park.

This time, the exhibition displays 81 sculptures by 81 artists.

Despite the size, or perhaps thanks to it, the sculptures demonstrate the artists' endless creativity. The works feature full-range themes, from personal experiences and humor to political and social issues.

"Shoebox" runs through Aug. 16 and "Drawing Sculpture: Build house in the air" and "Drawing Now 03 -- Wood Meets Paper" runs through Aug. 30 at Soma Museum of Art in Bangi-dong, southeastern Seoul.

Admission for all three shows is 3,000 won for adults, 2,000 won for adolescents and 1,000 won for children. For more information visit www.somamuseum.org or call (02) 425-1077.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young