AliceOnPaperVol1 by yoona sun

2009 MARCH / VOL.1

2009, WHAT IS YOUR IDEA ON MEDIA ART? Part.1

INTERVIEW Heung-sup Jung EXHIBITION INFO. in Seoul

COVERSTORY

tag.1

2009, WHAT IS YOUR IDEA ON MEDIA ART? part.1

Media Art Database & Online Archive AliceOn

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Media art, as a rising new art form, has

In 2009, where media art is placed and

The questions were asked to the

been suggesting creative destinations

headed for?

media art curators who work in and out of

of art with its innovative forms and approaches. The idea of authenticity and identity of media art, however, is being questioned again these days. The phe-

Korea, and the text below was written from the

Q1. Now, what is the media art you are thinking of?

nomenon comes from new environment

Q2.

and situation, which differs from the

What was the core of media art projects

early days of media art. The new era of

you (or your institute) have (has) done so

media art is apparently having a transi-

far?

tional period. Under such circumstances, AliceOn asked the questions below to some curators in Korea and around the world and listened how they create media art projects to produce various views and directions. Based on their experiences and opinions, AliceOn would hope to be able

interviews of Shin

Bo-sul(Total Museum), Shin Hyun-jin(Ssamzie Space), Cho Joohyun(Seoul Museum of Art), and Hwang Jung-in(Savina Museum of Contemporary Art).

Q3. In 2009, at this moment, what do you think of the present of media art? And what is the next phase of media art in near future you are expecting? (Where media art should be moved forward?)

to address the issues facing media art

Q4.

today and to figure out its future prospect.

What is you next media art project now your are working on?

________ 404 Object not found

AliceOn Coverstory TAG.1

________ Sound Art 101

Cho Joo-hyun

Shin Hyun-jin

Art Curator

Seoul Museum of Art

Ssamzie Space

Q2.

Q1.

The recent exhibition <Responsive Eye:

The fact that people categorize those art

Digital Spectrum> at Seoul Museum of

works as ‘media art’ ,which defines the

Art focused on the achievements after the

form before ideas, reveals the dilemma

op-art (art genre dealing with the themes

of media that the attraction of the device

of optic and perceptive experience and

itself is stronger than what it is trying to

phenomenon) had absorbed scientific

say......

knowledges such as new media art and

Now artists look for cooperation between

in turn brought on major effects to other

an idea of art work and the technology

contemporary art genres. From pieces

which best suits the idea. It will become

creating optical illusion by borrowing

less likely to expect an artist who deals

traits of op-art in the mid 20th century

with both technology and philosophy

to the works of illusionary images based

alone and to distinguish what a techno

on psychological response and receptive

savvy artist does.

incidents, the exhibition displayed the spectrums of various phenomenons ren-

Q3.

dered by optic and perceptive cognition

There has been a fall back of exhibition

under today’s media environment.

plans since late last year due to depression of art industry. Still, Nam June Paik

________ Digital Spectrum 2008

Q3.

Art Center has opened and small media

As media art tends to progress quickly

artist groups seem to keep on experiment-

taking in new technologies and trends un-

ing on their art works. I hope those of who

like other forms of art, it will become more

I met recently - dorbot.com, randomwalks

popular as exhibitions today prefer to be

who is working on data visualization

spectacle. Yet, one should concern that

project, sound artist group Tacit, media

there may be a neo-Greenbergian symp-

performance group MDPG, and mobile-

tom being obsessed to material and form

tech based dotplay - cheer up. I will look

instead of pursuing artistic duty endlessly

forward to see works based on augmented

figuring out diverse derivatives of media.

reality technology as I heard the technology has enhanced further.

Media Art Database & Online Archive AliceOn

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Hwang Jung-in

Shin Bo-seul

Art Curator

Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

Total Museum

Q2.

Q1.

Savina Museum of Contemporary Art has

I want to define media art more broadly.

Here are how the interviewees defined me-

been opening yearly exhibitions since

Because focusing on ‘art’ than ‘media’ will

dia art. Media art takes popular medium to

2005 under the theme of ‘Art and Technol-

let us dream more possibilities of media

utilize in other ways to create new under-

ogy’. As the exhibitions more focused on

art. I think media art is something that

standings to people.

approaches to contemporary art through

applies media(medium) in a different way

Messages of the media art works are deliv-

academic exchanges than on media art

to expand the experiences of viewers and

ered through the different use of medium

itself, we took the best way to emphasize

distorts views of daily lives to create new

which will expand the possibility of recog-

the theme.

windows to see the world.

nition. They thought the media art in Korea didn’t have enough media-oriented exhibi-

Q4.

Q2.

tions, but at the same time they mentioned

It is no surprise anymore that scien-

After the exhibition <Digital Playground>

dilemmas interfering such works. “Al-

tists give attention to contemporary art,

from Eijungbu International Media Art

mighty artists” have disappeared already,

therefore we are planning to set out

Festival in 2005, Total Museum has been

however, they still could not picture clearly

business(exhibition, academy) to real-

taking on yearly media art exhibitions

on how “post-almighty artists” will show

ize consistent interrelationship between

since 2007. Unlike the 2005’s, the exhibi-

up particularly in Korea.

outside experts and artists.

tions have become more sophisticated

In 2005 exhibition <ARTIST PROJECT>, we

with different themes each year. For

examined possibilities and limits on artists

instance, the theme last year was “Hack

and scientists working together through

the City!!” which connected the issue of

workshops. Based on the results, the ex-

hacking to urban problems. This year, they

hibition <2050 Future Scope> in 2009 has

titled it “Open the Source!!” to approach

shown themes on future society with the

the concept of open source and sharing.

scientists’ advice on artistic works. As a

Consistently running projects are as im-

following step, we are getting ready to set

portant as launching an individual exhibi-

up a system to sustain cooperative work

tion since they generate deeper specula-

between scientists and artists.

tion on themes and allow to discover other possibilities.

KOREAN ARTIST INTERVIEW

HEUNG _SUP JUNG

Media Art Database & Online Archive AliceOn

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We have met an artist Heungsup Jung who is investigating the images both of the real and the virtual world in the world of images where a lot of idealess images are floating, coming and going between the worlds.

Korean Artist Interview

Heung-sup Jung:

goes through the optical coding that he

There are so many images around the

firstly takes a photo by himself to make a

world so we have to get them even if

flat image, then he consists of the im-

we do not want to. My free ideas and

ages to the three-dimensional designs. In

works on every medium are based on my

other words, his works are products from

experiences of an art education in France

inanimate objects or people that really

because it does not belong to the specific

exist. On the other hand, my works are

disciplinary approach. The world of today

not images from that certain objects. I

is the image society where ‘seeing’ is just

rather choose the two-dimensional images

‘choosing’.

from the beginning and make the three-

I transfers the mental actions such as collecting and assembling in the choices to the physical actions through my works.

aliceon: When we meet Your works like <FIFA2008> or <CALL OF DUTY2> something like that, we usually remind of O-sang Kwon’s works due to their outer resemblance. Although there are some definite differences between their works in the way of the photo textures and pixel density, they are still similar. dimensional sculptures(or figures) by tearHeung-sup Jung:

ing and pasting of them. It means there

The differences between my works and

is no subject for photography or I choose

his works are apparent in the approaches

simulacra, that are, already simulated

to the works, even though they closely

images. After all, I can say that my way of

resemble each other in their outward

production is post-production where the

forms, which are three-dimensional

object itself can be a work. It means, in my

sculptures made up of two-dimensional

works, those two-dimension images which

images. O-sang Kwon’s artworks start

are not come out from any real object and

from the objects which really exist in the

the three-dimension figures which are

real world. His way of producing works

made up of the images coexist. In other

Media Art Database & Online Archive AliceOn

AliceOnPaper Vol.1

words, this my code in usage as not a

putting the visual experiences first. I

production but an application is different

work to make a metaphor for the different

from the artist O-sang Kwon.

senses and situations and interprets them through this vision. I always thinks that I

aliceon :

must think like an amateur but work like

What do you think about terms “media”

a professional, on the other hand, I feels

and “media art”?

like that I should think like a professional but work like an amateur as well.

Heung-sup Jung: “Media” are sorts of spaces where they

You can see the whole interview at www. aliceon.net

connect something or divide the real and the virtual at the same time. Furthermore, term of “media art” can be called a work which the factor ‘media’ is distinguished in the whole composition and flow of the works, rather than defined it according to the genre of the works such as photos, images, or interactive arts soon.

My works are as playing a visual role in the digital virtual space. Virtuality is highly

EXHIBITION INFO. IN SEOUL

MultiScape: Reading, Writing, Memorizing 3â&#x20AC;˘15 Art Center 2009.02.12 ~ 2009.04.14 www.315art.net

Duplicity Project-The City_ Lee June Ui (photography) Gallery K 2009.02.26 ~ 2009.03.18 www.galleryk.org

Thousands_BreaThings_ Chun Kyung Woo (mixed media) Total Museum/ Gaain Gallery 2009.03.03 ~ 2009.03.29 / 2009.03.03 ~ 2009_03.28 www.totalmuseum.org / www.gaainart.com

2009 Kumho Young Artist _Jung Yoon Suk, Kim Min Jeong, Hong Nam Kee, Lee Young Min, Kumho Museum of Art 2009.03.06 ~ 2009.04.05 www.kumhomuseum.com

A Practice of Behavior_Kwon Sun Kwan (photography) Sungkok Art Museum 2009.03.06 ~ 2009.04.05 www.sungkokmuseum.com

The First Stop on the Super Highway Nam June Paik Art Center 2009.03.07 ~ 2009.05.16 www.njpartcenter.kr

Platform 2009_Tomorrow_Bae Young Whan Artsonje Center 2F / Artsonje Round Project, Artsonje Center 1F 2009.03.07 ~ 2009.04.26 / 2009.03.07 ~ 2009.12.31 www.platformseoul.org

Kang Hong Goo (photography) Mongin Art Center 2009.03.13 ~ 2009.05.03 www.mongin.org

Christoph Rihs (photography) Young Eun Museum of Contemporary Art 2009.03.14 ~ 2009.04.05 www.youngeunmuseum.org

Art & Synesthesia Seoul Museum of Art 2009.03.18 ~ 2009.06.07 www.seoulmoa.org

International Interdisciplinary Art Festival_Festival Bo:m Arko Arts Theater and other places 2009.03.27 ~ 2009.04.12 www.festivalbom.org

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