multiple dialogue

Paik, Kang Join in Multiple Dialogue

Artist Kang Ik-joong unveiled ``Samramansang'' (All Creations), composed of 60,000 of his ``3 x 3 inches'' paintings, Thursday at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. It is part of a joint exhibition, ``Multiple/Dialogue,'' including the late video art pioneer Paik Nam-june’s 18-meter video tower ``The More The Better.'' / Yonhap
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Three years after the death of the ``father of video art'' Paik Nam-june, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea is remembering his legacy with a joint exhibition with another internationally acclaimed artist Kang Ik-joong.

``Multiple/Dialogue'' opened at the museum in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, last week. The exhibition shows the interplay between Kang's ``Samramansang,'' (All Creations) featuring his ``3 x 3 inches'' works and Paik's ``The More The Better,'' an 18-meter video tower that is a permanent installation in the museum.

Visitors will first see the tower made of 1,003 television monitors flashing Paik's video images, located in the middle of what the museum calls the ``ramp core,'' a spiral corridor that leads to the different galleries. The corridor walls are covered with an almost overwhelming array of Kang's small painted squares.

``Viewers are invited to participate in the dialogue between the two artists as they experience Paik's constantly blinking video images on one hand, and on the other, the endless flow of Kang's '3 x 3 inches' pieces. … They are invited to engage in the dialogue by unfolding their own memories, histories and stories,'' curator Lim Dae-geun said.

Kang told reporters that he collected about 70,000 works that he has made since 1984, but has only used around 60,000 to fill up the 200-meter space. In a way, it is a retrospective of Kang's canvas works, letter paintings, woodcarvings and moon jar images that he has made since 1984.

While preparing for the exhibition, Kang realized many of the pieces were surprisingly related to the mountain. So he wanted the exhibition to be similar to the journey that people take as they hike up a mountain. He thinks the artist is like a mountain climber whose task is to convey what he saw on the natural wonder through art.

Visitors walk up the spiral ramp, as they hear the sounds of chirping birds, chanting monks and wind chimes. On one side of the wall, there are streaks of neon lights resembling a waterfall. At the top, there is a spectacular view of Paik's TV tower surrounded by thousands of Kang's small works.

Kang shares fond memories of Paik, whom he considers a mentor. In 1994, they staged a joint exhibition ``Multiple/Dialogue'' at the Whitney Museum of American Art at Champion in Stanford, Conn. Kang recalled how Paik faxed the museum a simple message that read: ``I am very flexible. It is important that Ik-joong has the better space.''

Since then, Kang said Paik often talked about the possibility of holding a joint exhibition in Korea. Unfortunately, it never happened during Paik's lifetime.

Art, Kang said, represents flexibility of the world. He remembered Paik's story of a ``chilseong moodang,'' or shaman, in Jeju Island who worshipped seven star deities. She forgot to bring the mortuary tablet of the chilseong. So she found a bottle of Chilsung cider and used it to replace the mortuary tablet, in order to complete the ceremony.

``For a shaman who believes that she is the center of the universe, the soda bottle will play the role of an antenna connecting her to the universe. … It's like bibimbap. There can be many variations of bibimbap. Its character depends on each person who makes the food and availability of ingredients. Nevertheless, if there is rice, the essential ingredient, then whatever is being mixed, it becomes our bibimbap,'' he said.

As a tribute to Paik, Kang said he wanted ``Samramansang,'' and Paik's ``The More The Better,'' to interact and mix, similar to bibimbap.

The exhibition runs through Feb. 7, 2010. Admission is free. To get to the museum, get off at Seoul Grand Park Subway Line 4, Exit 4, where a shuttle bus to the museum is available every 20 minutes. Visit http://www.moca.go.kr.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr