This work by American Pop artist Tom Wesselmann can be seen during the KIAF 2009 at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center, Sept. 18-22.
/ Courtesy of KIAF |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
The biggest art fair in Korea opens Friday, with high hopes amid a slump in the local art market.
The Korea International Art Fair 2009 will bring together galleries, collectors and art lovers for five days through Sept. 22, at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center, southern Seoul.
Pyo Mi-sun, chairman of the Galleries Association of Korea, said the KIAF hopes to reinvigorate the stagnant Korean art market, which has been affected by the global economic downturn.
 KIAF has a much leaner line-up of galleries this year. Only 168 are participating, down from 218 last year and 208 in 2007. This includes 122 domestic galleries and 46 from countries such as Germany, Japan, Spain, Australia, France, China and India, among others.
Still, KIAF includes the biggest Korean galleries Arario Gallery, Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, and Gana Art Gallery. Foreign galleries include China's TS1 Beijing, Colombia's El Museo, France's Galerie Maria Lund, Germany's Walter Bischoff Galerie and Japan's Gallery Kaze.
Over 4,600 works by approximately 1,200 up-and-coming and world renowned artists are on display at the art fair, hoping to attract the attention of the art-loving public and art collectors.
India's contemporary art is in the spotlight, as it is the guest country at this year's KIAF.
``Through the India Guest Country program, KIAF wishes to demonstrate Indian art's excellence as well as its potential for further growth as an art market to the public and professionals,'' organizers said.
The exhibition of Indian art ``Failed Plot,'' curated by art critic Gayatri Sihna, is ``inspired by the idea of the incomplete picture.'' Works of 15 Indian artists including Gigi Scaria, Tejal Shah, Surekha, Rohini Devasher and Manjunath Kamath will be shown. Sinha will discuss the exhibition in a lecture, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m., while Parul Dave Mukgerji of Jawaharlal Nehru University of New Delhi will give a lecture on contemporary art practices in India, Sept. 18 at 3 p.m.
KIAF has organized special exhibitions to attract a wider audience. ``Modern Boy, Modern Girl: Korean Contemporary Art, Modernism & Modernity'' hopes to broaden the public's view of Korean contemporary art.
``The exhibition will shed light on how the contemporary artists felt, perceived and tried to reflect modernity in their paintings. It will also show how the task of practicing modernity was fulfilled by artists and their sensitivity through their manifestation of art in each period,'' organizers said.
The exhibition is divided into three eras of Korean contemporary art, 1920-1930, 1940-early-1950s and mid-1950s-present. Works by Kim Whan-ki, Yoo Young-kuk, Lee Kyu-sang, Paek Young-soo, and Lee Joong-seop are among those on display.
Korean artist Yoo Eun-joo will give a special performance of her work ``The Blinds," Sept. 19-20 (12 p.m. and 4 p.m.). Seven artists from Korea, Japan and Taiwan were chosen by KIAF to give special presentations of their works in the lecture room, Hall D, Sept. 20.
Children are also given a chance to learn about art and have fun during the art fair through the ``Kids in KIAF'' program. There are five programs teaching children about space design, media art, environmental design, photography and art therapy. For reservations, download an application at www.kiaf.org and send an e-mail to kids@kiaf.org.
There are guided tours in Korean and English, every day at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are 15,000 won for adults and 10,000 won for students. Visit www.kiaf.org (Korean, English).
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr
| Lee Ufan’s Sculptures at Kukje Gallery |
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Artist Lee Ufan stands in front of his work "Relatum ― Thing & Language" at the exhibition ``Sculpture,'' at the Kukje Gallery New Hall.
/ Courtesy of Kukje Gallery | By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Large rocks and iron plates of various sizes are carefully placed throughout the Kukje Gallery New Hall as part of renowned artist Lee Ufan's solo exhibition ``Sculpture,'' which runs through Oct. 9.
They might baffle some, but Lee's works seek to emphasize ``the interrelationship between two unique elements, natural stones and iron plates, within the space,'' Kukje Gallery said.
``Lee Ufan, an artist, writer and philosopher, observes the relationship between objects that encounter the external world and the space embracing them,'' it said.
The 73-year-old Lee, who was in Seoul for the opening of his show, said he only acts as a moderator between the rocks and iron plates. The rocks and iron plates may have both come from nature, but they symbolize nature and man-made structures, respectively.
``I brought them together and let them communicate,'' he said at a press conference at the gallery.
This is Lee's first solo show in Seoul in six years. It features 10 installation pieces with these rocks, iron plates and poles laid out on the gallery's floors.
In ``Relatum ― Silence,'' Lee placed a large rock in front of a large black iron plate. In another piece, ``Relatum ― Dissonance,'' two iron poles are placed between rocks on the floor. Such works may seem quite enigmatic for viewers.
`` Through the artist, the stone lets go of its natural quality, allowing it to move closer to human nature. Likewise, iron plates let go of their artificial quality in order to step closer to nature. Stone and iron plates, consequently, are placed in a process of reconciliation,'' the gallery said.
Lee said he used the exhibition space as part of the installation exploring the interaction of the various elements.
"Relatum ― Dialogue" by Lee Ufan on display at Kukje Gallery
/ Courtesy of Kukje Gallery | Born in 1936 in Haman-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, Lee is considered one of the most influential and widely recognized Korean artists abroad. He entered the Seoul National University School of Art in 1956, and transferred to the department of philosophy at Nihon University, Tokyo in 1958.
In 1971, Lee participated in the 7th Paris Biennale, where he and a group of Japanese artists introduced the concept of ``Mono-ha'' to Europe. Mono-ha was an art movement in Japan in the late '60s and '70s that criticized Modernism and explored the relationship between man-made and natural materials in visual art.
Lee has been generally identified with the Japanese art scene for many years, prompting questions over whether he considers himself as a Japanese or Korean artist.
``I am just the artist Lee Ufan,'' he said. Because he lived for 20 years in Japan, he couldn't help but be influenced by its culture, but he remains deeply connected to Korea.
There have been several exhibitions of Lee's paintings and other works in Korea, but none since a retrospective at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in 2003. The exhibition at the Kukje Gallery New Space is the first one showing Lee's sculptures in Korea.
Call (02) 735-8449. The gallery is open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit www.kukjegallery.com.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr |
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| Discover Classrooms in Asia in Photos |
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Monks teach young students at a Sunday Buddhist school in Bangkok, in this photograph taken by Korean photographer Yun Suyeon. This is part of the “Dreaming Classroom ? The Treasure Within” exhibition organized by the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), which opens today. / Courtesy of APCEIU |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Ever wonder what goes on in the confines of classrooms in other countries? Then take a glimpse inside classrooms and schools around Asia through rare photographs taken by Korean and Southeast Asian photographers.
The photo exhibition ``Dreaming Classroom ― The Treasure Within,'' organized by the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), opens Wednesday at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center Gallery, Sunhwa-dong, Seoul.
The title of the exhibition refers to both classrooms inside schools and the learning environment of the outside world, where students apply the knowledge they have learned.
``The `Dreaming Classroom ― The Treasure Within' exhibition is a look into the lives and the learning process of the Asian people, who have shown the passion and drive of people who share equal responsibility to one another and to nature. It will portray not only scenes of formal education but also the infinite boundaries of education happening outside the walls of the classroom,'' organizers said.
The exhibition is divided into five sections, showing photographs from eight countries ― Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos and Malaysia.
In the first section, ``Learning from the Earth,'' viewers can see photographs of elderly people who have the accumulated knowledge and wisdom passed down through generations. The learning process inside and outside the classroom walls is the focus of the second section, ``Dreaming Classroom.'' ``The schools in Asia have become not only a source for dreams but also a field of dreams. The smiles and laughter of the children who have just learned to read or written their first words represents the zest for life that the people of Asia have,'' organizers said.
``The World is our Textbook and Classroom'' is about how real life can be the most
important learning experience for people, while ``Asian Faber: Patterns of Everyday Life'' focuses on Asian handicrafts like sewing, embroidery, carving and folding paper.
Finally, ``Asian Ludens'' explores Asian people's close relationship with nature, and how the cultures communicate with nature through song and dance.
Children can also have fun at the exhibition through the interactive computer game ``SEA (Southeast Asia) Journey.'' It contains 400 puzzles and quizzes about the history, culture, arts and societies of the 11 Southeast Asian countries.
There is also a special section featuring textbooks from 25 different countries in Asia.
``Textbooks are a medium that reflect a society's change and thoughts and through these textbooks we can take a look at the Asian cultures from yet another perspective. It is important to examine the different viewpoints that these countries hold about the same subject," organizers said.
An opening ceremony will be held at 5 p.m., Wednesday, at the gallery, located on the first floor of the Joong-ang Ilbo Building, Sunhwa-dong.
The exhibition runs through Oct. 16. Admission is free. It is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and until 9 p.m. Wednesday. Closed on Sundays and holidays.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr |
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| Dazzling Glass Works by Chihuly at AVENUEL |
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This glass reeds and pine logs installation by renowned American glass artist Dale Chihuly can be seen at the first floor of AVENUEL, Chung-gu, downtown Seoul. This is part of the Chihuly exhibition at AvenueL, which runs through Oct. 31. / Korea Times Photo by Cathy Rose A. Garcia |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Anyone who has been to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas will undoubtedly remember the magnificent array of glass flowers on the lobby's ceiling. Those hand-blown glass pieces by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly have become as much of a tourist attraction as the hotel's fountains.
While his works have been displayed throughout the world, interestingly Chihuly's iconic glass pieces have not quite caught on in Korea, save for two installations at the Sheraton Walker Hill and the Phoenix Park Hotel.
That just might change after people see the on-going exhibition ``Dale Chihuly: Sculptures in Glass and Drawings'' at Lotte Art Gallery and throughout the Avenue L department store in downtown Seoul.
Michael Hytinen, a representative from Chihuly Studios in Seattle, said the artist is excited to be showing his works in Korea again, especially with the expanding art market. Mezzanine Gallery is the official representative for Chihuly in Korea.
``Asia, Mr. Chihuly believes, will define the next generation of the world's economy. There's a passion in countries like Korea, and an appetite toward new, wonderful and creative things. It's such a great time to be here because people are quite open and curious, and there's a lot of passion here for music, fashion and architecture. You can see that in Seoul, and the art scene is an extension of that,'' Hytinen said told The Korea Times.
The 68-year-old selected a number of sculptures, paintings and drawings to showcase his different series such as Baskets, Seaforms, Macchia, Venetians and Ikebana.
The Baskets, Macchia and Seaforms sparkle with otherworldly colors at the gallery. As light hits the yellow and orange glass pieces of the Persian Wall, the pretty colored shadows created on the walls become part of the installation itself.
On the second floor of AVENUEL, visitors will find an installation of turquoise glass reeds perched on huge pine logs. Hytinen said the tall glass reeds were made in Finland, since there are no glass-making facilities in the U.S. that can handle that kind of scale.
``Mr. Chihuly often finds inspiration very early in the morning as he looks over the horizon. He is often inspired by water and nature. He follows his gut instincts,'' Hytinen said.
Described as the world's most successful glass artist, Chihuly is widely credited with elevating glass from being considered as a craft form into a fine art. He lost sight in his left eye in 1976, which has always been covered by his signature black eye patch.
He may no longer make the pieces himself, but he is intimately involved in the creative process for every artwork created. He views himself as a ``conductor" or ``director," and he works with 100 people in his studio, including glass blowers, the administration and the shipping teams.
Among his most famous installations are ``Chihuly Over Venice," featuring 14 brilliantly lit Chandeliers along the Grand Canal and around the city, and ``Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem 2000,'' which included a 44-foot tall Crystal Mountain and Jerusalem Wall of Ice, made of 64 tons of arctic diamond clear ice from Alaska, which melted in 3 days.
The Chihuly exhibition at Lotte Art Gallery runs through Oct. 15, while his pieces are on display from the basement to 5th floor of Lotte AVENUEL through Oct. 31. Admission is free.
The Mezzanine Gallery, located on the 3rd floor of the Nature Poem Building, Cheongdam-dong, has a continuing exhibition of Chihuly's works, including chandeliers, glass sculptures and drawings. Visit www.chihuly.com.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr
| Fresh Art, Lower Sales at Korean Art Fair |
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Visitors flock to the Korea International Art Fair 2009, which ran Sept. 18-22, at the COEX Hall, southern Seoul. / Courtesy of KIAF |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Galleries pushed fresh new talent at this year's Korea International Art Fair 2009 (KIAF), as the global economic downturn continued to affect the art market.
Artworks by big-name artists Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Fernando Botero, Marc Chagall, Paik Nam-june and Lee Ufan were on display, but a lot of fresh, innovative works by up-and-coming artists also garnered attention. These works by new artists were surprisingly affordable, going for around one million won for small works and sculptures.
Osaka-based Tezukayama Gallery brought some works by young Japanese artists such as Akiko Sumiyoshi, whose cute animal character sculptures went for around $2,800 to $3,000.
``KIAF is a big art fair. Last year, the art market was not so good, so we think it is a good chance to get attention for our artists this year. We brought artists that are young, have powerful works and the prices are cheap. It's a good investment,''' Tezukayama Gallery director Ryoichi Matsuo told The Korea Times.
Some galleries offered reduced prices to get more collectors into the art market. ``I know galleries have been reducing prices a little and there's an opportunity definitely to buy. Even with the more established artists, we've been giving a bit of a discount. I think the collectors have been expecting that. Normally, we don't like to do that but this year, I think this is an opportunity for collectors,''' said Suzanne Hampel, director of ARC One Gallery from Melbourne.
It was Hampel's first time to participate at the KIAF, thanks to support from their government. Australian art is not yet well known in Korea, and the Australia Korea Foundation has given funding for four Australian galleries to go to KIAF.
``I thought we'd bring a mix of works to get an idea of what the people are interested in. We brought artists who are working with contemporary issues, and those who have been showing internationally,'' Hampel said.
The KIAF saw a drop in participation by galleries from here and abroad. This year's fair only had 168 galleries, compared to 218 last year.
Maria Lund, director of Paris-based Galerie Maria Lund, said she decided to return to the art fair this year because of her positive experience last year. She brought new works by French artist Didier Boussarie and Korean artist Lee Jin-woo to the fair.
``We were quite happy at the results from KIAF last year. I think it was a miracle last year, considering the financial crisis just started when the fair opened. I think many of the French galleries did not go back this year because they didn't have a good experience last year. I think the market will be a little better this year, because in Europe, it's already getting a bit better,'' Lund told The Korea Times.
Despite a leaner line-up of galleries and continued concerns over the global economy, KIAF organizers reported 13.6 billion won in sales at this year's fair, down from last year's 14 billion won. The number of visitors also fell to 56,000 from 61,000 last year, as people stayed away from crowded places due to the H1N1 outbreak.
Colmar Schulte-Goltz, director of Kunst-Raum/ Schulte-Goltz+Noelte gallery from Germany, remained bullish about the Korean art market, saying art is still a good investment. The gallery brought some colorful, cheerful works by artists Uwe Gross, Ivo Lucas and Martin Herler, which ``make people smile'' in these tough economic times.
``In past years, we have successfully sold our German and international art to Korean clients. It's very charming to get in touch with the Korean art world as well. … In my opinion, the art market is doing very well because a lot of people lost money on the stock market and now they would want to spend their time at home and they invest in art, because this is something they see. The value is in their hands, and not in the bank accounts. It is something they can enjoy,'' Schulte-Goltz said.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr |
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| 'Organ Mix' Features Korean, German Artists |
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``War of Sisters'' by Korean artist Won Seong-won is one of the works on display at the ``Organ Mix'' exhibition at Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, through Nov. 15. / Courtesy of organizers |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
 Artists from all over the world head to Germany, especially Berlin, which is considered to have one of the hottest art scenes today.
The new exhibition ``Organ Mix'' at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Pyeongchang-dong, features works by 11 Korean and foreign artists who have studied, lived or are still living in Germany.
Jung Me, the Germany-based curator of ``Organ Mix,'' said she chose artists whose works are more conceptual, rather than commercial, and reflect the character of the German art scene.
``When I see the artists from London, they have a different attitude. German artists usually have more conceptual thoughts. Often they don't make money because it is not easy to sell … In Germany, you can still do what's alright with you," Jung told The Korea Times at the museum, Friday.
"In that sense, I think they are all under German influence, whether they are Korean, German or from other countries. Conceptual shows are not very common in Korea. Usually, it is very commercial. I was excited to show these works in Korea,'' she said.
The title of the exhibition is a reference to organ transplants. ``All the artists are from everywhere, but were or still are based in Germany. Our body has different organs, and when we get sick, we can get organ transplants. There is like a cultural exchange, and a mix of cultures in Germany. I didn't want to make the title too serious. I wanted it to be very pop,'' Jung said.
The first thing that greets visitors at the museum is American artist Rita McBride's ``General Marks," in which black swoosh symbols decorate the glass wall of the museum. Jung explained that McBride took logos from tourist buses and placed them in a new context, rendering the logos unrecognizable.
Through the window, visitors can see ``Black and Blues,'' a wall of what seems to be exquisite pale blue tiles. Vera Lossau, who was a student of McBride's, printed beautiful patterns on the ``tiles,'' which are actually made from wax paper.
Science and art combine in the artworks of Kim Yun-chul, who employed complicated scientific techniques in his installation ``Epiphora,'' and Sabine Kacunko, whose ``Past'' looks like a galaxy from outer space but is actually an enlarged image of bacteria under a microscope.
``Vision,'' another work by Kacunko, features a live streaming of images of microorganisms under observation at the Robert Koch Forum at the Institute for Microbiology and Hygiene, Charite University Hospital, in Berlin, Germany .
Kim Hee-seon's ``Flavored Taste'' features TV monitors installed on top of tables, showing videos of different dishes being prepared. While living in Germany, Kim had asked her foreign friends to prepare their favorite dishes at home as she filmed them.
Norwegian artist Bjorn Melhus made a highly entertaining 28-minute video, ``Auto Center Drive,'' in which he plays various roles to represent different egos. ``He uses sounds from TV, movies or open sources, and then he puts them in his film (as dialogue). It's so funny. He shows different types of egos and attitudes, it's a mix of everything but it works,'' Jung said.
Lee Bei-kyoung created an imposing black hexagon structure, which features interactive videos and sound. When visitors approach ``Repeated Freedom #2,'' sensors trigger changes in the dancers' movements in the videos being played.
Jung said that although the artists use different language and have various ideas and concepts, there's an intangible common thread running through their works, which can perhaps be attributed to the fact that they have all lived in Germany. ``They have the core of German art," she said.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 15. To get to the museum, get off at Gwanghwamun Station Line 3, Exit 3. Take the 1020 or 1711 green bus, and get off at the Lotte-Samsung Apartment stop.
Visit www.totalmuseum.org or call (02) 379-7037.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr |
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``Don't be scared,''' artist Chosil Kil told reporters, before setting off one of the cans in her work ``The Breathtaking.'' A purplish mushroom cloud of smoke quickly rose from the can and filled the room. 
Canada-born sculptor Robert Harrison made an outdoor arch using bricks and ceramic insulators. His ``Clayarch ― Arch'' epitomizes the union of modern industrial Korean ceramics and ancient architectural form. 
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