KOREAN CONTEMPORARY ART 55157__KOREAN157__KOREAN CCONTONT ART_2011-12-12.inddART_2011-12-12.indd 001001 114.12.20114.12.2011 117:10:297:10:29 UUhrhr 002 KOREAN CONTEMPORARY ART 55157__KOREAN157__KOREAN CCONTONT ART_2011-12-12.inddART_2011-12-12.indd 002002 114.12.20114.12.2011 117:10:307:10:30 UUhrhr Miki Wick Kim KOREAN CONTEMPORARY ART PRESTEL Munich · London · New York 55157__KOREAN157__KOREAN CCONTONT ART_2011-12-12.inddART_2011-12-12.indd 003003 114.12.20114.12.2011 117:10:367:10:36 UUhrhr 5157_KOREAN CONT ART_001_192.indd 004 15.12.2011 15:23:25 Uhr Contents Artists’ names are listed in the traditional order of family name fi rst, except where individuals have chosen the Western order of family name last. All family names are in capitals. Introduction 006 On the Recent Movements in Korean Contemporary Art 010 Seung Woo BACK 020 100 In Sook KIM BAE Bien-U 026 106 KIMsooja CHO Duck Hyun 032 110 Sora KIM U-Ram CHOE 036 116 KOO Jeong A. CHOI Jeong Hwa 042 122 Hyungkoo LEE CHUN Kwang-young 048 128 Minouk LIM CHUNG Suejin 054 132 MOON Beom GIMhongsok 060 138 Jiha MOON HAM Jin 064 142 Hein-kuhn OH Kyungah HAM 070 148 PARK Kiwon JEON Joonho 074 152 PARK Seo-Bo Michael JOO 078 158 Kibong RHEE Yeondoo JUNG 084 162 Jean SHIN Atta KIM 090 166 Do Ho SUH KIM Beom 096 170 YEEsookyung 174 Curriculum Vitae 190 Bibliography and Notes 5157_KOREAN CONT ART_001_192.indd 005 15.12.2011 15:23:25 Uhr Introduction I have never thought of myself as expressing Korean-ness ists at important international art destinations in the East or Asian-ness. Art is simply an expression of the individual.1 and West. I still recall the surprise and curiosity of artists when visiting their studios around Seoul during the late 1990s and being informed that I was among the very few This declaration of artistic freedom by Nam June Paik from overseas who had visited them. Now, fi nally, the band (1932–2006), the acclaimed pioneer of video art and pos- of international art professionals trekking to artists’ studios sibly Korea’s most internationally celebrated artist to date, in Korea is an established reality. illuminates the apparent position of many artists within The 4,300-year-old civilization of Korea is considered the vibrant and diverse world of Korean contemporary art.2 one of the oldest in the world. During its history, the country Unlike elsewhere in Asia where it may seem pertinent, at has witnessed continual external threats and invasions, en- times, to understand contemporary artistic output in demic to Korea’s strategic geographic position at the center clearer classifi cations, it is more problematic to approach of Far East Asia. Its modern history was no exception. The the fi eld of Korean contemporary art in contexts of major Korean twentieth century wit nessed the Japanese colonial thematic positions or of collective identity. Korean artists, period (1910 to 1945) and the Korean War (1950 to 1953) most notably of the younger generation, would much rather that divided the peninsula into the two nations of North and establish a practice based on their own individual interests, South Korea. In the South, the thirty years from the First concepts, and philosophies. Nonetheless, their artistic pro- Republic (1961) to the Sixth Republic (1987) were marked ductions are also the creation of an intrinsic and shared by authoritarianism and nationwide political instability, even cultural tradition and national history. Despite the obvious to the point of the introduction of martial law. Nevertheless, impact of globalization on their work, there is no doubt that the ruling regimes also established radical and far-reaching Korean artists are rooted within their rather distinguishable economic reform programs that laid the foundations for the cultural and historical contexts, regardless of whether this developments that reshaped the nation. inherited legacy is of any conscious concern to their work. Contemporary Korean art developed concurrently The contemporary art scene in Korea has emerged with Korea’s democratic transition, with the 1988 Olympic in the last twenty-fi ve years as a rich, dynamic, and innova- Games symbolizing the profound shift in the sociopolitical tive cultural force. However, it is only since the mid-2000s landscape. Indeed, the decade subsequent to the Olympic that it has gained widespread attention within the global Games attests to a nation in an extraordinary era of rapid art system. An ever-growing number of museums, galler- development, one that transformed the economic, social, ies, biennales and triennials, auction houses, and art fairs and cultural spheres of Korean life. A dynamic hybridism are now engaged in presenting contemporary Korean art- began to emerge between deep-rooted traditions and the 006 KOREAN CONTEMPORARY ART 55157__KOREAN157__KOREAN CCONTONT ART_2011-12-12.inddART_2011-12-12.indd 006006 114.12.20114.12.2011 117:10:377:10:37 UUhrhr infl ux of new ideas. It was within this fertile environment witnessed the proliferation of private museums such as that a highly energetic and experimental contemporary art Artsonje Center, founded by the Daewoo Group, and Rodin scene took hold. Gallery, founded by the Samsung Cultural Foundation. The Until the early 1990s, traveling abroad was still re- year 2004 saw the opening of the Leeum Samsung Museum stricted to a small minority of the population. It was only of Art designed by acclaimed architects Mario Botta, Rem in 1993, when the Whitney Biennial edition traveled from Koolhaas, and Jean Nouvel. New York to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, This book is intended as an introduction to the fi eld near Seoul, that the public and many artists were able for of Korean contemporary art and surveys the broad spec- the fi rst time to engage directly in the critical discourse of trum of artists who work in diverse media including painting, the international contemporary art community. In 1995, the sculpture, installation, photography, performance, video, country’s fi rst international biennale, the Gwangju Biennale, text-based works, and new media. Whether through critical was established in the southwest city of Gwangju, the site recognition, their relevance within a Korean art-historical of the tragic Gwangju Incident (May 1980).3 This fi rst edi- context, their contributions to the international contempo- tion, Beyond the Borders, attracted a whopping 1.6 million rary art discourse, or through the sheer strength of content visitors. Also in 1995, the permanent Korean Pavilion in the and visual form, the thirty individual artists presented have Giardini was inaugurated at the Venice Biennale. Another all earned their place on the pages of this book. These art- important art event in Korea, the Busan Biennale, originally ists represent the most innovative and compelling current named the Pusan International Contemporary Art Festival, artistic output within the relatively young and still rapidly opened in 1998. The developments in contemporary Korean evolving endeavor that is Korean contemporary art. art were fueled in part by government initiatives for pro- As a prologue to the presentation of the artists, an moting local culture, commerce, and tourism, and in part essay by Shinyoung Chung will look at the paradoxical ar- by international collaborations that refl ected Korea’s new- tistic landscape crystallized by Nam June Paik’s remark. In found status as an industrialized nation. order to expand the possibilities of how Korean contem- The growth of alternative spaces in Seoul during the porary art might be discussed and understood, the essay late 1990s, such as Ssamzie Space, Project Space Sarubia, will introduce art-historical perspectives, recurring themes and Alternative Space Loop, was also critical in fostering that emerge, as well as look at specifi c artists and artworks, Korean talent. These non-commercial spaces, often oper- distinguishing the authority of each artist in expressing ated by artists, provided an alternative platform for emerg- their individual voice. ing artists to propose new positions and experimental works far from the gallery and museum system. The 1990s also Introduction 007 55157__KOREAN157__KOREAN CCONTONT ART_2011-12-12.inddART_2011-12-12.indd 007007 114.12.20114.12.2011 117:10:377:10:37 UUhrhr Atta KIM, ON-AIR Project 029 (From the series Sex, 1 Couple, 1 Hour) 2003 ¬ C-print ¬ 188 x 248 cm, 96 x 118 cm 008 KOREAN CONTEMPORARY ART 55157__KOREAN157__KOREAN CCONTONT ART_2011-12-12.inddART_2011-12-12.indd 008008 114.12.20114.12.2011 117:10:377:10:37 UUhrhr Name 009 55157__KOREAN157__KOREAN CCONTONT ART_2011-12-12.inddART_2011-12-12.indd 009009 114.12.20114.12.2011 117:10:407:10:40 UUhrhr On the Recent Movements in Korean Contemporary Art Shinyoung Chung Distinctly monochromatic, Ham Jin’s (b. 1978) clay struc- somewhat chronologically backward to the abstract visions tures dangle on the wall or swing from the ceiling against of the 1970s to investigate the intermediating tendencies. the white space of the gallery: a slip of clay thinner than a As far as the Pop infl uence goes, in the Japanese toothpick turns into a stick fi gure protruding from the wall, scene the “Superfl at” syndrome of the cartoonish paintings or a man with an open stomach metamorphoses into nu- and blown-up vinyl fi gures inspired by the character fi gu- merous miniscule spheres and lines. Abstracted forms and rines collected among hobby art fanatics known as “Otaku” simple coloration provoke open possibilities for interpreta- gained wide recognition in the 1990s, categorized as Neo- tion, a dramatic development from the previous series with Pop or Tokyo Pop; Chinese Political Pop, in turn, propagated tiny character fi gures and their comical storylines as if from the revolutionary spirit of the post Cultural Revolution by a scene of stop-motion animation.