한미사진박물관 "요술,이미지" 전시 리뷰

Photos peek into other genres

 

The only thing the pieces at the exhibition "Magic of Photography" at the Museum of Photography in southeastern Seoul have in common is that they are based in photographs.

Only about half are hanging on the walls, normally in frames. The rest of the photos are printed on or made into unexpected forms, such as different-sized boxes, long paper rolls clustered together or stretched out vertically.

"The point is to confuse the visitors about photography by showing them these new attempts. Various types of photos are on display. We organized the show room so that visitors will have to see the works in an order that will confuse them the most," said curator Lee Gye-young.

Fourteen Korean artists including Jung Yeon-doo are showcasing more than 50 photographs, stereo photos, installations and videos.

The works are fairly original.

Take Lim Taek's photos for example. They feature a fantasy-like paradise with white clouds and mountains, which is so unreal that it looks like a painting. But peering into them carefully, one can see that all appearing elements are pictures taken from life.

The secret is digital composition. He photographed the white set he built with styrofoam and cotton and added photos of moons, suns, trees and animals on top of them. The actual set he used for shooting is displayed at the exhibition.

Bae Joon-sung preferred a more analogue way to charm his photos, by using lenticular or vinyl and oil paint.

A woman stands in what looks like a European ballroom. As the photo is covered in lenticular, she is fully dressed in a party dress when seen from one side, but as the viewer moves to the other side, she slowly turns naked.

Another of Bae's work shows a woman holding a baby up in the air, also in an occidental setting. Curiously enough, the work is covered with see-through vinyl. Lifting it up, viewers will find only a naked woman waving her hands into the air. Bae, who is also a painter, had oil painted the woman's dress and the baby on the vinyl.

Jang Seung-hyo took a step further and used his photos only as materials for his paper sculpture.

He cut the pictures he took in various spots, keeping in mind what colors he would need later on, and connected them together to make robots, birds, or life size motorcyclists. The pieces are so delicately glued together that they remind of quilts.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 1 at the Museum of Photography in Bangi-dong, southeastern Seoul. Tickets are 3,000 won for students and 5,000 won for adults. For more information, visit www.photomuseum.or.kr or call (02) 418-1315.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

 

[패션의 윤리학] 전시 리뷰

Museum presents 'ethical clothes'

 

With fashion trends changing by the minute, even during the worldwide economic crisis, many no-so-rich fashion addicts have only one choice: fast-fashion. Led by Zara, H&M and Mango, fashion brands started to provide cheap but extra trendy clothes that would last for usually just a single season.

The plan -- to buy a skirt, enjoy it for the season, throw it away and buy another one next year -- sounded perfect, until fast-fashion's harmful effects on the environment were revealed. Clothes, which are usually made of synthetic fiber, can take forever to degrade.

As an alternative, the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art is hosting the exhibition "Fashion Ethics 'Wear Good.'"

It is the second of the museum's cross-genre exhibition series that seeks new artistic possibilities through interactions with genres other than pure art. The first was on architecture.

From six different countries, fashion designers, contemporary artists and even architects got together to present some "ethical clothes" at the current exhibition.

"'Ethical Fashion' refers to clothes made of organic fabric or recycled materials, or those that are produced with third world labor recruited through fair trade. It has recently become a key issue in the fashion industry," said exhibition curator Hwang Rock-joo.

The pavilion looks like something in between a fashion show and a contemporary art exhibition. Most of the exhibits are fanciful, but no more than the designer-labeled clothes are on runways.

French designer Ana Paula Freitas made bags and dresses made of recycled aluminum can lids. They were all handmade by ladies from a local community in Brazil named "The Cia Lacre."

The silver shiny bags were so perfectly sewed -- complete to the inner pockets -- that people would probably never guess that they are looking at a bunch of can lids unless they were told.

Mark Liu from England showcased his "zero waste designs." Realizing that 15 percent of fabrics are wasted just in the cutting process of making clothes, he decided to create a design that uses 100 percent of the prepared materials.

"I noticed that eastern designs like Japanese Kimono or Indian Sari doesn't waste any of the fabric. I tried to create something like that in western styles, something that also have contemporary looks," Liu said at the press conference last week.

Pure white wedding dresses displayed at one corner of the exhibition will catch the eyes of many young women. Lee Kyung Jae made them of alternative fiber from eco-friendly materials such as corn or nettle.

Some designers gave ethical and modern touches to Korean traditional designs. Shoe designer Lee Kyum-bie is one of them. Lee transformed Korean traditional straw sandals into sophisticated high heels.

An actual fashion show was held at the opening day of the exhibition.

Twenty-six amateur models consisting of artists, critics and professors such as artist Nancy Lang and photographer Jeong Yeon-doo, strutted down the runway wearing their own ethnic clothes.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 4 at Gyeonggi Museum of Art in Ansan City, Gyeonggi Province. For more information, visit www.gmoma.org or call (031) 481-7007~9.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

"패션의 윤리학" 제목을 단 패션쇼에 다녀왔어요.

사실 정통 패션쇼와는 거리가 먼 패션쇼였어요.

재활용품이나 자투리 원단을 사용한,

아니면 공정무역으로 만든 옷이나 신발, 가방등을 전시하는

일명 "윤리적 패션" 을 보여주는 쇼!

 

경기도 미술관에서 열고 있는 "패션의 윤리학" 전시의 오프닝때 한 거랍니다.

 

전시장 중 일부의 사진이예요.

 

저도 경기도 미술관은 처음 가봤는데,

(광화문에서 왕복 다섯시간 걸렸습니다 ㅠ-ㅠ  안산이 그렇게 멀줄이야;;;)

꽤나 큼지막한 공간이 여러 곳이 있는데,

다들 신기한 옷과 가방, 신발등으로 채워져있습니다.

 

정말 한 눈에 봐도 "윤리적" 패션 임이 티가 나는 것들도 있는 반면,

절대 티 안나는! 바로 백화점에서 팔아도 될 것 같은 옷들도 있었어요.

 

 

패션쇼에 참여한 낸시랭.

 

꼭 프로페셔널 모델이 아니라

미술인, 교수, 사진작가 등 유명인사들이 모여서

자신들만의 "윤리적 패션" 을 선보이는 쇼였는데요,

 

어머니의 20년 넘은 옷을 입고 나온 분도 계시고,

직접 만든 옷을 입고 나온 분도 계시고..

낸시랭 옷은 사실 딱 보기엔 특별히 윤리적일 것 같다는 느낌보다는

그냥 백화점에서 산 옷 같이 보였는데..나름 다 윤리적인 사연이 있다고들 하네요 ^-^

 

아, 낸시랭 바로 뒤에 있는 저 부풀어오른 드레스는 신문지로 만든 것!!!

작품들 중에 개인적으로 이경재 작가의

재활용 가능한 무공해 천연 원단으로 만든 웨딩드레스가 눈길을 끌었는데 +_+

사진이 안올라가네요;;흑

 

 

무용가 홍신자 교수는 덩실덩실 춤을 추며 나오심. ㅋ

그 외에도 사진작가 정연두 그리고 변정수씨 등도 패션쇼장에 등장하셨답니다 +_+

 

전시에 대한 자세한 설명은 앞으로 나올 기사 참조 >▽<