국립현대미술관 아시아리얼리즘 전시 리뷰

Asian realism blurs fact and fiction

We expect to find the truth in realism paintings. But seeing the works displayed at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, in central Seoul, that does not seem to be always the case, especially if they were created during extraordinary situations like war.

The museum is currently showcasing 104 realism paintings from ten different Asian countries ― South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and India ― at the exhibition “Realism in Asian Art.” All exhibits, except the paintings by Korean artists, are shown in the country for the first time.

Kim In-hye, curator at the museum and Joyce Fan, curator from the National Art Gallery, Singapore, co-organized the exhibition. A smaller scale exhibition featuring 79 paintings was held in Singapore in April.

“Organizing the exhibition depended a lot on the nation’s political and diplomatic situations. It was most difficult to bring artworks from China while it was smoother with India, because Korea is having good relations with the country after signing a free trade agreement. The officials in India lent us some paintings that they did not allow to be exhibited in Singapore,” said Kim.

“We also considered getting paintings on loan from North Korea, although it did not happen for many reasons. One of them was that we could not contact any North Korean scholars to discuss the paintings with. We thought it was not fair to select works solely based on our point of views,” said Kim.

“Rice Planting” by Filipino artist Fernando Amorsolo National Museum of Contemporary Art

Displayed artworks meticulously reflect the countries’ political, economical and cultural situations at the time, or sometimes intrigue the viewers to search for the real truth hidden under the thick layers of paint.

“Courtesan” by Japanese artist Takahashi                                                  Yuichi National Museum of Contemporary Art

Among the exhibits, a state-commissioned war painting titled “Engineering Corps Constructing a Bridge in Malaya” by Japanese artist Shimizu Toshi is a good example of a realism painting that stretched the truth.

The painting shows Japanese soldiers building a bridge in Malaysia, which the British army had destroyed, in order launch an attack on Singapore in 1942. The artist, however, included locals helping the Japanese soldiers in the painting to glorify the professed intent of the army that the construction was carried out with the ultimate aim of liberating Asia.

Hanging across from the painting is Singaporean artist Koeh Sia Yong‘s “Persecution,” which depicts the massive purge of ethnic Chinese there by Japanese soldiers, a painful moment in Singapore’s history. The positioning of the two paintings renders the Japanese artist’s point of view a bit strange even if one is not aware of the exact history of the time.

“Most of the official war paintings were taken from the colonizer’s view. We must remember what such paintings were for. They were to promote the wars and to justify their actions. When you look at the Japanese paintings and other paintings taking different points of views, you can realize which is by the aggressor and which is by the victim,” said Fan.

Although all exhibits obviously fall into the “realism” category and are from the same continent, each work features a unique style derived from the artists’ traditional cultures.

Japanese artist Takashi Yuichi, for instance, used multiple layers of white lead to depict the rosy cheek of the woman in the painting “Courtesan.” It was a technique often used in Japanese traditional paintings. Vietnamese artist Nguyen Gia Tri, on the other hand, added layers of lacquer to better express black and gold colors. It was a traditional style of painting in Vietnam.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 10 at The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, in central Seoul. Tickets range from 2,000 won to 5,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2188-6000 or asia.moca.go.kr

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)

 

 

Exhibitions remember the Korean War_한국전쟁관련 전시들

One photo captures the highly charged tension at Panmunjeom where soldiers from South Korea and North Korea stand face to face. Another depicts high-level soldiers from the two countries carefully walking down a street covered with snow, holding hands.

“We are living in a divided nation, but once the physical walls are torn down, we will hardly feel the sense of difference from each other. We think of each other like enemies but we are still the same people. We can hold hands, as you can see in the photos,” said Kim Nyung-man, a photographer.

“The strain between the South and the North has become more extreme ever since the sinking of the Cheonan. The division is the biggest problem in our nation right now and peace seems difficult to reach at this stage. I wanted to provide an opportunity to take another look at our situation.”

Kim will showcase the photos he took while covering Panmunjeom during his journalist days from the 1980s to 1990s at his solo exhibition “Finding Hope at the Divided Scene” at Topohaus in Gwanhun-dong, central Seoul, starting Wednesday.

As today marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, many exhibitions including Kim’s are being held to commemorate the war, which now only a small number of people remember firsthand.

“JSA” by Nanda Daelim Contemporary Art Museum

Another photo exhibition of a much bigger scale kicks off today at Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Tongui-dong, central Seoul.

Organized by the museum and the Ministry of National Defense, the exhibition “On the Line” features over 170 photos by 10 Korean photographers, including Joo Myung-duck, Kang Woon-gu, Koo Bohn-chang and Nanda.

“No matter how hard we try to explain it to them, the Japanese Invasion of Korea or the Korean War are not much different to today’s youths. So instead of trying to explain the tragedy through language, we are giving it a new try through art,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae.

“Division” by Kim Nyung-man Kim Nyung-man

The exhibits are not the records of the past, but a mirror of the present. The photographers spent four months earlier this year capturing the influence of the Korean War on our lives today.

Because the photographers’ ages range from 30 to 70, visitors can see how the recognition of the war and its influence today greatly varies according to different age groups.

“The older generation is conservative, asserting that nothing can be traded for national security, while the younger generation tends to think that wars have nothing to do with them. We tried to include photographers of different ages to show the diversity of recognition. The exhibition will also be an opportunity to see the different techniques the young and old artists use. Old photographers still use film cameras and print the photos by hand themselves while younger photographers use digital cameras and Photoshop,” said Shin Sue-jin, director of the exhibition.

The exhibition will travel to the U.S. and Britain after the Seoul show. The book containing the exhibited photos is published in Korean and English and will be distributed to public libraries in all 16 countries that participated in the Korean War.

“Division” by Kim Nyung-man Kim Nyung-man

National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, gathered paintings, sculptures and drawings that depicted the Korean War and the tragic division of the peninsula for “The Forgotten War, The Reality of Division” which opens today.

About 60 pieces by eight artists including cartoonist Kim Seong-hwan, Lee Cheol-ee, Park Seong-hwan, Lim Ok-sang and Kim Jae-hong are on display.

The National Folk Museum of Korea in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, is taking an extraordinary approach to commemorate the Korean War, by throwing a consolation party for 12 old women named “Geumsoon” who had to leave their homes in the North and take refuge in the South during the war. The party was held on Tuesday during the opening of the exhibition “Geumsoon: Overcome Adversity.”

The exhibition is divided in to four parts. The first section looks back on the Korean War through the eyes of non-Koreans using films and photos shot by foreigners, the second part reminds the viewers how the refugees had to suffer, while the third section showcases the influence of Western culture after the war. The final section sheds light on the tragedy that many dispersed families and displaced people still have to live with. Most of the exhibits are personal items donated or on loan from people who survived the war.

An experience zone is set up at the exhibition where visitors can check out propaganda leaflets made by the two Koreas, China and the United Nations during wartime, and write letters to soldiers.

“Finding Hope at the Divided Scene” runs from June 30 to July 13 at Topohaus. For more information, call (02) 734-7555 or visit www.topohaus.com.

“On the Line” runs through Aug. 20 at Daelim Contemporary Art Museum. Tickets are 1,000 won. For more information, call (02) 333-0664 or visit www.ontheline.co.kr.

“The Forgotten War, The Reality of Division” runs through Dec. 26 at National Museum of Contemporary Art. For more information, call (02) 2188-6000 or visit www.moca.go.kr.

“Geumsoon: Overcome Adversity” runs through Aug.23 at The National Folk Museum of Korea. For more information, visit www.nfm.go.kr.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

갤러리시리즈_7_PKM갤러리 박경미대표

[Gallery Talk] PKM initiates new way of running gallery

 

This is the seventh in a 10-part series on prominent art galleries in Korea. – Ed

Park Kyung-mee, president of PKM Gallery in Hwa-dong, central Seoul, and PKM Trinity Gallery in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, is a role model for many curators in Korea.

She worked as a curator for 11 years at Kukje Gallery and individually, and gradually grew to become one of the most influential figures in the Korean art field. She successfully curated a number of major art events, including the 2001 Venice Biennale for which Park was the commissioner of the Korean pavilion. Park finally opened her own gallery in Hwa-dong after the Biennale.

“My basic thought on Korean contemporary art has always been the same; that we need a paradigm shift from the older artists to the younger ones. It has slowly changed that way, so I think I have chosen the right direction,” said Park.

PKM Trinity Gallery which Park opened in 2008 usually holds large exhibitions on established foreign artists but PKM Gallery in Hwa-dong still features experimental works by young artists based on Park’s original standard of values.

Park Kyung-mee, president of PKM Gallery     Ahn Hoon / The Korea Herald

Park had also opened a branch in Beijing in 2006, the sixth Korean gallery to launch in China, but it was closed down last December. “It did not show a loss but did not operate in the black either. It was worse because the market was so bad last winter. China is yet not a mature place for full-fledged contemporary art to be showcased. So it was still meaningful that PKM Gallery Beijing got to introduce some fresh, leading contemporary arts in China,” said Park.

Park has no immediate plans to open another gallery outside of Korea. Instead, she will be focusing more on the domestic market, said Park. That is why PKM, one of the Korean galleries most spotted at international art fairs, did not participate at the recent Hong Kong fair.

“We have been slowing down our participation in international art fairs since last year, because we know that holding exhibitions on our home ground is important, too. But we are considering participating in the next year’s Hong Kong fair,” said Park.

Park has been famous for her discerning eye for talented artists ever since her days as a curator. She still organizes exhibitions and selects artists herself. But as she now has a tighter schedule as a director, she came up with an innovative outsourcing system for the gallery in cooperation with Bartleby Bickle & Meursault, an art consulting and publishing firm, last year.

“James Lee, the director of BB&M and I have known each other for more than 15 years and our eyes for contemporary art and artists are very similar. As the gallery gets bigger, it becomes impossible for me to be in charge of everything. So I wanted to try something new; something that is not too off the mark from what I would have done but is still more active,” she said.

BB&M works exclusively with PKM. It takes care of the exhibitions and artists at the Hwa-dong gallery. The two have held several shows this year, including the solo exhibition by installation artist Park Chan-kyong -- film director Park Chan-wook’s brother -- which ended last weekend. This kind of partnership is more common among galleries outside of Korea, but it is a new approach here, said Park.

Starting this year, Park is also trying out a new system to develop young and talented artists in the form of a contest. PKM will announce a medium every year and young artists between 25 to 30 years of age can submit their works that correspond to the medium. This year’s medium is drawing, and submissions are open through Friday.

So what kind of artist, exactly, is PKM looking for?

“Contemporary artists should express a contemporaneousness which can be read through a universal context. And also, most importantly, they should work hard,” said Park.

“When a certain gallery’s artists’ become established, the gallery’s value is increased as well. I hope PKM can develop and get a hold of many artists who will become big and the gallery can also become the top and stay there for a long time as well.”

For more information on PKM Gallery or PKM Trinity Gallery, visit www.pkmgallery.com.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

테오얀센의 바다괴물들

Jansen’s ‘Strandbeests’ stomp into Korea

 

Video clips of weird looking creatures wandering, or sometimes racing, around the delft beach in the Netherlands were a hit on YouTube a few years ago.

The animal-like-creatures, called “Strandbeests,” were created by Dutch artist Theo Jansen who soon rose to stardom and was dubbed the Leonardo Da Vinci of the 21st century.

Jansen studied physics in college but became a painter after graduation. His knowledge of physics, however, did not disappear. He started to make some whimsical gadgets in the 1980s, such as a machine that automatically paints paintings.

In 1990, Jansen made his first Strandbeest called “Animaris Vulgaris.” Made of plastic tubes, nylon strings and rubber bands, Jansen’s works move solely by wind power.

“I sent a flying object up in the air on one cloudy day and it was the talk of town in the Netherlands for three months, mistaken as a UFO,” said the 61-year-old artist at a recent press conference.

Jansen’s works will be on show for the first time in Korea at the exhibition “Theo Jansen -- Animals modular” which starts this weekend at Gwacheon National Science Museum in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Theo Jansen and his work “Animaris Umerus” KR Holdings Company

Of 25 Strandbeests Jansen has created, 17 of them, including “Animaris Vulgaris,” and “Animaris Ordis,” which was specially made for a BMW TV commercial, will be on display. The exhibition will also reveal Jansen’s latest piece, “Animaris Umerus,” for the first time.

Visitors will get a chance to see how Jansen’s creatures evolved through time. Though his latest creations still move by wind power, he added some sensors using plastic bottles so that the beasts could automatically change direction when they touch water.

”Like how our body is restricted by protein, which our body is made of, my creatures are restricted by plastic tubes. So I put in efforts to improve its functions and many people, including myself, found the results beautiful,” said Jansen.

“I had promised myself that I would only do the work for a year, but I am still doing it as if it were some kind of a disease. But I am so happy that I caught the disease.”

The United Nations Environment Program is planning to establish a Theo Jansen award in July, as his works usually feature environmental elements such as new energy. Jansen will be the first winner of the prize.

“I’m honored. They also offered me the chance to be the publicity ambassador but I am not sure if I would take it or not because I’m worried I will not be able to concentrate on my work,” said Jansen.

The exhibition runs from Saturday through Oct. 17 at Gwacheon National Science Museum in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. The museum is located near Seoul Grand Park Station on Subway Line No. 4, Exit 5. Tickets range from 4,000 won to 13,000 won. For more information, visit www.theojansen.co.kr.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

갤러리시리즈_6_대안공간 루프 서진석대표

[Gallery Talk] Gallery Loop to spread Asian art

 

This is the sixth in a 10-part series on prominent art galleries in Korea. – Ed

Korea’s contemporary art market, culture and environment have greatly changed over the last 10 years, according to Suh Jin-suk, director of Gallery Loop.

Along with Project Space Sarubia and Art Space Pool, Gallery Loop has been one of the nation’s leading non-profit alternative art spaces since its establishment in 1999.

“Alternative spaces have changed their goal and role in accordance with such changes. They should, because if they don‘t, they will become mainstream,” said Suh.

The biggest goal of alternative spaces ten years ago was to discover and support young artists but this is no longer the case, asserted Suh.

Gallery Loop director Suh Jin-suk Park Hae-mook/ The Korea Herald

“There was no such thing as a proper art market or the concept of professional artists in Korea back then. Over 97 percent of the galleries lent their spaces to artists, which meant young and talented artists who could not afford the rent could not survive. But after the Korean art market really got bigger in the mid-2000s, most galleries and museums started to support young artists as if they were trying to prebuy good products. So, supporting new artists is not as important as it was before. We used to assign more than 90 percent of our exhibitions to young artists but now that figure is about 30 percent,” he said.

“Now we have another goal, to lessen the gap between Asian art and world art, which seems to have grown wider in the last ten years. It has become important for everything to reach a certain global standard after the worldwide economic crisis. We are building international networks and actively participating in exchanges to reach the goal.”

The Asia Art Award, a newly created combination of an art prize ceremony, exhibition and forum jointly organized by CJ Culture Foundation, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and Gallery Loop, is one good example. The first AAA winner, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, also took home the Palme D’Or at Cannes International Film Festival last month.

“AAA is designed to discover and cultivate the talents of young Asian artists and provide them with a system that will support the international promotion and circulation of their art. We receive more positive responses from overseas than from Korea. I even saw a Japanese webzine criticizing their country for not having initiated such a project,” said Suh.

Though many commercial galleries and museums are also aiming for the world market by collaborating with foreign galleries and artists, Suh said the approach taken by alternative spaces is different.

“It is different because we don’t just deal with artworks and exhibitions. We focus on creating a discourse. About 20 to 30 curators participated in the AAA, for example. It is not a one-time event but the basis of building a new infrastructure,” said Suh.

It is not an easy task to run an alternative art space, however, due to financial reasons. Ssamzie, which used to be one of the leading alternative art spaces, recently closed down as the group Ssamzie went bankrupt.

“Yes, it is hard to raise funds because alternative spaces usually lack popularity and most enterprises only support projects that are popular. Loop is run 40 percent by government support, 30 percent by funds raised through art projects and enterprises, and 30 percent by the fund from a design firm under Gallery Loop.”

But this does not mean that alternative art spaces have to force themselves to get closer with the public, he said.

“We don’t have to, because we are supposed to suggest new trends. But I do think that the gap between Loop and the public has narrowed much compared to when we started. Many non-professionals visit the Loop while only students who major in art or professionals in art used to come. I think more people are starting to love experimental works and I am sure that the line between professionals and non-professionals is blurring,” he said.

“I hope Gallery Loop can suggest a new platform in the world market and show what kind of meaning Asian art can have in the world contemporary art. Personally, I hope I can become one of the most important curators in the world.”

For more information on Gallery Loop, visit www.galleryloop.com.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

코리안 아이, 런던에서.

London eyes Korean art, again

 

Standard Chartered Bank, London’s Saatchi Gallery and Korean Eye once again rolled up their sleeves to promote Korean art in Britain.

The exhibition “Korean Eye: Fantastic Ordinary” will feature works by 12 Korean contemporary artists at Saatchi Gallery, one of Britain’s most prominent galleries.

The gallery had only lent the venue for last year’s exhibition titled “Korean Eye: Moon Generation,” but decided to take a bigger role this year as one of the organizers.

“A year ago, we started the inaugural Korean Eye exhibition and did not know it would have such an immediate success. More than 40,000 people visited the exhibition within two weeks so it was extended four times and was there for over three months,” said David Ciclitira, founder of Korean Eye, at the press conference on Tuesday.

Phillips de Pury enabled sales of the exhibits at last year’s show but since the auction house is not participating this year, the focus will be less on sales and more on the quality of the exhibition.

“The Costume of Painter — Phantom of Museum D. W. House harp ds” by Bae Joon-sung Korean Eye

A bigger and more international board of curators including Johnson Chang, director of Hanart Gallery in China, Amelie von Wedel, director of Wedel Fine Art, Serenella Ciclitira, Korean Eye Co-Founder and Honorary Fellow of Royal College of Arts, Rodman Primack, Philips de Pury Chairman, Jiyoon Lee, director of Suum Art Project in Korea, and Lee Dae-hyung, director of H-Zone in Korea, promised a high-quality exhibition.

“We are showcasing more works by a smaller number of artists this time, so this exhibition will be an opportunity to take an in-depth look at Korean contemporary art,” said Lee Dae-hyung.

The participating artists, including Bae Joon-sung, Kim Hyun-soo, Shin Mee-kyoung and Bae Chan-hyo, are younger, and their work is more experimental compared to the art in last year’s exhibition.

Another notable point about the exhibition is that it is heading for more world markets.

“This year we have expanded the boundaries of the exhibition to start in London at the Saatchi Gallery, then move on to Singapore in September and finally on to Seoul to coincide with the G20 Summit in November,” said Ciclitira.

Standard Chartered Bank increased its support fund from $60,000 to $600,000 this year for the traveling exhibition. It also announced its plans to support the big scale Korean contemporary art exhibition which is planned during the London Olympics in 2012, using the entire Saatchi Gallery exhibition space.

Korean Eye exhibition plans to continue for two more years and expand its venues to more international cities in the United Arab Emirates, China and Japan.

The organizers are publishing “Korean Eye Contemporary Korean Art,” a book on Korean contemporary art, in English as well. The book will be launched on July 5.

“The Korean Eye book, published by SKIRA, will become the first English-language book on Korean contemporary art and artists,” said Ciclitira.

The exhibition will first run from July 3-18 at Saatchi Gallery in London and then move to Singapore on September and back in Seoul on November. For more information, go to www.KoreanEye.org.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

 

갤러리 시리즈 _4_ 선화랑 김창실 대표

‘Artworks should be judged by quality, not by price’

 

This is the fourth in a 10-part series on prominent art galleries in Korea. – Ed

Sun Gallery president Kim Chang-sil was running about in high heels in her gallery in Insa-dong, central Seoul, answering her endlessly ringing cellphone and checking every little detail, on a Thursday afternoon.

The 75 year old is still the busiest person in the gallery, 33 years after she stepped into the world of art dealing. She had many titles over the years, including two terms as the president of the Galleries Association of Korea.

“It is hard, but I have to do it because I feel a sense of responsibility,” she said, turning the key to her office, tucked away in the back room on the gallery’s fourth floor.

There, through Kim’s collection of her favorite artworks, photos of her family and those she took with VIPs like President Lee Myung-bak, awards she won and books she wrote, one can see her efforts and achievements over the years.

“Once I decide to do something, I have to do it right. I decided to start a culture business, so I am running a culture business, as it should be run,” she said, taking a seat on an antique couch she bought nearly 40 years ago, before she opened the gallery in 1977.

Kim Chang-sil, president of Sun Gallery, sits on the sculpture “Rest” by Kim Myung-sook. Kim Myung-sub/ The Korea Herald

Sun Gallery contributed much to Korea‘s art scene, introducing numerous talented local and international artists to the Korean public. Sun Art, a quarterly magazine which was published by the gallery for 13 years, contributed to raising awareness of art among the public and the annual Sun Art Award, established in 1984, is still well-recognized in the field. In 2008, Kim opened an atelier in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, which provides free accommodation and studio space for artists.

It is no surprise that Kim was honored with an Order of Cultural Merit last year. It was the first time that a gallery owner was given the prize.

Kim has been interested in art ever since she was a child, as she grew up in a relatively privileged family which encouraged cultural experiences.

“I thought all family should naturally have music and art in their homes,” she confessed.

But since her father insisted that women, too, should have a certain skill to make a living, Kim studied medicine at Ewha Womans University and opened a pharmacy. She later quit that job and concentrated on educating her children after her marriage, but her interest in art did not fade away.

One day, she came across Do Sang-bong’s painting “Lilac” and bought it. It was her first collection. One thing led to another and Kim decided to open her own gallery.

“I just wanted to see more artworks of good quality and collect them,” said Kim.

Her love for art greatly influenced her daughter, Lee Myung-jin, as Lee one day gave up her dream to be a pianist and announced that she wanted to follow in Kim’s footsteps. Lee opened a gallery of her own, Gallery Sun Contemporary in Sogyuk-dong, Seoul.

Does she give advices to her daughter every now and then?

“Young people these days do not like to be lectured,” said Kim, laughing. But she did point out some important values in running a gallery.

“The key is to walk a straight path. The art business suffers from many problems these days because so many galleries just focus on making money. They frantically try to raise the value of their affiliated artists only, making other galleries and artists suffer. I’ve been asked to participate in auctions, several times, but I never do it because I do not want to hurt other galleries,” said Kim.

“Take Park Soo Keun for example. He too, is another bestselling artist created by galleries, although I do think he is one of the greatest artists in Korea. Some thoughtless investors simply buy the works because galleries say it is good. But artworks should be assessed and selected for their good quality, not for their English or French translation. We don’t buy French artists’ works because we speak good French, do we?”

In fact, the word “sun” in the gallery’s name is from the Chinese letter that means “to select,” not the one that means “nice,” she explained.

For the gallery’s last exhibition which commemorated its 33rd anniversary, Kim carefully selected pieces by 363 Korean artists. The unprecedented exhibition, which showed off Kim’s influence in the art business was given a favorable reception.

The gallery’s upcoming exhibition is on Lisa Vershbow, a metal craft artist perhaps better known here as the wife of Alexander Vershbow, a former U.S. ambassador to Korea. Her exhibition starts on Wednesday.

It was Kim who had offered Vershbow to showcase her works in Korea for the first time at Sun Gallery, four years ago.

“I saw her works first and liked them very much. Her works are peculiar, as she does not use gemstones to make jewelry. She is a hardworking artist who is very well recognized in the U.S.,” said Kim, fingering a long broach on her collar that was made by Vershbow.

For more information on Sun Gallery or on Lisa Vershbow’s exhibition, call (02) 734-0458 or visit www.sungallery.co.kr.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldm.com)

비엔나에서 열린 북한미술특집전

N.K. leader portraits on display in Vienna

 

Amid heightened tensions here following the sinking of a South Korean Naval ship, apparently by the North in March, a little known side of North Korea is being shown at a venue far from the Korean Peninsula.

Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts, or MAK, offers an exhibition titled “Flowers for Kim Il Sung,” a first-ever comprehensive look at North Korean contemporary art outside of the country.

Through cooperation with Korean Art Gallery and the Paektusan Academy of Architecture, both in Pyongyang, the show features more than 100 oil, ink and watercolor paintings, 30 posters and some architecture models and photographs from the world’s most isolated communist country.

MAK had to go through “extensive negotiations” with the relevant ministry in Pyongyang, said Peter Noever, director of MAK.

“It took a long time for the museum to persuade the skeptical North Koreans to let them include the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il portraits in the show,” Noever told the press. As a result, 16 portraits of the former and current North Korean leaders are seen at the show, for the first time outside of North Korea, according to the museum officials.

Persuading North Koreans, however, was not the only problem. The Austrian government also raised doubts about the exhibition, criticizing MAK for working with the Pyongyang regime. But Noever rejected suggestions that the museum is supporting the regime.

“The exhibition should in no way be viewed as a political statement, but rather purely as a unique opportunity to examine the idealizing art of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is hardly known at all. With this showing at the MAK, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has broken through its isolation -- at least in terms of artistic production,” said Noever.

Currently in the spotlight in North Korea is a culture determined by the all-encompassing worship of “Eternal President” Kim Il-sung and his currently reigning son Kim Jong-il, and characterized by Juche ideology, a North Korea-specific interpretation of socialism.

The works are created by artists who occupy a special status in North Korea, according to MAK. All are members of the state artist association, paid a monthly salary and have to produce a certain number of paintings.

The exhibition runs through Sept. 5 at MAK. For more information, visit www.MAK.at.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

 

갤러리 시리즈_ 학고재 우찬규 대표

Hakgojae pursues art with Korean roots

 

This is the third in a 10-part series on prominent art galleries in Korea. – Ed

Seeing the graceful Korean style roof and the contrasting modern interior of Hakgojae Gallery in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, one gets a feeling that there is something special about the gallery.

This hunch is confirmed upon learning the meaning of the word Hakgojae -- studying the old, creating the new.

The gallery started out in 1988 as a gallery exclusively for Korean antique art.

The concept of the gallery came to Woo Chan-kyu, the founder and president of the gallery, naturally, as he had an interest in old Korean art ever since he attended “seodang,” or traditional village schools, instead of going to high school and college.

It was not 17-year-old Woo’s intent to attend seodang but rather the decision was based on financial reasons. Woo, however, soon found the education he received there very attractive and now believes that his seodang days gave him the power and luck that will last for his lifetime.

“Studying Chinese letters was so much fun. I memorized almost every book I learned. And as I came and went out of my teachers’ houses, I got to see many old artworks in their houses and grew interested in them. I learned how to analyze them and identify their authenticity,” said Woo.

Hakgojae Gallery president Woo Chan-kyu poses at the Lim Choong-sub exhibition currently underway. Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald

His knowledge of Chinese letters and old Korean paintings is well-known in the art field. But his passion for repatriating Korea’s artworks that were taken out of the country is more widely known.

He visits Japan about 10 to 15 times a year, whenever he hears the news that an important Korean antique painting has turned up in the market. He picks them up without hesitation but is very particular when selling them. In fact, he recently surprised the public by refusing to sell some Joseon-period paintings to individual collectors at a recent exhibition.

“The number of our old art is already too small, compared to those of Japan or China. If individual collectors take them, they will only become more and more rare. I wanted public museums to buy them so that more people and scholars could view them,” said Woo.

Hakgojae is not just all about Korean antique artworks. It also holds shows on famous contemporary artists on one condition: Their works should be based on traditional roots.

Woo said that Lim Choong-sub, the Korean artist whose exhibition is underway at the gallery through May 30, is one such artist.

“Lim’s works are very conceptual and contemporary but based on the understanding of Korean traditional culture, like Neo-Confucianism. This kind of artist and this kind of exhibition fits in at Hakgojae,” said Woo.

“The content of the exhibition determines the worth of a gallery. It should exhibit creations that can represent the era. Hakgojae will showcase works by world-famous masters who focus on the mentality and fundamental problems of art. Exhibiting art that simply focuses on amusement is a waste of time.”

With that concept, Hakgojae is expanding.

Woo opened a publishing business under the same name in 1991, as an effort to lift the overall standard of Korean art sector.

“Running a gallery, I recognized the need to raise the standard of gallery owners and collectors, so that we could treat art of high standards. Publishing books seemed to be the first step,” said Woo.

In 2013, the gallery will be moving into a bigger place in Buam-dong, also in Seoul, so it can exhibit larger contemporary artworks. Woo has already secured a site there.

“Professor Choi Wuk, a veteran architect who designed the current Hakgojae Gallery, will be in charge of the design again for the Buam-dong gallery. The basic concept of the new gallery will be same as this one; coexistence of traditions and modern,” said Woo.

For details about Lim Choong-sup’s exhibition or Hakgojae Gallery, call (02) 739-4937 or visit www.hakgojae.com.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

 

 

달은 가장 오래된 시계다

Time captured at Deoksugung museum

 

We make a habit of saying that we have no time, although we feel and experience the presence of time through various changes like the seasons and our physical state.

A soap sculpture by Shin Mi-kyung (National Museum of Art)

Inspired by this irony, Kim Nam-in, one of the youngest curators at the National Museum of Art, decided to offer the public an opportunity to take a closer look at the passage of time and so organized the exhibition “Passing Hours: Moon is the Oldest Clock.”

The exhibition is currently underway at the National Museum of Art, Deoksugung, which Kim thought would be the perfect venue to feel time flying by.

“I often find it peculiar that there is this old palace and garden in the middle of Gwanghwamun, one of the busiest places in Seoul. If you looked down from the sky, it would look like a tiny breathing hole,” said Kim.

“I had a chance to look at the original plan for the palace while organizing the exhibition. I was surprised to see the place looked exactly the same, from the walls we can tear down and the walls we can’t. Deoksugung is one of the rarest places in Seoul where we can really see the different layers of time piled up.”

Time-themed paintings, sculptures, video and installation works by 11 Korean contemporary artists, including some of Korea’s best known -- Kang Ik-joong, John Bae and late video artists Park Hyun-ki and Paik Nam-june -- are on display.

This is the first time such contemporary works have been on show inside the Deoksugung museum, which used to exhibit more calm and traditional works.

Categorized into four sections -- “River,” “Water,” “Moon,” “String” -- each of which is a metaphor of flowing time, the modern exhibits fit in beautifully with the Korean traditional palace.

“Storyteller’s Dilemma” by John Bae (National Museum of Art)

Among the exhibits, Shin Mee-kyoung’s soap sculptures are probably the most time-sensitive. She installed six outdoors and six indoors, which will be left in the hands of nature during the exhibition period.

“Even I don’t know how they will end up. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing the results, too,” said Shin.

The rest of the exhibits may not dramatically change during the exhibition but are still interestingl.

Kim Ho-deuk hung white sheets of traditional paper above a shallow dish 4 meters wide and 18 meters long filled with black Chinese ink for the “River” section. Under the dim lights, the ink makes shadows on the paper, which waver like the river.

Han Eun-sun displays how water and paint smudge on the canvas as time goes by through her paintings at the next division. She also showcased practise paintings she did before creating the final piece in a small room to show another trace of time.

A room features many paintings Han Eun-sun went through before creating her final version of the “Water Going Up.”

The “Moon” and the “String” section showcases quite old and familiar works like Paik Nam-june and Park Hyun-ki’s video arts or John Bae’s wire sculptures. But seeing them in Deoksugung, under a significant theme, they appear somewhat different.

The exhibition runs through July 4 at National Museum of Art, Deoksugung in central Seoul. Tickets are 5,000 won for adults and 2,500 won for adolescents.

After the Seoul show, the exhibition will also be held in The National Gallery for Foreign Art in Bulgaria and The National Gallery in Prague, Czech, from August through October to commemorate 20th anniversaries of the relationships between those countries and Korea.

For more information, call (02) 2188-6062 or visit www.moca.go.kr

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

간송미술관 봄 전시 리뷰

To resist or to obey: Paintings of colonial period

 

Gansong Art Museum will start its first exhibition of the year on Sunday, to the delight of art fans.

The museum opens its doors to the public only two times a year, once in spring and once in autumn.

The exhibition this spring, “The 100th Anniversary of Joseon’s Ruination,” aims to show how artists reflected the time of despair onto canvas.

 

Painting of butterflies by Lee Gyung-seung Gansong Art Museum

“Considering how paintings are a mirror of a period’s overall cultural capacity, we can see how the frustration of society during the Japanese invasion period is reflected in Joseon paintings from that era. This will also be an opportunity to think about the current situation of Korean contemporary art where artists who continue the traditional methods of painting and those who studied overseas coexist,” said Choi Wan-su, research director at the museum.

Over 100 paintings by 28 artists of the Joseon Period will be on display, from Seo Byung-geon, who was 60-years-old in 1910 when Japan annexed Joseon, and Go Hee-dong, who was 25 at the time.

Some of the artists expressed resistance towards Japan in their work while some turned pro-Japanese and created submissive paintings. Some simply renounced the troublesome world and went on with their lives, painting butterflies.

The exhibition runs from Sunday through May 30. Admission is free. To get to the museum, take the subway to Hanseong University Subway Station, Line 4. For more information, call (02) 762-0442.

By Park Min-young    (claire@heraldm.com)

 

 

홍대미술관 첫 기획전 리뷰

Hongdae show blurs line between art, design

“Hongdae,” short for “Hongik Daehagyo” or “Hongik University,” should not only remind one of an area full of clubs and cafés in Seoul. The university is actually home to Korea’s most renowned art school.

“Girl” by Kwak Nam-sin HOMA

But one should not be embarrassed for not knowing this since the university did not even have a proper art museum until last year. Hongik Museum of Art finally opened in October on the second floor of the university’s Hongmungwan building.

Now the university aims to prove to the public, more systematically, how Hongik graduates are at the top of Korean contemporary art through its first special exhibition “Free Style: A Dialogue Between Art and Design.”

“The border between design and fine art is breaking down worldwide. In Korea, however, people are separating them even more, for example, by holding the Seoul ‘Design’ Capital event. We want to show that the two should be combined through exhibitions,” said Cheong Yeon-sim, assistant professor at the department of Art Studies in Hongik University who organized the exhibition.

Divided into two sections, the exhibition features 28 artists -- all quite well-known in Korea and creating works fit for the show’s theme.

“The artists are all Hongik graduates this time as it is the museum’s first special exhibition. But we will be introducing a wider range of artists in the future, said Cheong.

The first section of the show, called “Sans,” which means “without” in French, showcases works that seem to be somewhat empty.

The simple and chic works like Kwak Nam-sin’s painting “Girl” which appears like a photo of a girl’s shadows or Lee Hun-chung’s blunt ceramic stools reflect how the minimalism of the 1960s and 1970s are reinterpreted in contemporary art.

More colorful and decorative works are found at the next section titled “Accretion.”

They often show repetition of units, colors and other methods of creation. Using prints, Jin Bo-ra shows an assortment of colors of women’s cosmetic products like manicures and powders. Kim Joon painted flashy colors onto the photo of human bodies like tattoos while Kil Hyun used a chemical reaction to grow colorful paint crystals that look like moss.

“Exposed Facade” by Jin Bo-ra HOMA

The show gets more interesting when you take a closer look at the artists’ majors, which are written next to the titles, unlike other exhibitions. Visitors can see that most of the artists took a step further from the traditional domains of their majors.

For example, Cha So-lim, who majored in textile art, sewed white thread on to the canvas, making it appear like a text and Kim Byung-joo, who majored in sculpture, made house models out of steel.

“The quest for individual genres is still valid. We have here many artists of different majors. We wrote down their majors because we want to show how the artists can tackle many genres after studying a single major,” said Cheong.

“This is in fact one of the biggest missions of the university. We hope our students can come and see what kind of works their senior colleagues of what majors are doing.”

The exhibition runs through June 18 at Hongik Museum of Art in Hongik University in Sangsu-dong, central Seoul. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 320-3272.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

갤러리 시리즈 2_ 갤러리 현대 도형태 대표

‘A good dealer doesn’t collect artworks for himself’

 

Do Hyung-teh, president of Gallery Hyundai, most likely feels a lot of weight on his shoulders.

As the second son of Park Myung-ja, Gallery Hyundai’s founder, Do took the place as president of one of the nation’s most influential art galleries five years ago.

Opened in 1970, Gallery Hyundai is the pioneer of commercial galleries in Korea and has introduced numerous artists to the public. It not only turned the artists into big stars but led Korea’s art gallery boom in the late 1970s, proving that art exhibitions could be major events that gather large crowds. The gallery currently has three exhibition spaces in Seoul, two in Sagan-dong, and one in Sinsa-dong.

Art insiders say it was Park Myung-ja, the gallery’s founder and former president, who made all this possible. Do agreed, pointing out her gifted esthetic sense and credibility.

“Her credibility, especially, is something I could never catch up with. She is like that in her every day life, not just when doing business. I remember seeing her close relationships with the vendors at the market,” said Do.

Park’s credibility and business acumen once again stood out recently when she helped in organizing the gallery’s current exhibition on Park Soo-keun to commemorate the 45th anniversary of his death. It was Park who called every single collector of the late artist’s paintings and borrowed the works.

Thanks to her, the exhibition, which runs through May 30 at one of the gallery’s Sagan-dong spaces, showcases 45 of Park’s paintings, his photos and some of his hand-written letters.

Do still treasures his mother’s advice.

“When she says no, it means no. Although I do rebel now when I have logical reasons,” said Do, chuckling.

Opposite to what many would assume, Do had little interest in art in his youth, even though he was always surrounded by artworks and artists.

Instead, he was more of a trust-fund brat who applied for a leave of absence from Korea’s Foreign Language University and declared he was going to do nothing until his 30th birthday and simply fled to New York.

Without much thought, he majored in art at New York University and happened to fall in love with it. After that, he furthered his studies in Art History at the Pratt Art Institute based on his own willingness to learn.

The first opportunity to showoff the talent needed for what he does now came to him in 1998 at the Basel Art Fair.

Gallery Hyundai had participated in the fair since 1996 but Park Myung-ja had announced they could not that year, due to the soaring exchange rate.

Do, 30 at the time, came forward and tried everything he could, from writing letters to the fair to contacting artists to scraping up his own money to pay for the booth and the transportation.

“I knew nothing about art fairs or running galleries at that time. Some of the experienced buyers at the fair even taught me how to write invoices when they came by our booth. I found everything so amusing,” Do said.

Park, as usual, did not give him many compliments after the fair, but Do had definitely proved himself to be useful, as Gallery Hyundai had marked some actual sales there for the first time.

Since then, he moved into the gallery’s management step by step.

He picked up the essentials from his mother, like the basic rule of not coveting artworks for himself.

“I don’t collect works. We are, in a way, retailers. We need to transmit good works to good collectors. If I keep the works for myself thinking this will be worth money later on, I am a collector not a dealer. There are some dealer/collectors, but I think art dealers should not collect works for themselves,” said Do.

In areas that his mother steered clear from, Do is making some efforts independently.

After receiving criticism that Gallery Hyundai focuses too much on sales and only offered chances to established artists, Do opened the gallery Do Art in 2002, which incubates and introduces emerging artists. He also opened another gallery called 16 Bungee this year under the same goal.

This year, which is the 40th anniversary of Gallery Hyundai, will be a turning point for the gallery, said Do. His biggest goal is to introduce more Korean artists to the world. That is why he suggested publishing Park Soo-keun’s catalogue in English.

“I was embarrassed that I had nothing to bring when I met dealers and buyers overseas. Park Soo-keun is the most beloved painter in Korea. I thought it was time that we made something to better introduce him to the world,” said Do.

“We will be doing a lot of works this year, from exhibitions to art fairs, using our international networks. I can’t say what exactly right now but you will be hearing some good news, soon,” he added.

For more information on the Park Soo-keun retrospective exhibition or on Gallery Hyundai, call (02) 2287-3500 or visit www.galleryhyundai.com.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)

 

잭 피어슨 전시 리뷰

Pierson speaks through thrown-out letters

 

Jack Pierson is a versatile artist who freely explores almost all genres of art from sculpture to photography to video works.

In the U.S., he is best noted as a fashion and celebrity photographer who worked with Naomi Campbell, Snoop Dogg and Brad Pitt. He was recently in charge of the catalogue shootings for six Korean designers’ collections at “Concept Korea -- Fashion Collective 2010” which took place in New York in February.

But he is happy to expand his territories, for example, to curating. He curated a much-talked show in Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York last summer. The exhibition, “The Name of This Show Is Not: Gay Art Now,” included works mainly by artists who identify themselves as gay.

Now the U.S. artist aims to showcase another side of him in Seoul, through his first solo exhibition here titled “Jack Pierson: Night.” It displays the artist’s latest word sculpture series.

“Heartbreak Hotel” by Jack Pierson installed on a Kukje Gallery wall. Kukje Gallery

Words and phrases are spotted on every wall of Kukje Gallery. They are compositions by Pierson, who picked up letters that were thrown out from Las Vegas casinos, old movie marquees and other exhausted businesses and reassembled them.

“From 1984 to 1990 my studio in New York was on the 42nd street, which was a rundown street that represented the old New York. At that time the street was becoming renewed so a lot of letters there were being thrown out and I had access to them,” Pierson told the press on Tuesday.

He collected letters not just from the 42nd street but from all over the country driving his pick-up truck. It was like a pursuit of the faded glamour and stardom in the U.S. He went to every famous rock ‘n’ roll place, including the Flame Show Bar in Detroit, which he reminisced as his favorite place.

The letters which once represented the American dreams of fame and fortune in the form of dazzling sign boards now reflect disillusionment and the artist’s nostalgic sentiments.

“You look at them (the words and phrases) and you can understand them immediately. But within that fast read, I want you to look into the individual letters to get to know each of their story,” said Pierson.

Take “Old Hollywood Movies” for example. He collected the letters from different places, including actual movie marquees.

“When I was young, I wanted to be the person who designed movie credits. The piece is a nod to that. And also, it reflects what Americans say -- you know, people just know what it means when you say ‘It’s like old Hollywood movies,’” said Pierson.

The work “Pola Negri” is his personal favorite.

“Back when Hollywood movies were silent, Pola Negri was a big star like Elvis Presley. I like the piece because I think the shape of every letter in it perfectly matches her personality,” said Pierson.

Will he ever run out of materials?

“Oh, you should see, I have a room this big filled with letters,” Pierson said with a laugh, holding his arms out in the exhibition room.

“And now is a good time to get these things because everything is becoming digital.”

The exhibition runs through June 6 at Kukje Gallery in Sogyuk-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 735-8449 or visit www.kukjegallery.com

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

갤러리 시리즈 1_ 오페라갤러리 권기찬 대표

’Opera Gallery doesn’t only deal in expensive works’

 

As one passes by the Cheongdam intersection in southern Seoul, it is hard not to notice the glass windowed shop on the first floor of the Nature Poem building, where colorful artwork seems to be peering out the window.

Kwon Gee-chan, chairman of Opera Gallery Seoul, poses in front of “All you need is Love, Love, Love, Diamond Dust” by Damien Hirst Lee Sang-sub/ The Korea Herald

It is Opera Gallery Seoul, the Seoul branch of the world’s leading gallery chain which first opened in Singapore in 1994. Opera Gallery has 11 branches all over the world, including its head office in Paris, and holds a wide collection of art by masters including Chagall, Renoir and Picasso, as well as contemporary artists such as Romero Britto and Keith Haring.

Kwon Gee-chan, chief executive of Wearfun International, opened the Seoul branch -- which became city’s first chain gallery -- in October 2007. Not only was Kwon already a well-known figure in the fashion industry as one of the first importers of high-end fashion products to Korea, but he was also an avid collector of art.

“I had already been collecting artworks for about 20 years back then. I had over 300 pieces. Every time I went on a business trip to Europe, five or six times a year, I looked around different art museums and galleries. And Opera Gallery, which happened to have the works that were exactly my taste, was always my must-visit spot,” Kwon told The Korea Herald.

So his first encounter with Gilles Dyan, the founder and chairman of Opera Gallery International, was as a collector and an art dealer.

“I admired the way he ran the galleries. I attentively watched when he opened a branch in Hong Kong, thinking I would bring it to Seoul if it succeeds. And about three years ago when the Korean art market expanded explosively, I grabbed my chance,” said Kwon.

Colorful, fun and optimistic artwork makes him relax and feel better, Kwon said. He even owns a personal gallery in the basement of his corporate building in Samseong-dong, where he goes down when he is stressed out or has to make some crucial decisions.

“I wanted to share the same kind of pleasure with Seoul citizens by offering them a chance to see the masterpieces of Chagall and Picasso right here in Korea. Everyone is free to come in or peer through the glass windows while driving past the building,” Kwon said.

Opera Gallery has a reputation for holding exhibitions of high profile international artists. As the largest shareholder of the gallery’s Seoul branch with a 51 percent stake, the head office takes the initiative in organizing exhibitions although discussions are actively held with Kwon, who holds 49 percent of the stake.

At the moment, Damien Hirst’s solo exhibition is underway at Opera Gallery Seoul. About 30 pieces, including a lithograph of a diamond-studded skull with real human teeth “For the Love of God, Believe,” is on display through May 15.

“It is a pity that we could not bring some of the much-talked about Hirst pieces. Still, this is another opportunity to see works by a world-class artist at our home,” said Kwon.

As much as the gallery is famous for exhibitions of celebrated artists, however, it is infamous among the Korean public for neglecting Korean artists.

“We did avoid holding Korean artists’ exhibitions because we did not want to be seen as being in rivalry with some 200 galleries in Korea. Holding exhibitions of veteran Korean artists would immediately mean competition,” said Kwon.

“Instead, we are trying to hold exhibitions for the artists we discovered, not just in Seoul but also in other parts of the world through the gallery’s branches. Introducing the works of Korean artists to the world is in fact the most important goal of Opera Gallery Seoul.”

In that sense, the Seoul branch has been quite successful so far. Korean artist Yim Tae-kyu’s show opened at Opera Gallery London last week and Kwon Ki-soo and Lee Dong-uk will hold exhibitions at the Paris branch in July and December, respectively.

Kwon mentioned another “prejudice” about Opera Gallery Seoul; that the works are way too expensive compared to other galleries in Korea.

“We do have expensive works but we also have works that are marked below 1 million won ($895,000). Moreover, the works are available for collectors at the same price at all Opera Gallery branches,” Kwon explained.

The gallery is trying different approaches to lose its snobbish image. Lending its works to public spaces is one.

“It will be the third anniversary of Opera Gallery Seoul in October. It has not been discussed with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, but I have plans to exhibit some 50 sculptures by Dali at the Seoul Plaza in front of the City Hall,” he added.

For more information on the Damien Hirst exhibition or on Opera Gallery, visit www.operagallery.com

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldm.com)

로댕 회고전

Rodin’s masterpieces in Seoul

 

A major retrospective exhibition of Auguste Rodin, sculptor of “The Thinker,” kicks off today in Seoul.

Original masterpieces by the French master, such as “The Hand of God,” “The Kiss” and, of course, “The Thinker” will be shown outside France for the first time.

The exhibition displays 180 pieces including 113 sculptures in bronze, marble and plaster, 42 drawings and 25 photographs. They are on loan from The Musee Rodin in Paris, France.

“Rodin successfully converted lifeless materials into sculptures imbued with delicate human feelings such as passion, agony, love and hatred. With his dynamic sculptures, Rodin is still extolled as a pathfinder and precursor of modern sculpture,“ said Seo Sun-ju, director of the exhibition.

Divided into nine sections -- The Age of Bronze, The Gates of Hell, The Burghers of Calais, The Figures of Eros, Rodin in His Studio, Dance: Body in Movement, Camille Claudel, Rodin in 1900, Pavillion d’Alma and The Monuments -- the exhibition explores Rodin’s life, love and passion for art.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 22 at Seoul Museum of Art in Seosomun-dong, central Seoul. Tickets are 12,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for youths and 8,000 won for children. It is closed on Monday. For more information, visit www.rodinseoul.com.

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

 

천경우 작가, "여왕되기" 프로젝트

A photographer’s quest to find your ‘inner queen’

 

“Being a Queen #2” by Chun Kyung-woo Kyungwoo Chun

After seeing photographer Chun Kyung-woo’s advertisement in a local newspaper, women -- and one man -- were eager to volunteer for his project, claiming they resembled Queen Margrethe Ⅱ.

They applied to be part of Chun’s project “Being a Queen,” which was conducted for three months in Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark, in 2007. The project was supported by the Danish government as a part of the Danish International Visiting Artists Exchange Program.

“The queen has a very special meaning in Denmark. Her influence over the Danish people is dominant. While the British seems to consider their royal family distant from reality, like a fairytale perhaps, the Danish seem to consider their royalties like family,” Chun told the press last week.

Chun is a Korean photographer who currently works in Europe. He is known for his long-exposure photographic portraits that try to view the inner side of subjects.

All 35 applicants had different reasons why they thought they resembled the Danish queen. Some said their appearances were alike, some said their talent in art is similar and some even said that they married an immigrant, just like her. The sole man who participated in the project said that his feminine side is like that of the queen’s.

Chun conducted interviews, selected 19 and dressed them in a blue gala dress the queen would wear. The models then had to sit in front of Chun’s camera for a duration of time which represented their age -- one minute per year. Due to the long exposure, the photos turned out to be foggy, Chun’s signature style.

“Some ask why the photos are out of focus, but actually the focus was always sharp. If I were shooting a still object, it would have come out clear no matter how long the exposure time was. But my subjects were people who cannot help but constantly move,” Chun said.

The models tried their best to look like the queen, but during the long exposure they fidgeted and ended up revealing who they actually are inside, said Chun.

“I wanted to capture each participant’s own perception of the queen and eventually of themselves and their ‘inner queen.’”

Chun already exhibited the photos and some short videos he filmed during the photo shoots at the exhibition “Being a Queen” at Denmark’s Aarhus Art Center last year. The exhibition was co-organized by Galleri Image, Scandinavia’s oldest photo museum, and the Museum of Photography, Seoul.

The same exhibition arrived in Korea and is currently underway at the Museum of Photography, Seoul in Bangi-dong, eastern Seoul. The exhibition runs through June 5. Tickets are 4,000 won for adults and 3,000 won for students.

For more information, call (02) 418-1316 or visit www.photomuseum.or.kr

By Park Min-young   (claire@heraldm.com)

 

젊은모색 30주년 기념전 리뷰

Artists may grow old but their works are timeless

 

Every old man was once an ambitious boy. Artists are no exception.

“I am embarrassed to be reintroducing the works I’ve done in my 20s now in my 60s. Young people tend to be critical towards society, don’t they? I was too, although I now do different kinds of works,” artist Kim Yong-chul told the press Friday at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon.

Kim was one of the 22 rising Korean artists who participated in the “Young Korean Artists Exhibition” organized by the museum in 1981. He had taken a picture of himself holding a blank newspaper and scribbled “This is but a piece of paper” on it with oil paint for the show.

“It was a satire on the newspapers of that time which could not function normally under the military dictatorship. I wrote the sentence in English because I was scared they might come after me after reading it in Korean,” Kim reminisced.

Thirty years have passed and Kim is showcasing the exact same work once again at the 30th Anniversary of the Young Korean Artists show currently running at the museum, not as a young artist but in the capacity of the show’s senior participant.

The exhibition is a round-up of the 30 years since the Young Korean Artists Exhibition. The annual exhibition is arguably the museum’s oldest and most representative show, which produced many leading artists who are now acknowledged in and out of Korea.

Among the 327 artists to participate so far, 43 of them, including Joo Tae-seok, Koo Bohn-chang, Noh Sang-kyoon, Suh Do-ho and Lee Wan are back with the original exhibits they displayed in their first “Young Korean Artists” show, as well as some new works. Half the participants can still pass for young while the other half, like Kim, are now in their 50s and 60s.

“It is hard to say that the selected artists are the representative artists of the exhibition. All 327 artists are important but we had to sort them out considering many conditions like the exhibition space. What is certain, though, is that the exhibition can also be seen as a round-up of the last 30 years of Korean art,” said Lee Chu-young, the exhibition curator.

Indeed, the exhibition showcases a wide array of works not just in terms of time but also in genre. Divided into two sections -- the 1980s room and the 1990s to present room -- the exhibition is packed with 150 paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos and installation works. What is interesting is that one can feel the artists’ youthful enthusiasm in every work, no matter how old the artist is now.

The artists featured in the 1980s room often revealed defiance against society in their works.

Kim Yong-ik, for example, reacted against the conventional art world of the time. Rebelling against an art world in which every artist had to have one significant style or “brand” and stick to it, he rolled up all his drawings in a packet, labeled it “To Kumho Museum” and hung it up as an exhibit.

Rhee Ki-bong, on the other hand, expressed the vanity of knowledge by pouring water on a desk where an encyclopedia lays open.

“One summer day, I stepped into my studio and found my books all wet because rain had leaked from the ceiling. A wet book means death; it is impossible to revive it,” said Rhee.

The installation work, titled “Extra-Ordinary-Late-Summer,” is one of the show’s most eye-catching -- and ear-catching -- exhibits.

Younger artists in the 1990s section tend to be more bold and whimsical.

Starting with photographer Koo Bohn-chang’s well-known work in which he sewed together many photos that each feature a body part to make one big body, visitors can find eerie works by several photographers that focus on human body.

Hong Sung-do assembled photos of the human body and titled it “Plastic Surgery,” while Kim Jun tattooed canvases using a variety of materials to make them look like nasty human skin, took pictures of human bodies and colored them and even tried 3-D tattooing by filming a bunch of small and big pink bubbles growing on an arm.

Lee Wan, who is known for his baseballs made of ground chicken and tools made of ground beef, this time displays a skull made of butter.

Do not be surprised to find the work on the floor, because it was not you but the artist who dropped it. It accidently slipped out of Lee’s hands while he was installing it on the day before the show’s opening. Lee said that he decided to leave it like that, damaged, on the floor.

“It was supposed to be put in a glass case, but seeing it on the floor, I had a feeling that that’s where it belonged. The material seemed to have come to life,” Lee said.

The exhibition runs through June 6 at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Tickets are 5,000 won for adults and 3,500 won for youths. For more information, call (02) 2188-6000 or visit www.moca.go.kr

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)

자연친화적인 노르웨이 건축

Norwegian buildings at one with nature

 

Eco-friendly buildings that many Seoulites can only dream of are quite common in Norway.

Photos and miniatures of such Norwegian buildings can be found at the “Norwegian Contemporary Architecture” exhibition running at Hongik University Museum in Sangsu-dong, Seoul.

The show covers a wide range of architecture, from subway stations and cabins in the countryside, to churches and research parks.

“The nature that surrounds these architectural constructions is uniquely Norwegian. Still, the dynamic relationship between the urban and the wild is often realized through breathtakingly original architecture that can be universally appreciated,” said Norwegian Ambassador Didrik Tonseth, at the opening ceremony Monday.

The exhibition mainly features two top architecture firms from Norway; Jensen & Skodvin Architects, who are showcasing the highlights of their 14-year history and Jarmand/Vigsnaes Architects who are exhibiting 12 of their projects, all closely related to the challenges posed by the natural environment of Scandinavia.

“Gudbrandsjuvet Landscape Hotel” by Jensen & Skodvin Architects stands out among the exhibits. 

"Gudbrandsjuvet Landscape Hotel" by Jensen & Skodvin Architects (Norwegian Embassy)

The hotel, built from 2007 to 2008 on a mountain on the west coast of Norway, was made to fit into nature without damaging it.

Instead of constructing one gigantic building, the architects came up with the idea of building seven small buildings -- each a room with two beds and one bathroom.

The rooms minimize the use of artificial lighting so that they will not disturb their natural surroundings, have large windows on all sides that practically make up all of the walls and are smartly placed so that none of the windows face another room. Visitors can enjoy the landscape-like view fully, alone.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Karl Otto Ellefsen, professor of architecture and urbanism, and head of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, will be giving a lecture titled “Relating to Landscape – Contemporary Norwegian Architecture” on April 20 at Hongmungwan, Hongik University.

The exhibition runs through April 23 at Hongik University Museum in Sangsu-dong, central Seoul. The Museum is located on the fourth floor of the university’s Munhwagwan. The exhibition is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

For details about the exhibition or the lecture, call the Hongik School of Architecture at (02) 320-1106 or the Norwegian Embassy in Seoul at (02) 795-6850.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)

홍라희 리움으로 복귀 초읽기?

Hong to return with Kim Hong-do show?

 

Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, central Seoul opened an exhibition of works by Joseon-period painter Kim Hong-do on March 30.

This permanent exhibition -- not a special exhibition for which Leeum was once known -- is drawing much attention, however the museum is abuzz for other reasons as well.

“Taoist Immortals” by Kim Hong-do (Leeum Samsung Museum of Art)

Leeum has kept quiet and not held any special exhibitions since former director Hong Ra-hee resigned in the aftermath of the Samsung scandal in April, 2008. It has been making unusual moves lately, feeding rumors that Hong may be getting ready to return to power.

The Samsung probe resulted in a three-year suspended jail term for Hong’s husband, Lee Kun-hee, who was charged with tax evasion. He stepped down from the chairmanship of Samsung Group in April 2008 as the prosecutor’s investigation was underway.

The Leeum revealed its new media art collection in October and handed out calendars featuring Kim Hong-do’s works early this year to VIPs (a project thought to have been directed by Hong), and is now holding an exhibition of Kim’s masterpieces.

Art insiders expect that Hong’s comeback could get Leeum back on its feet, as the former director maintained her standing as the most influential figure in the local art scene, even during her two-year absence. However, Leeum officials have repeatedly said that decisions have not been finalized.

Hong majored in applied art at Seoul National University and gained experience as a museum art director in 1995 at Ho-am Art Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The museum was established by Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul, Hong’s father-in-law, in 1878 and opened in 1982.

In 2004, Hong established Leeum. The museum, which reflects Hong’s contemporary taste in art, has one of the biggest collections of contemporary art in Korea. It is also a treasure trove of ancient Korean art, including several national treasures.

The newly added exhibition will showcase 18 works by the legendary Joseon painter, carefully selected from the museum’s vast collection.

Kim, known by his penname Danwon, is regarded as the most talented painter of the Joseon period.

Once a court painter for the Royal Painting Academy, Kim was known by all levels of society for his portrayals of Taoist and Buddhist figures, still-life, bird and animal paintings, and landscapes.

He is one of the rare artists who enjoyed tremendous popularity in his own time, as well as lauds today as a master in painting. Numerous high-profile figures of the time formed friendships with him or sponsored him, including King Jeongjo, the 22nd king of Joseon.

“It is a small but fruitful exhibition. The painting ‘Taoist Immortals’ is a must-see,” said Park Min-seon, the museum’s public relations officer.

“Taoist Immortals,” which Kim painted at age 37, features a long parade of hermits. The painting is designated as a national treasure.

Another painting on exhibition, “Tiger and Pine Tree,” was the cover for Leeum’s VIP calendar this year.

The show also includes works by Kim’s son, Kim Yang-ki, and his student Lee Myung-ki, revealing the influence of Kim’s work on the later generation of painters.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 10 at Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. Tickets are 10,000 won for adults and 6,000 won for students. For more information, call (02) 2014-6900 or visit www.leeum.org

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)