over the rainbow

NY-Based Artists Present `Over the Rainbow'

``Suburban Fury'' bu SunTek ChungBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

New York is widely considered as the art capital of the world. This is why thousands of young artists head to the city, hoping to make a splash in the art scene.

Sixteen young New York-based artists are introducing their works in Seoul this month. ``Over the Rainbow,'' a group exhibit at Yoo Art Space in Cheongdam, features 60 works by artists from the United States, Korea, Mexico, Canada, Japan and China. Curated by Song Si-sun, the exhibit runs through Nov. 23.

``The `rainbow' in the exhibition title suggests the promise and possibilities of the multicultural society that is New York City. It conjures up visions of an `American Dream' that lies somewhere beyond that multi-colored arc, an illusory reality of lofty dreams, bitter promises, and dashed hopes: the collective dreams of New York City, the United States, and the world,'' organizers said, in an exhibition statement.

The theme covers some of today's biggest issues, such as the Iraq war, global financial crisis, environmental problems and xenophobia. However, the artists manage to create pop art works that are bright, colorful and witty.

Participating artists include Alexander Reyna, Annysa Ng, Douglas Ra, Erika Harrsch, Ginger Brooks Takahashi, Hiroshi Kumagai, Jamie Allen, Jaye Rhee, Karina Aguilera Skvirsky, Lisa Dahl, Mike Houston, Martin Mazzora, Aegi Changsuk Park, SunTek Chung, Thomas Doyle and Daniel Baltzer.

Reyna, who was born in N'Djemana, Chad, created the installation, mixed media collage ``Big Money Now.'' He takes familiar corporate and cultural images, but subverts their original intended meaning and creates his own.


``Big Money Now'' by Alexander Reyna is part of the exhibition ``Over the Rainbow'' at Yoo Art Space, Cheongdam, southern Seoul. /Courtesy of Mushroom Arts Chung, a Korean-American, takes photographs of himself in staged scenarios that challenge the stereotypical image of the Asian American. For example, in ``Suburban Fury,'' he is depicted as a suburbanite holding modern gardening tools while standing amid rice paddies.

``Over the Rainbow'' is the first group exhibit in Seoul organized by Mushroom Arts, a New York-based non-profit organization. Song and Kim Ji-yaang formed the organization in 2003 in Hoboken, New Jersey, recognizing the stiff competition among artists in New York.

``Mushroom Arts keeps discovering artists with spirit, and provides a fertile environment for them, and promotes them to the public. We actually started by promoting only young Korean artists, but later realized there are equal demands for artists with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Consequently we now think that curating with no such boundaries will help to promote Korean contemporary art better here in New York,'' Kim, co-director of Mushroom Arts, told The Korea Times in an email interview.

Korean contemporary art is gaining ground in New York, because of its distinctive characteristics compared to Chinese and Japanese contemporary art.

``It is almost impossible to define Korean contemporary art in a word or a sentence. Of course diversity and variety are good virtues in art, but in today's commoditized art world, we need representative images of our art. Star artists need to come out to the major art cities in the world. I suppose we lack it so far,'' Kim said.

Since 2005, Mushroom Arts has moved its base to Chelsea, New York City, and has produced over 30 art events including exhibitions, experimental music concerts, film festivals and performances.

To get to Yoo Art Space, get off at Cheongdam Station Line 7, Exit 9. It is a 15-minute walk from the station. A map and information are available on www.yooartspace.com.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr