KOREA, SOUTH
NORTH KOREA
East Sea
Seoul
SOUTH KOREA Yellow Sea
Ko
rea
St
ra
it
100 KM
JAPAN
Official Country Name
REPUBLIC OF KOREA Languages
KOREAN
Population
51,418,097 Median Age
42.3
GDP Per Capita
US $39,500
Source: CIA World Factbook
Total Value of Art Exported (UN Comtrade Database 2017)
US $98,693,894 Arts Funding
(Culture, Sports and Tourism)
US $5,573,448,000
Schools with Art Programs (University Level)
70
Student Enrollment
19,180
Source: Ministry of Economy and Finance, Educational Statistics Service, AAP (non-official)
Museums Exhibiting Contemporary Art
80
Contemporary Art Galleries (Commercial)
231
Contemporary Art Spaces (Nonprofit)
49
Art Foundations (NGO + Private)
32
Source: AAP (non-official)
Acknowledgments: Haeju Kim, Pat Lee, Yeakoo Lee, Jaeyong Park, Mijoo Park, Jeon So Yeol, Goeun Song
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Installation view of BAHC YISO’s “Memos and Memories” at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, 2018. Courtesy the the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
The April 2018 interKorean summit—the first in 11 years—was the beginning of several meetings between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jongun, in which both sides confirmed their aspirations of unifying the peninsula. The dialogue was partially galvanized by the two countries’ joint participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in February, hosted by the city of Pyeongchang in South Korea’s northeastern Gangwon province. A Cultural Olympiad ran in conjunction with the sporting events, and the Gangwon International Biennale (2/3–3/18) was inaugurated with the rather ominous theme, “The Dictionary of Evil.” The domestic arts and culture sector is undergoing a revival after the political turmoil of late 2017, in which it was discovered that now-impeached president Park Geun-hye had supported a secret blacklist of 10,000 artists, filmmakers and cultural figures since May 2015 to deny them state funding. The new Moon administration introduced a series of cultural policy reforms after Park was removed. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively supported young artists with public funds reserved for debut exhibitions. Major corporate art patrons include retail conglomerate Lotte and cosmetics giant Amore Pacific, both of which opened sleek museums in their respective shiny new headquarters. Though the majority of arts infrastructure is consolidated in Seoul, each of the country’s provincial cities—Busan, Daegu, Gwangju | ALMANAC 2019 | VOL. XIV
and Daejeon—has its own municipal museum and biennial program, the oldest and grandest of which is the 12th Gwangju Biennale (9/7–11/11). Under the leadership of former Artsonje Center director Sunjung Kim, “Imagined Borders” included 165 artists in its most expansive presentation since the biennial’s founding in 1995. Seven independently curated sections subdivided the throng into manageable units, extending the exhibition beyond its traditional base at the Biennale Exhibition Hall to include newly commissioned works at the Former Armed Forces’ Gwangju Hospital and three exhibitions at the Asia Culture Center (ACC), as well as three parallel pavilions sponsored by Paris’ Palais de Tokyo, the Helsinki International Artist Program and the Philippine Contemporary Art Network. At ACC, a special focus on South Korean artists was found in “The Art of Survival: Assembly, Sustainability, Shift,” curated by Man Seok Kim, Sung-woo Kim and Chong-Ok Paek and featuring works by 32 artists and artist collectives—including Okin Collective and Suki Seokyeong Kang— that addressed contemporaneity through the lens of techne. Beyond the Biennale, ACC also mounted “PARKing CHANce” (3/9–7/8), a survey of experimental film and photography by Park Chanwook and Park Chankyong. The Gwangju Museum of Art (GMA) held Minjung Kim’s solo exhibition “Making the Void, Filling the Void” (8/22–11/25). Korea’s second-largest city, Busan, is best known for its film festival but its art scene is developing. The Busan Biennale (9/8–11/1) acted as a foil to Gwangju’s enormous and fragmented curatorial structure. Artistic director Cristina Ricupero and curator Jörg Heiser presented the compact “Divided We
Stand,” which remained sensitive to local geopolitics while sensibly addressing broader issues straining society at large through the works of artists including Hayoun Kwon, Minouk Lim, Onejoon Che and Sunah Choi. The event was housed in the recently completed Museum of Contemporary Art Busan, where a permanent installation by Tobias Rehberger activates the building’s lobby space and a vertical garden by Patrick Blanc carpets its facade. Other notable shows in Busan included “Botanica” (8/24–2/17/19), a major group exhibition at Busan Museum of Art, and a solo show by Julian Opie (3/24– 6/24) at the new cultural complex F1963, now home to an outpost of Seoul’s Kukje gallery. Of the handful of other galleries in Busan, the most active is Johyun Gallery, which showed wax paintings on canvas by Philippe Cognée (4/11–5/27). The city’s principal art fair Art Busan (4/20–22) held its seventh edition. In Daegu, the Daegu Photo Biennale (9/7–10/16) was led by curator Ami Barak in the exhibition’s seventh edition, entitled “Role-Playing: Rewriting Mythology.” Daegu Art Museum held a carefully curated and well-received retrospective of the pioneering abstract painter Kim Whanki (5/22–8/19), which drew audiences from around the country. Elsewhere, the Daejeon Biennale (7/17–10/24) and Changwon Sculpture Biennale (9/4–10/14) capped the country’s considerable biennial offerings. In the country’s capital, Seoul Mediacity Biennale (9/6–11/18) kicked off with little fanfare and struggled to overcome a mostly muted response from the public during its run. With its theme of “Eu Zên (Living Well),” the media-art biennial exhibited works by 68 artists and collectives that responded to concerns regarding the future of humanity
MINJUNG KIM, The Corner, 2018, mixed media on mulberry Hanji paper, 200 x 140 cm. Courtesy the artist.
and the planet, though without the curatorial clarity needed to allow viewers to parse its diverging conceptual threads. Following a three-year term at the helm of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), director Bartomeu Marí stepped down in December, after the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism declined to extend his tenure. A successor has yet to be announced. The museum’s primary hub MMCA Seoul, located adjacent to Gyeongbokgung Palace, hosts the annual Korea Artist Prize (8/11–11/25), which featured large-scale projects by finalists Minja Gu, Jae Ho Jung, Okin Collective and the prize winner, Siren Eun Young Jung. Other
Installation view of YOO YOUNGKUK’s “Colors from Nature” at Kukje Gallery, Seoul, 2018. Courtesy Kukje Gallery, Seoul/Busan. Countries
notable exhibitions included a meditative retrospective of stoic abstract painter Yun Hyong-keun (8/4–2/6/19); an elaborate solo presentation by pop-assemblage sculptor Choi Jeong Hwa (9/5–2/10/19); and a survey of video art by the late filmmaker Harun Farocki (11/14–2/24/19). Just south of city limits, MMCA Gwacheon held the first posthumous retrospective of Bahc Yiso, “Memos and Memories” (7/26–12/16), focusing on the seminal Korean conceptual artist’s key works and archives. The museum’s newest facility MMCA Cheongju in Chungcheong province opened in December and houses the National Art Conservation Center. Neighboring MMCA Seoul, Artsonje Center remains a cornerstone of the Samcheong-dong art district and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018, its first year without director Sunjung Kim. The museum’s deputy director Haeju Kim oversaw programming with standout shows such as “Point Counter Point” (3/3–4/8), which featured site-specific interventions by young Korean artists responding to the museum’s unconventional gallery floorplan, as well as well-crafted solo exhibitions by Jun Yang (4/20–6/3) and Francis Alÿs (8/31–11/4). In February, the newly appointed chairman of Arts Council Korea (ARKO) Hwang Hyun-san resigned shortly after assuming the post, citing health concerns. The former literary critic, writer and professor died of cancer in August. Arko Art Center, founded in 1979, featured an encore presentation of “Counterbalance: The Stone and the Mountain” (3/20–5/20) by Cody Choi and Lee Wan, originally exhibited in the Korea Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017, and a survey of work by Meekyoung Shin (7/5–9/9). The city’s eponymous art institution Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) also lost its director Choi Hyo-jun, who was suspended in July after a sexual harassment complaint was made public. Summer group shows “Voiceless: Return of the Foreclosed” (6/26– 8/15), with seven artist’s projects, and “Digital Promenade” (6/12–8/15), which marked the museum’s 30th anniversary by pairing works from the collection with new commissions, presented a stimulating respite from the city’s insufferable, record-breaking heat. In addition to its main space, SeMA runs Buk Seoul Museum of Art where its annual “Title Match” exhibition (7/24–10/14) paired works by Hyungkoo Lee and Oh Min examining the body in the context of creativity and control. SeMA continued its oversight of additional exhibition spaces at SeMA Bunker and Nam Seoul Museum of Art, and plans are underway to complete construction on a new mixed-use art and culture space by 2021. Seoul has several privately owned museums that operate regular exhibitions. A midcareer survey of artist Sasa[44], an 131
obsessive collector of objects, at Ilmin Museum of Art (9/7–11/25) was a subversive assessment of contemporary society and consumer culture. Sungkok Art Museum surveyed the relational performance practice of Kyungwoo Chun in “Ordinary Unknown” (9/14–11/11), furthering its mission of championing artists with significant contributions to the modern history of Korean art. SongEun ArtSpace continued its support for emerging and midcareer artists including Geumhyung Jeong, whose solo exhibition “Spa & Beauty Seoul” (3/9– 5/26) examined the performative female body in the context of desire, control and display. The Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art was long considered among the country’s top private institutions due to its strong and successful contemporary art program. However, its special exhibitions wing has been dark since the resignation of director Hong Ra-hee in early 2017 after the indictment of her son—then acting head of Samsung Group—in a bribery case related to the corruption case of former president Park. South of the capital in Gyeonggi province, the Nam June Paik Art Center commemorated its 10th anniversary with “#Art #Commons #NamJunePaik” (10/11–2/3/19), which reflected on notions of ownership, community and exchange. A number of thriving smaller noncommercial spaces provides diversity in the capital’s exhibition offerings. In Gangnam, “Post-lenticular Landscapes,” the outcome of a large-scale “3D scanning” project by the group ScanLab Projects, who re-enacting early photographic expeditions to Yosemite National Park, was shown at the the Hyundai ArtLab Motorstudio Seoul
(5/10–6/24). Atelier Hermès, led by curator Kim Yunkyoung, showed three compelling female artists: installations by Kim Minae (3/16–5/13), a horror film starring artists, and shot in Marfa, Texas, by Lili Reynaud-Dewar (6/1–7/29), and 17th Hermès Foundation Missulsang Award recipient Oh Min (9/6–11/4). Hite Collection mounted a rigorous and expansive look at contemporary abstract painting practices in Korea (10/26–12/1). At Doosan Gallery, 2017 Doosan Artist Award winner Hayoun Kwon presented “Levitation” (10/10–11/7), a beguiling solo show of video works. Erwin Wurm’s “One Minute Forever” (4/16–9/9) opened at Storage by Hyundai Card with sculptures and installations by the Austrian artist and was warmly received for its conceptual levity and aesthetic appeal. South Korea’s leading commercial galleries are concentrated in Seoul, in the traditional Samcheong-dong area east of Gyeongbokgung Palace, with the Itaewondong and Hannam-dong neighborhoods in central Seoul on the rise. Kukje Gallery remains the most active dealership with its roster of local and international stars. Its Samcheong-dong complex hosted a survey of postmodernist Kim Yong-ik’s “Endless Drawings” (3/20–4/22); a historical overview of the late influential abstract painter Yoo Youngkuk (9/4–10/21); and works by millennial market darling Oscar Murillo (11/29–1/6/19). In August, Kukje Gallery Busan launched the F1963 cultural complex, the gallery’s first outpost since its founding in 1982. Kukje’s sister space in New York, Tina Kim Gallery, hosted strong solo shows by conceptual mixed-media artist Suki Seokyeong Kang (2/28–4/7) and Dansaekhwa master Ha Chong-Hyun (5/4–6/16).
KIM SOUN-GUI, Voie-Voix Lactée, 1988, still from video: 60 min. Courtesy the artist and Arario Gallery, Seoul/Shanghai. 132
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Also in Samcheong-dong, Gallery Hyundai exhibited mostly Korean artists, including a historical survey of installation and performance works by Lee Kang-So (9/4–10/14) and recent textile works by Parisbased Seulgi Lee (11/15–12/23). Exhibitions of 20th-century geometric abstractions by Suh Seung-Won (3/9–4/29) and experimental interdisciplinary artist Kim Soun-Gui (8/30–11/11) highlighted Arario Gallery’s program at its Samcheongdong exhibition space. In addition to its headquarters in the neighboring city of Cheonan and a branch in Shanghai, the gallery also runs the nonprofit Arario Museum in Space in Seoul as well as several spaces in Jeju Island. In April, Arario opened a second gallery space at the boutique Ryse Hotel in the Hongdae neighborhood. Around the corner in Samcheong-dong, One and J. Gallery kept up its innovative programming with the choreographer Soohyun Hwang’s summer performance program “A Crying Sense” (5/2–6) and a poignant solo exhibition by Kang Seung Lee (11/22–12/22), which probed themes of queer activism and mortality. At the quieter end of Samcheong-dong near the Korean president’s residence, PKM Gallery featured a survey of Kwang Young Chun (4/6–6/5) and installations from the estate of Dan Flavin (9/4–10/31). Galerie Perrotin hosted ceramics by Otani Workshop (8/23–9/22) at its office showroom, while nearby Lehmann Maupin transitioned its recently acquired viewing space to a public small gallery with a solo show by Nari Ward (8/26–10/20). In Itaewon, Pace Gallery continued to roll out programming at its own recently opened office gallery, a highlight being a solo show by French-Moroccan artist Yto Barrada (9/3–11/10). Not far from Itaewon, newcomers P21 showed rising talent Yoon Hyangro (5/10–6/24) and Whistle displayed works by Eunji Cho (4/6–5/11). Sophis Gallery, which opened in 2016, has also been developing a notable contemporary program in Gangnam with shows by Fay Shin (2/10–3/6) and Yoon Jong Seok (10/25–11/29). Also in Gangnam, Willing N Dealing impressed with solo exhibitions from RohwaJeong (5/4–24) and Oh Inhwan (9/4–28). One quarter of the country’s galleries are registered with the Galleries Association of Korea, which runs the 17-year-old Korea International Art Fair (KIAF). The 2018 edition (10/4–7) attracted some 63,000 visitors and hosted 174 galleries from 14 countries, with reported sales nearing USD 2.5 million, slightly higher than the previous year’s total. To help boost attendance, the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS) hosted Gallery Weekend Korea, organizing art tours, panel discussions and networking events throughout KIAF fair dates.
KANG SEUNG LEE, Untitled (Table), 2018, mixed media installation, 150 x 150 x 75 cm. Photo by Euirock Lee. Courtesy One and J. Gallery, Seoul.
KAMS has also proved pivotal in the recent increase in alternative art distribution models in Seoul. Due in large part to its recent support, geared toward the development of an autonomous artist-led market, startup fairs such as The Scrap photo fair (6/9–13) and Union Art Fair (9/28–10/7), as well as the performance series Perform 2018 (12/12–16), were successfully staged for the third time. Other concepts such as Yeonhui Art Fair (10/20–28) and Tasteview (12/19–4/21/19), which both began two years ago, have undertaken similar ventures, joined this year by two new gallery-driven alternative fairs launched by COOP. Alternative and nonprofit spaces have long played a key role in maintaining Korea’s robust art scene, three of which celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2019: Project Space Sarubia held exhibitions by painter Sodam Lim (5/16–6/15) and video artist Minsun Lee (10/23–11/24); Art Space Pool showed photographs by Jinhwon Hong (6/26–8/5) and mixed-media works by Rho Jae Oon (8/30–10/14); and Alternative Space Loop presented compelling group shows such as “Move On Asia 2018” (6/15–7/22) and “Zeitgeist: Video Generation” (9/10–30). Highlights from the newer generation of nonprofits included Taehun Kang (7/21–8/12) and Kyoungjae Cho (11/19–12/20) at Amado Art Space/Lab; Hwayeon Nam (12/7/17–1/28) and Goeun Choi (11/14–12/12) at Audio Visual Pavilion; Sylbee Kim’s video and installations (8/24–10/13) at Hapjungjigu; the group show of seven artists and groups including Mixrice, “Amor Fati” (11/1–25) at Boan1942; and “Pink Noise Pop Up” (3/10–4/5) held jointly by Space One and One and J. + 1. Several Korean artists remain in heavy rotation abroad. Do Ho Suh exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC (3/16–8/5), and ARoS
Aarhus Kunstmuseum in Denmark (11/10– 2/17/19), and installed a long-term public art commission atop a London footbridge in September. Lee Bul’s major retrospective was held at London’s Hayward Gallery (6/1–8/19) and toured to Gropius Bau in Berlin (9/29–1/13/19); the artist also participated in the Bangkok Art Biennale (10/19–2/3/19), along with Choi Jeong Hwa. Haegue Yang held exhibitions across Europe, including a major survey at Museum Ludwig in Cologne (4/18–8/12); a solo exhibition at La Triennial di Milano (9/7–11/4); and inclusion in the Liverpool Biennial 2018 (7/14–10/28). Suki Seokyeong Kang also participated in the Liverpool Biennial, the Shanghai Biennale (11/10–3/10/19) and held a solo exhibition at Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia (4/27–8/12), in addition to receiving the annual Baloise Art Prize at Art Basel (6/14–17). Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho completed a major film commission for their solo show “News from Nowhere” at Tate Liverpool (11/23–3/17/19); Im Heung-soon exhibited at the 57th Carnegie International (10/13–3/25/19); and Kim Beom, Bona Park and Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries participated in the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (11/24–4/28/19). In August, M+ museum in Hong Kong acquired the entire archive of Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, including all future work. Lee Ufan was given a major commission at the Serpentine Galleries (2/6–7/29) and Kwang Young Chun held a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum (11/16–7/29/19). At the Powerlong Museum in Shanghai, “Kim Whanki and Dansaekhwa” (11/8–3/2/19) offered a comprehensive look at the forefather of Korean abstraction as well as major Dansaekhwa artists such as Kwon Youngwoo, Park Seo-bo, Chung Sang-Hwa, Ha Chong-Hyun and Lee Ufan. Although the Countries
international market frenzy for Dansaekhwa has cooled slightly, the movement’s representative artists continued to hold solo shows at galleries worldwide. In London, Simon Lee exhibited works by Yun Hyongkeun (10/25–11/24) and Lee Seung-taek showed at White Cube (5/25–6/30). Chung Chang Sup and Kwon Dae-Sup held a group show at Axel Vervoordt in Antwerp (4/14–6/3), and in Hong Kong, Park Seo-bo showed at White Cube (11/23–1/5/19). In New York, Almine Rech presented Kim Tschang-Yeul (3/6–4/14), while Chung Sang-Hwa showed in San Francisco at Berggruen (1/11–2/17) and in Los Angeles at Blum & Poe (11/3–1/12/19), together with Shin Sung-hy. Major gallery shows by other artists included Koo Jeong A at Pilar Corrias (5/17–6/16) and Minjung Kim at White Cube (1/26–3/10) in London; Kim Yong-ik at Cahiers d’Art (4/11–9/1) and Lee Bae at Perrotin (3/17– 5/26) in Paris; Kimsooja at Axel Vervoordt (1/20–4/7) in Antwerp; Suh Se Ok at Lehmann Maupin in New York (9/8–10/27); and Kyungah Ham at Pace Hong Kong (11/28–1/22/19). Looking ahead to 2019, Seoul-based curator Hyunjin Kim is curating the Korea Pavilion for the 58th Venice Biennale starting in May, with works by artists Hwayeon Nam, Siren Eun Young Jung and Jane Jin Kaisen examining gender-diversified narratives in East Asia. Kimsooja will create a site-specific installation at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in March. In April, Los Angeles gallery Various Small Fires will open an outpost in the growing cultural hotspot of Hannam-dong. MMCA will hold a retrospective of Park Seo-bo in May. In September, Lee Ufan will present ten site-specific sculptures and an exhibition of abstract paintings at Washington DC’s Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
ANDY ST. LOUIS
Installation view of JUN YANG’s “The Overview Perspective” at Art Sonje Center, Seoul, 2018. Photo by Yeonje Kim. Courtesy Art Sonje Gallery. 133