'Home' covers concepts from the ‘residential space’ to the ‘nation.’ In Korea, there are many issues that the divided country has to bear, such as, the weight of different ideologies and the conflicted situation of combat planes and soldiers naturally appearing in the daily life. The work in this exhibition presents different aspects of the current state of Korea by showing pieces of daily life as well as social issues generated from the society that are presented after Korea’s rapid economic growth. It reflects the collective value system that the society forces on to individuals. The title of the show portrays the irony of the traditional versus the contemporary life. For example, 'Kumsukangsan' is how we called our nation, which means the land of beautiful scenery as if it is embroidered on a precious silk. It contrasts with imageries of the standardized apartment complex which took over the majority of the housing model in modern Korea and deserted redevelopment areas. The ‘Home’ is placed in front of audiences through the eyes of Korean contemporary artists.
Really good Murder #05 (2009/2009) by NOH, Suntag and 노순택Korean Art Museum Association
Divided Society
"Generally speaking, my work is about a divided society. What kind of lifestyle do people living in a divided society share? In my work, I try to collect such things and present them for others to see. A divided social system can be considered the ideology that has dominated Korean society for the past 60 years. This so-called divided system is working intently but to me, it seems to be operating incorrectly. In my mind, keeping that the false operation might actually reveal the ongoing division, perhaps twisting it or depicting it as a black comedy, I question ‘Isn’t this all just an image of you, someone who lives in a divided society?" >> NOH Suntag’s interview from Korean Artist Project
the strAnge ball #021 (2004/2007) by Noh, Suntag and 노순택Korean Art Museum Association
Really good Murder #28 (2008/2008) by NOH, Suntag and 노순택Korean Art Museum Association
The Strange Ball #191 (2004/2007) by NOH, Suntag and 노순택Korean Art Museum Association
Really good Murder #09 (2009/2009) by NOH, Suntag and 노순택Korean Art Museum Association
A weight of Ideology - past history (2012/2012) by KIRA KIM and 김기라Korean Art Museum Association
Middlemen
Oh Hein kuhn has taken pictures of Ajumma(middle-aged women), Ajussi(middle-aged men), girl students and soldiers. His work has been portraying the anxiety in their faces. The subjects of Oh Hein kuhn can be categorized as 'Middlemen' and is a sign which testifies to anxiety of Korean society, which is becoming more and more uncertain every single day. As a one of the middlemen, he has consistently captured such symptom.
Two Ajummas 1. March 26, 1997 (1995/2010) by Oh,Hein-kuhn and 오형근Korean Art Museum Association
Sun-ju Kim, age 18, Hye-jin Kwon, age 18, 2003 (2003) by Oh,Hein-kuhn and 오형근Korean Art Museum Association
Da-won Kang, age 18, August 13, 2007 (2007/2008) by Oh,Hein-kuhn and 오형근Korean Art Museum Association
Two naval petty officers without their hats, October 2010 (2010) by Oh,Hein-kuhn and 오형근Korean Art Museum Association
A commando unit soldier in front of yellow forsythia, April 2010 (2010) by Oh,Hein-kuhn and 오형근Korean Art Museum Association
A marine wearing red sports uniform, May 2010 (2010) by Oh,Hein-kuhn and 오형근Korean Art Museum Association
Beautiful and Sad Red
"When I lived in the UK, foreigners I met would always ask me whether I was from the south or the north, and their gaze always saw me as a citizen of a divided nation. Scarred memories of painful division. In college I had toured the frontiers, and I served in the frontline where I witnessed the landscapes, especially through night vision goggles were beautiful, frightening, and sad. I think that red is a color that is extremely beautiful but also evokes sad memories, so I use red." >> Lee Seahyun’s interview from Korean Artist Project
Between Red_088 (2009) by Lee, Seahyun and 이세현Korean Art Museum Association
Between Red_040 (2007) by Lee, Seahyun and 이세현Korean Art Museum Association
Between Red_107 (2010) by Lee, Seahyun and 이세현Korean Art Museum Association
Sidescape
HONG Soun's 'Sidescape' painting is a landscape which is composed of excerpts from the news footage in mass media; it is a cropped, fragmented, deficient landscape. The original photo of an image is often related to an important political event, controversial incident, war and a disaster. However, the event itself is not important at all. The journalistic trait is de-constructed as the landscape through the process of image fragmentation; it is a process which fetches out the potential of the image hidden in the events.
Seoul. Aug 23. 2009 (2012/2012) by HONG, Soun and 홍순명Korean Art Museum Association
Sidescape-DMZ (10) (2011) by Hong, Soun and 홍순명Korean Art Museum Association
Seoul. Sep 28. 2004 (2005/2005) by HONG, Soun and 홍순명Korean Art Museum Association
Sampung Mansion apartment (2012/2012) by CHOI, Joong-Won and 최중원Korean Art Museum Association
Dongdaemun apartment (2010/2010) by CHOI, Joong-Won and 최중원Korean Art Museum Association
Hangang Sibeom apartment (2012/2012) by CHOI, Joong-Won and 최중원Korean Art Museum Association
The house
"We need to think where we are living, what is happening, and what it means to us." >> Kang Hong Goo’s interview from Korean Artist Project
Hwanghak Dong 2 (2004) by Kang, Hong Goo and 강홍구Korean Art Museum Association
Landscape of Oshoeri 12 (2004) by Kang, Hong Goo and 강홍구Korean Art Museum Association
Mickey House-Stairs (2005/2006) by Kang, Hong Goo and 강홍구Korean Art Museum Association
Mickey House-Room (2005/2006) by Kang, Hong Goo and 강홍구Korean Art Museum Association
Landscape of Oshoeri 3 (2004) by Kang, Hong Goo and 강홍구Korean Art Museum Association
SAIESEO: Between
The work, SAIESO: between two Koreas and Japan represents the figure that Koreans in Japan live ordinarily. It’s true that Sai(the boundary) exists there: between a generation and a generation and between the Korean Peninsula and the archipelago of Japan. Sai(the boundary) exists in all things such as from the clothes which are wearing, the space of so-called room, the furniture and household stuffs even to miscellaneous articles.
SAIESEO_between two Koreas and Japan. Mom and I (2010 - 2010) by Insook KIM and 김인숙Korean Art Museum Association
SAIESEO_between two Koreas and Japan. Great-grandmother and I (2008 - 2008) by Insook KIM and 김인숙Korean Art Museum Association
SAIESEO_between two Koreas and Japan. Grandson and I (2008 - 2008) by Insook KIM and 김인숙Korean Art Museum Association
SAIESEO_between two Koreas and Japan. to Ancestors (2008 - 2008) by Insook KIM and 김인숙Korean Art Museum Association
SAIESEO_between two Koreas and Japan. Everyday Life (2008 - 2008) by Insook KIM and 김인숙Korean Art Museum Association
Spring Day Goes 3 (2008) by Ahn, Chang Hong and 안창홍Korean Art Museum Association
Broken Face - Family Portrait (2006) by Ahn, Chang Hong and 안창홍Korean Art Museum Association
Spring Day Goes7 (2007) by Ahn, Chang Hong and 안창홍Korean Art Museum Association
Anxious Celebrations
Nanda shows the phenomenon where happiness became a product through commemorative photographs disguising the unstableness and anxiety.
Good Luck! (2011/2011) by Nanda and 난다Korean Art Museum Association
0214:valentine Day (2011/2011) by Nanda and 난다Korean Art Museum Association
0505:Children's Day (2011/2011) by Nanda and 난다Korean Art Museum Association
Children's Day (2011/2011) by Nanda and 난다Korean Art Museum Association
Is this real?
Lee Jae hoon has been exploring problems of collective system of value and conventionalized perception existing in modern society in which the so-called ‘gloomy generation’ live. The fresco method in his work delivers the substantiality of objects by making phenomenons of the present age into a suspended record which informs the fact that the function which began from monument forms is still valid in the masses of characters, and at the same time it is an important point which gives us a peep into contemporary introspection in the artists work.
Unmonument- Is This Real? (no.1) (2008) by Lee, Jae Hoon and 이재훈Korean Art Museum Association
Noble Savage- -Unwholesome Relationships (no.2) (2009) by Lee, Jae Hoon and 이재훈Korean Art Museum Association
The Managed Emotion- What Are You Doing? (2011) by Lee, Jae Hoon and 이재훈Korean Art Museum Association
The Korean Art Museum Association presents series of themed exhibitions with over 5,600 works by Korean Artist Project hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and sponsored by Arts Council Korea. Korean Artist Project (www.koreanartistproject.com) is an online platform to promote Korean Contemporary Art since 2011. Every year, the project selects internationally active and notable Korean artists and introduces them to the world.
curated by Jin Kyung LEE
Korean Artist Project
www.koreanartistproject.com
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