Koreana Summer 1995 (English) by The Korea Foundation

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BEAUTY OF KOREA

Pojagi

A patched bridal pojagi from the nineteenth century, 60x60cm, Museum of Korean Embroidery, Seoul

It may resemble a painting by Piet Mondrian, but it is actually a pojagi. Wrapping cloths and covers have been an indispensable household item in Korea since ancient times. Also called po, pOJa 'and pojaegi, they were, and still are, used for wrapping any number of things including cloth,es, bedding, and precious articles to store and protect them from dust, for covering tables and trays of food to protect them from flies and insects, and to wrap bundles and packages for easy carrying. One reason for the-enduring popularity of pojagi is that they can be used for wrapping and storing large bundles, but when not in use can be folded up very small for easy storage.

Pojagi are usually very colorful and generally made of cotton, satin, silk or ramie. They are often decorated with geometric patterns made from scraps of cloth or with embroidered designs embodying a wish for long life, happiness or good fortune. They vary in size and thickness depending on their purpose. Some have ties whereas others do not. Those used to cover food are often lined with waxed paper. In ancient times, pojagi were used by commoners and royalty alike. However, those used in common households were multi-purpose while those used within the court were made for an express purpose. +

COVER: \Vith the designation of 1995 as the ''Year of A~ "

in-depth examination of con-

temporary Korean art is in ord e ~:

This issue of KOREANA

focuses on Korean artists at home and abroad

T E N

4 History & Characteristics of Contemporary Art by Lee Yil

10 Light and Color by Yujune-sang

'Korean' Painting in a Modern World by Oh Kwang-su

24 Local Artists Venture Overseas by Chung]oon-n1o © The Korea Foundation 1995 All rights reserved No part of 1his publication may he reproduced in any form without the prior permission of The Korea Foundation. The opinio ns expressed by the authors do not necessarily represent those of the editors of KOREANA or The Korea Foundation.· KOR EA NA, reg iste red as a quarterly magazine with the Ministry of Information (Registration No. Ba-1033, dated Aug. 8, 1987), is also published in French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese.

30 KOREAN ARTISTS ABROAD

Seund Ja Rhee by Yoonjin-sub

34 ROUND TABLE

Korean Art on the World Stage

42 Art in the 1990s by Suh Sung-rok

48 A Status Report by Kim Dal-jin

•

Korea Foundation ~{1-'li!

Vol. 9, No . 2 Summer 1995

56 KOREAN A

CLOSE-UP

Jheon Soo-ch by Song Misook

eon

Published quarterly by The K 526 Namdaeorea Foundation munno 5-ga Ch Seoul 100 , ung-gu -095, Korea '

64 ON THE ROAD

PUBLISHER-EDITOR

Ch6ngs6n and Nestled in the KYongwol: by Kim }oo-young orean Heart

Choi Chang-yoon

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Hong Soon-il ART DIRECTOR

Park Seung-u

DISCOVERING KOREA

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Cow

Kim Young-uk

by Lee Keun-bae EDITORI Hahn ALBOARD Man-young K' Kim Kwang-o tm Hyung-kook n KtmS Lee Ku-yeol L'tm Young-bang eong-wou

76 CURRENTS

The Venice B.1ennale by Lee Yil

Pr'

Dismantling the F ?overnment Buildo~mer y Lee Man-hoon

Colonial

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History &Characteristics of Lee Yil Art Critic/Professor of Art History Hong-ik University

ontemporary Korean art faces the challenge of making a historical claim for itself in that it was born in the virtual absence of an established tradition of modern Korean art. What is called modern Korean art was nothing more than a fragmentary and compromised transplantation of European art with extensive Japanese influence. Therefore, there has been little ground for a logical suecession or transformation from modern to contemporary art in Korean art history, much less the establishment of a distinctive school of art. The situation was further compounded by the political and ideological struggles that followed Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. These conflicts came to an end with the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. Without a doubt, the Korean War was as significant an event in Korean history as the nation's liberation from Japanese rule in 1945. The war was particularly meaningful to the art world, because it provided a timely opportunity for Korean artists to break away from their superficial and outmoded concept of modern art and pursue contemporary art. This tendency gave birth to Korea's first collective avant-garde art movement called "Art Informel!' The development of contemporary Korean art can be generally divided into four stages or periods: Art Informel, from the late 1950s to about 1965; Restorative and Expansionist Art, from the late 1960s to about 1975; Post-Minimalism/PanNaturalism, from the mid-1970s to the present; and, New Imagism, from the late 4

Korean minimalist art is distinguished by its transcendance of ration~ analytical logic and formative thought, which has as its base Korea's own indigenous view of nature.

1970s to the present. Admittedly, this categorization is relatively subjective and overlaps in some respects. The overlap is characteristic of not only Korean contemporary art but contemporary art the world over. It may well be a defining characteristic of contemporary art itself. The historical context of the Art Informel period is in many ways like the apres-guerre period of France. In Korea the "apres-guerre" period began after the Korean War. Labeling the first wave of contemporary Korean art Art Informel was not at all accidental. What is also noteworthy is that Korea's first abstract art movement was closer to French Expressionism than to American abstract art. This similarity was expressed in a manifesto delivered at the fourth exhibition of the Korean Contemporary Art Association in 1958: "We must personally reaffirm the motivation for life within this present chaos," a statement which confirmed the shared sensitivity of Europe's apres-guerre generation and the first generation of contemporary Korean artists, the "Korean War generation."

Conflicting Artistic Trends The Restorative and Expansionist Art period was a turning point in the development of Korean contemporary art not only in aesthetics, but also in artistic trends. The transformation was inevitable as Art Informel had reached a state of saturation and new art concepts, conflicting with each other, were appearing simultaneously. This phenomenon, involving opposing concepts in a collective art movement, was unprecedented

Contemporary Korean Art in the history of post-modern Korean art. The coexistence of opposing elements marked the beginning of a peculiar period in Korean contemporary art The term expanionism refers primarily to the enlargement of artistic concepts and territory; its expression in concrete form being "objet art," which Marcel Duchamp described as "a new consideration of found objects." It expanded art into our day-to-day life. Especially in sculpture, this approach opened new horizons by allowing the presentation of unfinished forms as opposed to the completed forms of the past. Korean objet art is conceptually different from European and American objet art in that it is not processed, artificial, or fabricated; instead, it strives to reveal nature in its original state. The Expansionist Movement made its debut in 1968 when the first Joint Exhibition by Young Korean Artists showcased works by members of the Zero and Space & Time groups. Ironically, participating in this same exhibition was a group that was directly opposed to objet art, Origine. I have often called this group's new approach ~ ct painting "restorative art." The to abstr works of painters in this group, widely dubbed the second post-Korean War generation or the April 19 (Student Revolution in 1960) generation, were geometric abstract paintings. Unlike contemporary European art, contemporary Korean art did not have the legacy of geometric abstract art. The Origine group faced the task of creating a new form of restorative art. (Interestingly enough, such was arguably the case with

Nam Kwan, A Transformed Shape, 162x130cm, 1968

as other characteristics. In Korea, restorative geometric abstract art began as a revolt against the saturation of abstract expressionism and showed every intention of returning abstract painting to an art of plain colors and orderly forms. Therefore, the attempts by Korea's second apresguerre generation painters to return to the surface of the plane and to the formative order of color and pattern paved the way for the recovery of an understanding of clear form, something that was lost in the Art Informel period and that could not be found in modern Korean art.

Ha In-doo, Untitled, 162x130cm, 1987 (above); Park Seo-bo, Ecriture

910209, 130x97cm, 1991 (facing page)

contemporary American art.) The concept of restorative art is certainly not a recent one. It is one of the fundamental bases of American PostPainterly Abstraction which can be called the second wave of American abstract painting, a trend in opposition to action painting or abstract expressionism. , The term "painterly" here refers to expressionism, and the person widely known to have advocated this form of abstract painting is art critic Clement Greenberg. In his critical essay "Modernist Painting," Greenberg states that the basic characteristic of PostPainterly Abstraction is its two-dimensional plane combined with regulated self-restoration. He gives plain colors, physical openness and linear qualities

World of Monochromism The third period of contemporary Korean art highlights abstract art strongly influenced by elements of what is now popularly called minimalism. This influence is alluded to as "minimalist," because a more appropriate term has yet to be coined. In fact, a clear distinction must be made between Korean minimalism and the traditional concept of minimalism. Korean minimalist art is distinguished by its transcendance of rational, analytical logic and formative thought, which has as its base Korea's own indigenous view of nature. In consideration of this distinguishing characteristic and in an attempt to more accurately name this period, I call it "postminimalism," as it denotes a break from the formal standardized minimalism. In a broad sense, this "indigenous Korean view of nature" is an Oriental concept, based on the notion that nature is not an object of conquest, control or possession but the fountainhead of life. For Koreans, nature is a mirror of the self and a world of meditation which gives life, restoring all things to their proper state. It is this concept that gave rise to a unique Korean abstract art, the world of monochromatic painting. Korean monochromism is neither a product of "anti-colorism" nor the expression of a disinterest in color. It is meant to eliminate the sensuous and

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Youn Myeung-ro, Toothcomb Patterns A, 162x130cm, 1991 (top) Lee Ufan, With the WindS 8708-1, 112x221cm, 1987 (above)

physical properties of color and, thus, may well be called "pan-colorism," rather than "anti-colorism." Like Oriental brush and ink paintings which encompass the latent qualities of all colors, this world of monochromism represents spiritual space. Having said this, the relations between Korean monochromatic painting and Korea's indigenous view of nature should be obvious. If nature means "to be exposed in its original state," it can also be construed as a return to the fountainhead. Korean monochromatic painting's elimination of all artificial illusory representations, including color, is what makes it so natural. This elimination should not be confused with the "art of elimination" found in the minimalism of Europe and America, which is an artificial product of rationalized thought. It is thjs difference in Korean monochromatic painting that has paved the way for Korea's distinctively "post-minimalist" art. Some local art critics assert that "naturalism" is an attribute of Korean art because of Koreans' indigenous view of nature. However, the relativity in this very concept of naturalism gives way to errors in the interpretation of the characteristics of Korean art. Not only is naturalism a concept brought from Western art and often used as a synonym for realism but, in the strict sense, it is a version of modern realism. In this regard, it would be more accurate to say that Korean art, be it figurative or abstract, is more or less "anti-naturalist." (In fact, the concepts of figurative and abstract did not exist in traditional Korean art.) A distinguishing characteristic of Korean art is that it is not naturalist in the Western sense of the term. And, if the tradition of Korean art is set against the background of a "return to nature," I think a more appropriate term is "pannaturalism," because the nature portrayed in Korean art is not a product of an objective world but an expression of an omnipresent view of nature bespeaking both the consciousness of

Ha Chong-hyun, Conjunction 89-07, 120x180cm, 1989

human beings and the fountainhead of life. This pan-naturalism acting in concert with post-minimalism makes it possible to call a work of art genuinely "Korean." Needless to say, to call something "Korean" brings up the question of Korea 's unique tradition. When it comes to contemporary art, the question involves an almost unavoidable confrontation between tradition and contemporaneousness. This confrontation is directly linked with the problem of identity, a problem which has ramifications for society as a whole. The core of the problem lies in how Korean tradition can be restored to modern-day life. In this connection, I would like to close with a quote from the foreword I wrote for the catalogue used at the 1980 Contemporary Asian Art Show, held in Fukuoka,Japan.

T oda y's artists must confront the issue of identity head-on, carefully examining their national tradition while at the same time recognizing the demands of our times.

In Korea, the problem involving tradition is presenting itself as a critical issue. Given that the tradition of modern art in the strict sense of the term is almost nonexistent in the history of Korean art, contemporary Korean art has had no choice but to base its formative thought and methods of expression on Western concepts. That is to say, contemporary Korean art was saddled with an identity crisis from its outset. It behooves contemporary painters, then, to undertake the urgent process of overcoming this identity crisis. Of course, it would be out of the question to go back to the formative language, materials, and methods of the past. In the same vein, it would be meaningless to adapt a traditional style to modern times. Instead, a more important task would be the restoration of the very fountainhead that originated Korea's indigenous traditional style. +

YuJune-sang Art Critic

century ago calligraphy was the Korean people's most valued art form. Koreans did not invent calligraphy, however. It originated in ancient China and spread to not only Korea but also Japan. Indeed, calligraphy came to symbolize the traditions of the Chinese cultura1 sphere, which influenced East Asia in much the same way as the culture of the Aegean Sea region influenced northeastern Europe. Oriental calligraphy is more than an artistic technique; it is part of a broader philosophy, Taoism, which forms the basis of much of East Asian philosophy. A British scholar summarized Taoism as follows:

In the visual arts of China, empty space is as important as line. The final goal of the Taoist mystic is to transcend ordinary "reality" to reach an awareness of the ultimate tranquility, which is beyond time and change, the Great Ultimate, the whole , the mystery beyond all mysteries, which the Chinese call the Tao. Calligraphy was not the art of the Korean masses. As in all societies, "culture" refers to the culture of the ruling class. In Korea, calligraphy was the art of the aristocracy or yangban elite. As such, the art of calligraphy was a diversion. In medieval Europe, there was a certain antagonism between what was known as "aristocratic art" and the "craft of the common people." A similar antagonism 10

has persisted in Korea until quite recently. This tendency toward artistic discrimination was borne not of intrinsic knowledge or forms but of differing class perspectives toward art, something that all cultures share. Korea came in contact with Western culture much later than its neighbors, China and Japan. Koreans encountered Western-style art for the first time in the 1920s. The last seventy years, however, have been a period of unprecedented ordeals and transformation for the Korean people. Indeed, one could say the accomplishments achieved in the Korean art world over the last seventy years occurred within the context of those ordeals. In November 1994, the Ho-Am Art Museum held an exhibition entitled "Light and Color in Korean Art." It sought to reevaluate these accomplishments, identifying the role of color in Korean artistic expressions, evaluating the viewers' reaction to those expressions, and searching for a common denominator between the artist and viewer. The show was divided into four parts-Indigenous Ethics (colors peculiar to and traditional in Korea), Outside and Inside (colors not belonging to substance), Impression and Expression (sensibility and volition), and Light and Color-which I have borrowed for this discussion.

Indigenous Ethics Traditionally, Koreans have been conscious of five colors: black, white, red, blue and yellow. These colors are

Korean

Traditionally, Koreans have been conscious of five basic colors. These colors, so evident in the brilliant tanch'6ng paintings found

iri palaces, temples and shrines, are conceptual, symbolizing the Five Elements in the Taoist cosmos of eternal change.

not perceived purely by sense. Rather they are conceptual colors that symbolize the Five Elements forming the diagram illustrating the Taoist cosmos of eternal change. They are hardly scientific when compared to the seven colors that Newton, who founded the science of color, documented in his physics experiments. The world's leading color consultant Faber Birren has made an interesting discovery about Newton.

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Newton was as much an alchemist as a scientist, and his perception of seven colors in the spectrum may have been influenced by a mystical strain in his character which has been quite overlooked. Seven was the alchemical magic number, the holy number, the number of notes in the diatonic musical scale and the purported seven planets.

From this it is clear Newton was not a strict mechanical scientist He did not appear out of nowhere; he was a mystic borne of Europe's long " history and rich tradition of mysti~ cism. All he did was prove the mysI ...... ' ..... ~ teries of the cosmos through science. While the five elements of Oriental The video art of Paik Namjune, thought cannot be proven scientificaldisplayed at the National Museum of ly, the five colors have lived within Contemporary Art(facingpage), the hearts of the East Asian people echoes the Korean conception of since ancient times. Just as seven was light embodied in the latticed paper a magic number to medieval sliding door of a traditional house. Europeans, five is a magic number to the people of East Asia, the key to the mysteries of the universe. Black, white, red, blue and yellow are not simply colors to be experienced. They are symbols of the basic principles of the universe. To borrow from Faber Birren , black suggests knowledge or wisdom; white, uprightness or righteousness; red, propriety; blue, love or benevolence; and yellow, faithfulness. Birren also connected color with symbols for direction, seasons, planets, sound, emotion, the viscera, and more. This symbolic systerrt was used by the aristocracy, but not always by the ' ~,_s

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common people. East Asian culture can be divided into cultures based on Zen Buddhism and Esoteric Buddhism. Zen culture tended to avoid the use of color; drawings from this culture were generally in Chinese ink alone. On the other hand, cultures based on Esoteric Buddhism made active use of color. This was especially true in folk art. Korean folk art is closely linked to a belief in the power of incantations. The iconography of traditional mandala (symbolic representations of cosmic forces central to Esoteric

Buddhism) is one example of the dizzying use of color and form typical of these cultures. Its use of color is not meant to simply stimulate the human senses; it is meant to evoke a certain religious ecstasy through hallucination. The colors found in these paintings do not exist in a broader color harmony; rather they are bold and rampant, primitive and instinctual. Such paintings could be called expressionist in their use of these primitive colors. Outside and Inside Cezanne, a pioneer in modern painting, once said color is "the place where our mind joins the universe." The universe is outside us. Our brain is inside. Color is where the two meet. Thus, color is neither inside nor outside; it is in between. If Cezanne had been a philosopher, his assertion would, no doubt, seem to have a certain abstract significance. But fortunately he was a painter, and his "place" is what we call "art." Here "art" refers to the canvas itself. In his canvases, there was a boundary between 14

The vibrant colors of Lee Doo-shik's Festival, 150x300cm, 1994 (right) suggest a link to traditional folk belief, folk art and tanch'ong, shown below.

the "outside" and "inside." The color was on the canvas itself. Cezanne was clearly referring to the dimensions of color. Physically a canvas is a rectangular plane. Human beings perceive such a plane orthogonally. The surface of the canvas is a plane, and the human viewer approaches this plane with frontal vision. More fundamentally , the human being lives a vertical existence. Since humans spend their lives standing, they are conscious of space and distance. For them, space consists of a kind of topology. The windows on a traditional Korean house are covered with snowwhite paper. When the paper glows pale pink, it is morning. When the paper is simply white, it is day. When the paper catches no light at all, it is night. Koreans have traditionally distinguished "outside" and "inside" using a single piece of paper as a boundary. Cezanne's "place" is much like the Koreans' piece of paper. One could say the history of painting is the history of a form achieved

through the application of a certain image and color on a two-dimensional plane. The history 9f Western painting over the last five centuries has been a history of expressions on flat surfaces in various methods and forms. Each image is different, but the can vas, a single section of the second dimension, remains the sam e . As Cezanne predicted, contemporary art is less concerned with how or why something is portrayed on this flat surface than with the structure of the "place" where outside joins inside. Korean contemporary art also saw a trend toward what is known as "color field painting" and "all-over" painting in the United States and the French concept of "support surface." Impressionism and Expressionism As mentioned earlier, Korea first encountered Western art in the 1920s. At that time, Korea was under the influence of the Japanese and had no choice but to adopt Western art indirectly through a Japanese filter. As a result, Koreans sometimes confused

previously silent cultures. Similarly, the explosive magma of contemporary Korean art is constantly changing.

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Japanized Western art with the real thing. This was a terrible tragedy for Korean artists. There was not a single art school in Korea at the time, and the only way to receive news of the Western art world was through Japan or the few Korean students who were studying there. Of course, Korea had its own artistic traditions. Korean artists were attracted by Western art 's modern technique and representative realism. Interestingly, Impressionist works were most commonly brought to Korea by students returning from Japan . . This was only natural because Paris, then the heart of the international art world, was far away and the Japanese preferred Impressionism, which seems to suit that nation's indigenous sensibilities. Impressionism did not take root in Korea, however, perhaps because the Korean concept of beauty is less objective than subjective, less rational than ethnic in character. Koreans came from the cold, dark North and were influenced by Chinese culture

for millennia. Although they had been influenced politically and socially by the Japanese in recent times, their indigenous ethnic characteristics lived on in culture and art. Expressionism is not formal art. Van Gogh once said, "I express man's frightening passion in red and green." For him, expressionism was represented symbolically. Red and green were not colors because they were perceived as sensory data; they were the _expression of a fierce and violent emotion, such as an erupting volcano. The expressionist elements that lay dormant in the Korean artist's consciousness erupted in the late 1960s, like a long silent volcano. This explosion was a sign of a quickening within the Korean modern art community. In the Western world, the cultures around the Mediterranean saw vigorous artistic development whereas the northern Germanic and Slavic cultures remained silent. However, the explosion of Expressionism, which has been the main artistic trend in the twentieth century, was born of these

Light and Color Since the 1960s, Korean society has undergone a variety of unprecedented changes, especially in the industrial sector. In a sense, Korean society has grown to adulthood, breaking out of its long childhood of isolation to become a member of the international community. Of course, it is still immature in some areas, but clearly it is not the Korean society of old. The many changes have had an influence on the path taken by Korean art, helping Korean artists realize that art need not develop according to indigenous patterns alone. We have seen the development of an interdisciplinary approach. This approach represents the development of a new way of thinking about the ultimate reality, not necessarily the discovery of a new reality. Paik Nam-june is the first Korean artist to espouse the "art means new art" approach. In the- early 1960s, he predicted that the television screen would soon replace the canvas. Today he is a leader of the international video art movement. Paik may be Korean, but his artistic potential was not activated by Korean society. His genius made itself felt in the United States, where the electronic media is most advanced. His work has stimulated many young Korean artists and has triggered a growing curiosity about the potential influence of colors created by artificial intelligence. John G. Hauhardt of the Whitney Museum once praised Paik for revolutionizing our understanding of art. "It is not a question of whether video is art or not; it is a question of how video is changing our conception of art." According to Hauhardt, Paik's methodology is based on his investigation into the social, cultural, political and economic functions of the electronic medium we call television. + 15

Korean Painting in a OhKwang-su Art Critic/Director, Whanki Museum

he term "Korean" painting (also "Oriental" or "East Asian" painting) is often used in contrast to the term "Western painting." In the Korean language, a Western-style house is called yang-ok, a traditional Korean house, han-ok. A man's suit is called yangbok, the traditional Korean costume, hanbok. This dichotomy is common to most East Asian countries influenced by modern Western culture. It was generally assumed that traditional style did not change with time whereas Western style did. Because of this distinction, Modernism and its rapid evolution was widely accepted as Western art. Sometimes, traditional art does change over time-but, unlike Western art, it was generally regarded as constant. From this assumption arose many conflicting theories over the definition of the term "traditional." The arguments are divided along two lines: whether "traditional" should apply to

only that which never changes with time, or whether tradition should be updated and reinterpreted by each generation. Despite the rhetorical polemic, there is no denying that one traditional art form-Korean painting-has evolved considerably since 1945. It is up to future generations to judge whether it has developed in the right direction or not. In order to study the development of Korean painting, we must go back even further than 1945, the year of Korea's liberation from Japanese occupation, to the nineteenth century. Buffeted by geopolitical struggles in the outside world, nineteenth-century Korea und e rwent profound and wrenching changes. While Western powers were consolidating their subjugation of the East, Korea was at a nadir in its history as the Choson Dynasty collapsed and the peninsula was occupied by Japanese imperialists. Rocked by these upheavals, time-honored values were pitted against new ideas and

LeeSang-beom, Dawn, 69x273cm,1954 16

foreign influences. Conservatives clinging to tradition clashed with the moderns, who advocated discarding the old for the new. Eventually, as foreign values gained dominance, traditional values came to be denigrated as a relic of the past. From 1910, many Korean artists went to Japan to study Western painting. Their return to Korea resulted in an increase in the number of Westernstyle artists and an erosion of traditional art. Meanwhile, traditional painters continued to adhere to old-fashioned styles without trying to develop modern interpretations of traditional art, contributing further to its own decline. Japanese painting began to gain more influence during the occupation, weakening traditional Korean art even more. Until liberation in 1945, all of the arts in Korea were deeply influenced by Japanese art, but none as much as Korea ~ painting. This is why a number of Korean artists called for the development of a new art style as soon as

Modern World Korea was liberated. Korean painters, in particular, needed to find a way to break away from the Japanese style. Except for a few artists who followed traditional formalist styles and painters of the landscape genre, most Korean painters were greatly influenced by Japanese painting. This was mainly because many Korean art students went to Japanese art schools to study Oriental painting, but they had no alternative but to take classes in the department of Japanese painting. Even those who remained in Korea were not free from Japanese influences.. To cast off the Japanese style after liberation, artists first began to restore lines and ban glaring color in paintings. Japanese painting had modified the Asian concept of the line and developed a stylized form of color painting. Along with the attempts to erase the influence of Japanese painting, some Korean artists tried to establish a national art. It was a call to return to Korean

Experimentation has freed the Korean art world from the shackles of tradition, but is this a positive development? The debate remains wide open.

art, by accentuating bold lines and , more specifically, by underlying color contrasts with diluted colors and objectified lines. In order to revive traditional Oriental painting, artists turned to the muninwha, or literati ink, painting tradition. But instead of aiming for the

highly spiritual and philosophical framework that was the foundation for classical painters, the revisionists tried to infuse their works with an element of realism.

Overcoming Traditional Confines In general, young artists are more receptive to change than established ones. This was no less true of Korean artists during the 1950s when younger artists pioneered innovations in Oriental painting. In 1957, a group of such young artists founded the Paekyang Association. Although some of them had been ,influenced by Japanese styles in the past, they were willing to change and develop a new, original style. This group had a great impact and influence on Korean artists at the time. In 1960, yet another group was established. The members of the Mooklim Associat ion were even younger than those of Paekyang. They were largely of the post-liberation generation who

Heo Baig-ryeon, Deep Mountain and Sea, 68x180cm, 1959

had been educated in Korea after liberation. This group rejected all traditional values and styles and were more daring in their innovations. All the new experiments shared a common trait: the rejection of formalist methods and a free choice of painting subjects and materials. These artists were quite innovative in their use of material. Paintings were no longer drawn on canvases but splashed or glued on them. The Mooklim Association's innovations were not really original in the true sense of the word. The movement was unconsciously influenced by the abstract movement of Western painters and sculptors who were then experimenting with diverse new techniques such as action painting. Nevertheless, the Mooklim movement was valuable, if only because its member-artists tried to overcome traditional limt~ons by following the development of the abstract movement. During this period, several established artists continued to represent their generation through their works. Elder artists such a.s Lee Sang-beom, Byeon Kwan-sik, No Soo-hyeon and

NoSoo-hyeon, Landscape, 124x67cm, 1956 (above) Lee Ungno, Untitled, 110x155cm, 1981 (right) 18

Byeon Kwan-sik, Late Autumn in a Farm Village, 111x264cm, 1957

Heo Baig-ryeon developed original styles in the landscape genre. Younger veteran artists- Lee Ungno, Chang Woosoung, Kim Ki-chang, Chun Kyong-ja, Park Re-hyun and Sung Chae-hyu-also developed individual styles through

Heo Geon, Three Pine Trees, 130x103cm, 1974

Kim Ki-chang, SOsangdo II, 84.6x104cm, 1984 20

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110

Sung Chae-hyu, Birds in Flight, 182x125cm, 1986

experimentation. Lee Sang-beom and Byeon Kwan-sik are two representative artists who succeeded in capturing the natural landscape of Korea in distinct styles. They revived the sa-gy6ng sansu tradition of realism-based landscapes, which had died out with the Choson Dynasty. By the 1970s, Lee and Byeon had inspired a generation of younger artists in their thirties and forties to create a veritable boom in realism-based landscapes. Lee Ungno and Kim Ki-chang are singled out for their expression of East Asia's deep spiritual values in modern styles. Lee began his career in Paris in the early 1960s, attracting worldwide attention for his abstract paintings based on hieroglyphics. During the 1970s, Kim developed a unique style by

Park Re-hyun, Early Morning, 181x240cm, 1956

Korean painting is guided by the concept of maejae, a combination of material and method. Materials determine method in Korean painting.

modernizing Korean folk art. The "sumuk (water-ink or India ink) painting" movement that resurfaced in the early 1980s traces its roots to the Paekyang Association of the 1950s and the Mooklim Association of the 1960s. Unlike its antecedents, however, the movement was never formally organized. Its members only met for specific purposes. For example, it was not uncommon for fifty or a hundred artists to gather for a group exhibition and then go their separate ways after the show. The members had the common goal of realizing the Korean spirit through the movement. As its name suggests, member-artists strove to capture the painterly essence of ink and the emotional resonance therein. The movement began to decline in the mid21

1980s, but it remains of particular interest because it was a collective movement that had lasted for some time, a rather new phenomenon in the Korean art world. By the end of the 1980s, the movement had lost its raison d'etre as more artists chose to work individually rather than in groups. A considerable number of artists in the ink tradition worked outside of the movement. The sumuk movement was followed by a new dominant wave, the ch'aemuk, or colored-ink, movement. Initially, the latter refocused interest on colored-ink artists who had been eclipsed by the sumuk movement at its peak. However, ch'aemuk did not enjoy much success as a movement.

More than other genres, Korean painting is guided by the concept of maejae, or the combination of material and method. That is, in no other genre does the characteristics of the material determine the method as much as in Korean painting. Maejae is not just a vessel for expression but a state of mind that induces the spiritual. This concept has no equivalent in Western painting, in which the question of material boils down to, simply, oils versus acrylics. Reflection of Reality

As previously mentioned, experimental methods freed the art world from the shackles of tradition. Each method strove to break with tradition-

a! restrictions, although there were many variations and degrees of experimentation. For example, the older artist would define "breaking with tradition" as reinterpreting it. The younger artist, on the other hand, would define it as a departure from old ways of thought. No matter how it is done, the act of breaking away is in itself meaningful. It is actually becoming more and more difficult to categorize these young artists' works as "Korean painting." Most younger artists are more interested in current issues than in harking back to the past. Unconcerned with the distinction between Korean painting and Western painting, they seek to faithfully describe toda y's reality, In

their view, superior art has always reflected reality. Until now, it has been possible to distinguish Korean painting by the materials used, such as the brush, paper, and water-ink or colored-ink. However, some younger artists do not limit themselves to traditional materials. Should this trend catch on, the term "Korean painting," as opposed to Western painting, will become an anachronism. Is this a positive development? The debate remains wide open. We should remember that whatever the fate of Korean painting-be it survival as an independent genre or integration with others-a work should never lose its own identity. +

Park Saeng-kwang, Shamanism, 133x133cm, 1985 (upper left); Chun Kyongja, Gate of Youth, 145x89cm, 1968 (far left); Song Soo-nam, Mountain Picture, 180x195cm (left); Suh Se-ok,

Untitled, 130x162cm, 1989 (above)

Korean Art and Artists Venture Overseas Chungjoon-mo Independent Curator

our art critics can only "peep" into our art as an outsider because their knowhow is based on criteria used by Western art critics. This is due in part to the short history of art criticism in Korea. It is also because of our art critics' attitude that art criticism involves fitting an art work into a fixed formula . They seem to assume that art history and theories are unchanging and all they need to do is to fit an art work into the set formula as one would fit a part int9 a machine. Art criticism and the chronicling of art history are based on Western views of aesthetics, with little consideration of their foreign propensities. This has been the case since the early stages of Korean modern art. Of course, we should pay attention to artistic With the improved economy and developments of all regions to liberalized overseas study, more Korean artists develop a foundation for interare gaining international recognition. nationally acceptable aes thetics. But we should also develop our very difficult to comprehend a work of own aesthetics, based on our traditions, art without understanding the culture religions and heritage, to confirm our of which it is a product and which identity in the world and approach played an important role in shaping the Korean art from the perspective of personality of the artist who created it. those aesthetics. This task should be Korea's contemporary art is rarely given priority by the Korean art comanalyzed or evaluated with this in munity. mind. It is caught between tradition and imported culture, trapped in a cul- Korean Aesthetics tural melee resulting from the alternate If we keep viewing Korean art colliding and diverging of modern and through the eyes of Western aesthetics, traditional values. More importantly, we will be unable to see its individualio Yu-seup, the renowned art historian, once said Korean art was characterized by its "lack of refinement" and "nonchalance." He concluded that its lack of meticulous detail enabled it to be embraced by a wholeness larger than art and hence emanate a warm, comforting ambience. Ko's summary is a simple but eloquent description of the characteristics of traditional Korean art. However, it is inadequate for clarifying the characteristics of contemporary Korean art. This is because art is influenced by trends and cultural changes. Today's art, for example, is conditioned to the existent social, cultural, historical and religious contexts. In other words, it is

ty and will be overwhelmed with a sense of shame that Korean contemporary art is nothing but a pathetic epigone of Western art. Nevertheless, given the sense and sensibilities of Korean artists and the Korean public who are still dominated by the traditional thoughts of an agrarian culture, Korean aesthetics must be inherent in contemporary Korean art regardless of its dominant Western influence. Examples can be found easily in the works of artists in their fifties and sixties who personally experienced the agrarian lifestyle. Once denigrated as epigones of Western ~ modernis, some of their works are now being deemed an answer to Western art in today's confusing mixture of art trends. Monochromization is one of the marked characteristics of the school of art which is expected to emerge as an alternative to the confusion of modern art. Coexisting with it in today's Korean art scene are an array of new trends set by artists of the second generation who thrive on urban affluence resulting from industrial development and on imported Western culture. Although vastly different, these trends have one thing in common: They incorporate Korean traditions and heritage in one form or another. Although international interest in Oriental art has been little more than curiosity, the unique structure of Korean art is emerging as a potential answer for the Western art of confused values. This trend is distinctly discernible in the increasing attention Oriental art is receiving in the West.

Chung Chang-sup, Tag No. 9009, 91x116.5cm, 1990(above); Kbn Tschang-yeul, Water

Drops, 181x227cm, 1978 (left)

Besides, interest in the Expressionism of the 1980s and the installation art of the early 1990s is declining gradually , whereas interest in art on plane surfaces is increasing. This can be interpreted as a good sign for the future of Korean contemporary art. Though diverse artistic experiments and approaches have been undertaken, they have received little recognition. The style of the 1970s, described in phrases such as "collective individuality" and "caricature of the plane surface," has been underrated as a style of a bygone generation. Perhaps we should now reconsider whether our judgment 25

Chung Sang-wha, Untitled 88-9-24, 162x130cm, 1988

of that era's art was intolerant and subjective. Monochrome painting, often dubbed a "restoration of Koreanness," was the mainstream of Korean art from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Characterized by an absence of material images and domination of a single color, usually white or black, it sought to highlight the absoluteness of the painting surface. This style became outmoded because of its innate limitations such as the collective personality or minimization of individuality, uniform appearance and excessive ideation. We tried to interpret the artists of this style from the perspective of minimalism, which prevailed in the West at the time, but their minimalism was much too conceptual. Based on Western theories, these artists attempted to transcend and also integrate painting and sculpture. Their art seemed to have been provoked by the economic crisis that gripped the United States and Europe at the time. Social unrest caused by financial problems, unemployment and incessant labor strikes and the media's repeated coverage of those events must have driven them to replace the comfort of pure art with a style that did not require lavish coloring. Arte Povera, or Impoverished Art, as this style is called, is represented by Lee Ufan, a Korean artist based in Japan, and his mono school. He provided considerable theoretical support to Korean artists of the 1970s.

New Generation In the meantime, a new breed of artists very different in style and spirit from the artists of the 1970s has emerged to form a group of their own. In their late twenties and early thirties, they represent a new generation, the so-called Orange Tribe. They are children of the new social and cultural environment, the legitimate heirs of economic development and modernism who have grown up as the princes and princesses 26

of the affluent, consumer-oriented society. They are accustomed to television and other video media and skillful at automation and video games. They are willing to replace kimch 'i with coke and their idea of a good lunch is a hamburger at a fast food restaurant. Their influence is ever growing. They determine the shape and quality of various industrial products, lead the direction of mass media and sometimes exercise great influence on political matters, though more often than not their interest in politics is almost nonexistent when compared to the preceding generation. Public opinion about the young generation is not always favorable, and with good reason. For those who single-mindedly raced down the road of modernization under the banner of development, the new generation represents the collapse of their great legend. In the current post-Cold War era, marked by a collapse of ideologies and an ambitious reorganization of the world economy to accommodate globalization and a single, unified market, the new breed seems to herald an era of confusion or absence of values, which is likely to be more than a passing cultural trend. To make matters worse, the powerful information industry of the Global Village is feeding this trend with denationalized, uniform sensibility and stimulation. In the vacuum of values and ideals, young artists are leaving a distinct mark on Korean art. Their emergence is a result of the rapid growth of the Korean economy and the conflict between traditional, conservative philosophy and high-tech society. Their works are often kitschy, their presentation fragmented and disassociated. As for technique, these young artists are very much interested in audio and electronic media, which is quite understandable for they have been exposed to an abundance of image-creating devices. Their works are distinguished by their contemporary sensitivities expressed through a battery of modern

visual media including televisions, videos, newspapers, magazines, comics, facsimilies, copy machines, neon lights, lasers, computers and holograms.

Korean Artists Abroad Many Korean artists of drastically different styles are drawing attention in the international art community. The most notable perhaps is video artist Paik Nam-june, who lives up to his nickname Video Pope by hopping all over the world to incorporate up-to-

date electronic media into his art. Lee Ufan, who began his career as an artist and theorist in Japan, is distinguishing himself in Japan and Europe with his minimalization of Oriental intuition into dots and lines. In Paris, Kim Tschangyeul blends Oriental spirituality and optical illusion to arrest water drops on the painting surface, a visible but evanescent natural phenomenon. After training for 17 years at the studio of the British print artist S. W. Hayter in Paris, Hwang Kyu-baik is now working on

Paik Namjune, KOREA Relief, 124x151x44cm, 1991 27

lyrical lithographs of refined color and sophisticated technique in New York. In addition, Park Seo-bo, Yun Hyongkeun, Chung Chang-sup, Chung Sanghwa and other artists who led Korean art in the 1970s are either establishing themselves in the United States or are already quite popular in Japan. Sculptor Cho Sung-mook is scheduled to exhibit his dysfunctional "chair series" at reputed museums and galleries in Europe through 1995. Shim Moon-seup has already made a name for himself in Europe. Han Young-sup, who is to participate in the Los Angeles Art International this summer, is expected to rouse Western interest with his vibrant ink works of repeated brush strokes that radiate energy and fervor. These artists, who are in their fifties and sixties, have achieved considerable success in their fields. Of the artists in their forties, Hwang Ho-sup, who is based in Paris, is noted for his passionate and powerful colors and rhythmic movement. Cho Taik-ho, Kim Hyunsoo and Ko Byung-jin are also making a name for themselveos. Kim Jin-soo, a rather eccentric artist, stands out with his installation art in Chicago. Ko Young-hoon is fast emerging as a fresh influence in the art community with his tenacious depiction of "existences." He lives and works in Korea but holds more shows in Europe and the United States than at home. HwangKyu-baik,Cherries, Kang Jin-mo, based in 1987 (top); a wooden Germany, is becoming sculpture by Shim Moon- known in Switzerland seupattheSeoulArtFair and Ge rmany for his (above); Kim Jin-soo, graphically simple sculpEnvironment L 1989, tures of nature. (467x716x1107cm), an installation at the Chicago Public Library's cultural center (left)

Many more artists are working hard overseas to achieve personal success and bring honor to their country. Thanks to Korea's much improved economy and the lifting of government restrictions on overseas study, we are seeing many talented artists working

Han Young-sup's vibrant ink works, such as Untitled from 1988 (above), are expected to attract attention at the Los Angeles Art International this summer. Sculptor Cho Sungmook's dysfunctional "chair series," including Message 88-8, (left) is being shown in Europe through 1995.

and studying abroad today. Many are interested in new media, leading us to look forward to the birth of Paik Namjune's successor. Yoo Hyun-jung, Kim Young-jin, Mun ]oo, Cho Seung-ho, Hong Yoon-a and Choi In-joon are such possibilities. Kang Ik-joong, who works in New York, already shared the limelight with Paik Nam-june in a joint exhibition last year. These young artists refuse to be shackled and are determined to make a place for themselves in the international art world. They deserve support from the entire nation including the government, if only to keep our cultural "head" in proportion with the "body" which has grown so much in the course of Korea's economic development. If they are given adequate support, we may soon witness a cultural miracle comparable to the economic "Miracle of the Han." + 29

KOREAN ARTISTS ABROAD

Essence of the East

Seund ]a Rhee YoonJin-sub Art Critic/Director, Gallery Hyundai

eund Ja Rhee's Chemin des antipodes (Toward the Poles)-a series of pictures encapsulating a checkered life spanning almost eighty years-has been in progress since the early 1980s. Like a shaft of light out of the inky-black universe, one is born from the body of a woman to live and die on earth, before eventually returning to the universe as fated by providence. The soul returns to the polar ends of the earth, where snowcapped peaks are lit by the brilliance of aurora, its home. Chemin des antipodes is also the crystallization of fifty years of Seund Ja Rhee's art and reflects her contemplation, wisdom and discernment gleaned at the twilight of her life. Thematically it is a continuation of La Nuit de Tourettes (Night in Tourettes), a previous series from the 1970s. Dots, large and small, against a pink or blue backdrop suggest stars floating in the sky. The stars, clustered in a distinct configuration, dissolve into the infinite space that represents the universe, whose seeming emptiness becomes the focal point. On the one hand, the floating stars can be seen as finite beings in an infinite universe-a metaphor for the transience of human life. On the other; the unique patterning and miniature scale of the starswhether floating in the universe or heading to the poles-may be the artist's objectified view of life. As art critic Yu June-sang puts it succinctly, "The life of an artist can be compared to drifting in the universe. Ultimately, the only thing an artist can depend on is herself, but because of this

Rhee's art is a synthesis of Oriental mysticism and elegant French sensibility. She is a cosmopolitan drifting through a diverse world.

very self~uicny her life is one of loneliness and acute self-awareness. Thus, we can also say that the artist's home is not of the earth but of heaven, and Seund Ja Rhee's journey as an artist can be likened to that of drifting in the cosmos toward the poles, not unlike islands adrift in a vast sea." It is not uncommon for great artists in their twilight years to express the

essence of their whole life's work, whether in the form of an objectified pure spirit or of beauty through wisdom. The pith of Rhee's life is the fruition of eighty years of hardship and conflict, and of fifty years as an artist. Rhee was born on June 3, 1918 in the city of Chinju, Ky6ngsangnam-do Province. Her father was a high-ranking government official and the fal1_li!y was well-to-do, enabling her to be educated both in the classical Confucian tradition and under the new Western system. Was it fate that Rhee lived during the Japanese occupation of Korea and was thus able, as a woman, to continue her studies in Japan? Fate or not, Rhee was immeasurably fortunate to have had the chance to study at a women's college in Tokyo. After three years of study, she returned to Korea and married immediately at the age of twenty. Rhee bore four sons but the first one died when he was two, her first personal brush with tragedy. But the Korean War was the most significant turning point in Rhee's extraordinary life. The immense suffering and privations wrought by this tragic chapter in Korean history motivated Rhee to take up art. Through the vicissitudes of war, she lost all her property and was forced to separate from her sons in 1951, one year after the war's outbreak, to study in France. Leaving behind her utterly devastated native country she made her new home in France, where she has lived for the past forty-five years. For most people, the single most important variable in life is one's

Chemin des antipodes (Toward the Poles) 92-1, 162x130cm, 1992

Intemporel765 Days, 160x130cm, 1975 (top); La Nuit de Tourettes (Night in Tourettes) 150x150cm, 1979 (above)

The forms found in Rhee's works originate in the yin/yang philosophy of complementary opposites, in the cyclical waxing and waning of the moon, in the endless patterns of nature. 32

encounters with others. Indeed, several key figures had a formative influence on Rhee's art, including Yves Brayer and Henri Goets of the Academy Grand de Chaumieres-which Rhee entered in 1953, two years after her arrival in France-and Rodophe Buchi of S.W. Hayter's print workshop in 1957. It was through Buchi that Rhee began working with woodblock prints. Gildas Fardel was instrumental in her launch in Europe from 1960, while the poet Michel Butor, whom she first met in 1977, helped her see the link between the poet's inspiration and the painter's creativity. Paris in the 1950s was the undisputed mecca of the art world, but its prominence peaked and set into gradual decline within the decade. Although Matisse was awarded the Grand Prize at the Venice Biennale in 1950, and Georges Mathieu, Alfred W ols, Jean Fautrier and others were experimenting with "Informel" painting, New York was gradually gaining prominence in the art world. The "action paintings" of Jackson Pollock and the Black Mountain School led by John Cage represented art's avantgarde, whose influence spread worldwide. This international metropolis impressed Rhee when she made her first trip there in 1969 for an exhibition of her series on cities. She was inspired by the perfection of New York's functionalist urban aesthetics and by its geometric order. Rhee's art can be described as a synthesis between Oriental mysticism and elegant French sensibility. One need not presuppose H. A. Taine's theory of art and the environment, which states that "a work of art is the product of the mentality, customs and traditions of that which engendered it," to assume that Rhee's long residence in France has had a singular influence on her art and accounts for its French nature as seen in its elegant colors and perfect forms. But though her color scheme may be characterized as "French," the colors are emphatically Korean in origin. Blue and red, such as in the characteristically blue

and red threads of norigae ornaments, are the foundation of Korean aesthetics. Her elegant and light colors are merely tonal variations derived from basic blue and red. The elegance of Rhee's art is the fruit of the conscious and conscientious effort she puts into her work The forms found in Rhee's works have their origins in the yin/yang philosophy of complementary opposites. Her language of forms, symbolized by concave and convex, is taken from the cycle of the waxing and waning moon, whose repetitive nature is a codification of the cyclical operating system of the cosmos. The principle of yin/yang, upon which the Chinese classic I-ching (Book of Changes) is based, is a fundamental precept in the moral culture of Confucian society, which has had broad influence on lifestyle, customs, traditions and even decorative ornamentation. The combination of the concave/convex formal language and the blue/red color scheme found in Rhee's art is no doubt psychologically rooted in her need to constantly confirm her cultural and racial identity, as a cosmopolitan drifting through the world. Rhee's attachment to her homeland is reflected in her symbolic forms, suggesting that the source of her creativity is rooted in the land where she was born and raised. After a series of still-lifes and landscapes created in the 1950s when she first went to France, Rhee devoted her energies to abstract painting in the 1960s. The works are characterized by warm yellow tones, different from the hard sunlight of southern France, and by short, straight brushstrokes with the textural feel of the teeth of a comb or thatched straw. Rhee's style is undeniably the product of hard physical labor, into which has been woven the faithful devotion, shown in her lifestyle and in her relationships, born of an arduous life. Her working style shows a reverence for labor which she herself embodies in her personal values and lifestyle. The meticulous, exact detail of her woodblock prints reveals the grueling extent of her

labor in her treatment of the wood, as do the precise organization of her canvases. These characteristics of her work are not possible without such devotion. It is not possible to divide Rhee's works strictly between woodblock prints and paintings. Rhee briefly experimented with bronze etching during her early years in France, but decided that metal was too cold. Wood became her material of choice for its greater intimacy; wood offered her insight and intuition into the universe. "Working with wood is like engaging in a private dialogue, which is what I like most about wood," she once said. "Because wood is far removed from the suffering of humans, it becomes a trusted confidante to which we tell our stories. The expressiveness, strength and sound of wood are the manifestations of its vitality. The grain of the wood is its volition, which you can follow or go against. And each variety of wood has its own particular demands." The wisdom and insight demonstrated by such sensitivity for wood is an element of Rhee's aesthetics of subservience to and oneness with the cosmos. In a word, it is an aesthetics of the line. It is a philosophy of viewing nature without harming it, of adhering to the natural state as much as possible without processing, of following natural curves without straightening them out. These principles are most strictly observed in traditional Korean architecture. Rhee can relate many anecdotes about her relationship with wood. She still remembers being impressed by the woodblock prints of a temple she visited in her youth, which motivated her work in prints. Her experiments with the age rings of trees began with a visit to the home of Alberto Manelli in southern France. He had given her permission to use in her work a walnut tree that had fallen in a storm. The image of wood is apparent in Rhee's tapestries, her installations of cloth which resemble Korean funeral banners, and three-dimensional pieces in wood. She carves horizontal/vertical woven pat-

Yin and Yang No.1 May 1975, 250x200cm, 1975

terns onto the flat surface of a cross-section of wood. In other pieces she carves stamped designs, each a unique code, into the age rings of the wood. Or she sprays paint on wood over canvas, the remains of which becomes the basis for the piece. Rhee has invented co~ntles applications and methods for wood. The codes and symbols evoke traditional Korean motifs: the t'aeguk mark, a pictorial representation of yin/ yang, the gold-stamped patterning found on the hems of Korean hanbok dresses, roof tiles and bricks, the rainbow:striped pattern of hanbok, and others from a lore of symbols. But Rhee's motifs are not patent copies; they are the products of careful

reinterpretation, a metamorphosis of the traditional. They are, to borrow a hackneyed phrase, the "modernization of tradition " by an artist who has lived abroad. That is, this reinterpretation is made possible by the objectivity afforded by spatial distance. The art of Seund ]a Rhee is a product of a natural esprit evolved from her wandering in a world of beauty like a shooting star. Though her life as a cosmopolitan has not been tranquil, she has never forgotten the place of her birth. Her ultimate masterpiece, Chemin des antipodes is the essence of the arduous journey of her own l.ife, and that of her people's tumultl!ous history. + 33

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Korean Art on the Where It Fit In? KIM: The government has designated 1995 the Year of Art. A variety of events are scheduled, both in Korea and abroad. A Korean pavilion will be included in the Venice Biennale for the first time, Korea's own Kwangju Biennale will be held this fall, and local artists are scheduled to participate in major international exhibitions around the world. It seems the art community has also been subsumed by the wave of globalization or segyehwa that is sweeping Korean society in general. Today we've come to discuss the role of Korean contemporary art within the context of this globalization trend. How does the international art community view Korean art? Is there a "Korean" artistic 'identity' In what direction shou ld Korean artists be moving? Can they be competitive in the international art community? These are just a few of the questions I hope to deal with today. Let us start by considering the present status of Korean art. YU: Today, as culture becomes more diversified and commercialized, I believe that the modern state is obligated to study and provide support for culture and art. There are no distinct international currents today. Rather we see a trend toward universalization, a certain generality. Many people refer to this as post-modernism or post-nationalism. You could say it is a form of extreme individuation. The art world is exceptionally diversified at present. What is the significance of culture in an era of multiculturalism, pluralism, multinationalism and post-modernism? 34

World Stage: One of our most urgent problems is how to accommodate the needs of the world and of nationalism or ethnicity. We also must consider what it means to be Korean. That is, we must identify what is contemporary Korean art. Establishing that identity is one way of diagnosing Korean art. Compared to more developed countries, such as the United States or.Japan, Korea has almost no data bank related to the arts or reference materials. I think we must give priority to the development of a research facility that can provide accurate _information on the arts so that we may more effectively develop this area. RHEE: In my view, contemporary Korean art has always been struggling with the question of what comes first: modernity or regional tradition! In recent years the Korean art community, like the international art community as a whole, has witnessed the collapse of the distinction between "fine arts" and a

more general definition of art which embodies many different genres. We see a worldwide tendency toward the exploration of the relationship between art and social realities. I believe Korean artists are keeping in step with this international trend. Of course, Korean contemporary art's relationship with the outside world can also be seen as a kind of rivalry. Korean artists are still searching for their own unique identity and struggling to respond to trends toward globalization while at the same time maintaining a sense of their own regional tradition. KIM: Professor Lee, though you're now serving as president of the Korean Fine Arts Association, you have much experience as an artist actively participating in exhibitions at home and abroad. What is your view of the present state of Korean art, particularly in comparison to your early years as a painter in the 1970s? LEE: I've been a professional painter for nearly thirty years since I graduated from university in the late 1960s. At the time, my contemporaries and I studied under a generation of artists who had embraced modernism, a genre introduced to Korea almost entirely through Japan. Abstract art, which flowed into the country from the late 1950s through the 1970s, was extremely radical and experimental at that time. It was completely new to Korean artists. When I 36

look back now, I can't help feeling that Korea's contemporary art movement has been overly dependent on Western ideas and too uniform in approach. On the other hand, however, Korean modern art is only seventy years old so we should be happy with the many things we have achieved. Actually, the changes we have witnessed over the last seventy years are nothing compared to what we're seeing today. I'm nearly fifty , becoming a member of the older generation, and things are changing so rapidly that, frankly, I have some difficulty understanding exactly what is happening in Korea's art community today. KIM: The 1990s have seen phenomenal growth, both quantitatively and qualitatively. As a curator, Mr. Bhak, you are responsible for the planning and implementation of art programs and exhibitions. What do you see in the future for Korean art? BHAK: I'm very encouraged by the vigor and diversity of the Korean art community today. Our living environment is changing as society gradually modernizes and Westernizes. The art world is naturally affected by the change. In the process of rapid economic development and modernization, art seems to have moved in the direction of Westernization. The new and different have replaced traditional values in many cases.

Korean artists have rushed to embrace Western artistic trends and concepts, as well as techniques, and attempted to incorporate them into their own work That process has left Korean artists one step behind Western trends; they have never taken a leading role, never helped to form new trends. As a result, they tend to have a complex about Western art, which has in turn led to the debate ov~r "ethnicity" and "universality." This debate was especially important during the 1980s and continues to fuel the search for our own unique national culture and subject in artistic representation. Today the contemporary art community is extremely varied. On the one hand, we find the obsolete practices of a bygone era restated in new symbolic vocabulary, and on the other, we see movement toward the rejection of traditional practices and standards and the redefinition of existing artistic representation. Some artists seek to link themselves to traditional culture; others incorporate Western trends in their work, using them to broaden their artistic perspective. It all seems quite chaotic at times, but I believe that this is an essential stage in Korea's artistic development, an important transitional period. Today the Korean art community is creating a broad variety of truly "new" art. KIM: In the 1990s young artists have been breaking new ground in their

choice of media. More and more we see advanced technology being used in the formative arts, a sign of Korea's gradual development as an advanced industrial society. Mr. Yu, how do you view Korean contemporary art in comparison to world art trends? YU: Before we consider international art trends, we must consider Korea's contemporary art. Contemporary art as we know it today came into being some time between 1910 and 1920 when Korean artists began to adopt Western art. At the time, the very idea of "Western" art was new , exciting, even strange. In a sense, Korean artists yearned for something new. This acceptance of Western theory and technique continued for about thirty years. Then came the Korean War in the early 1950s. It was followed by a relatively slow period, then the rapid economic development of the 1960s. Korea's contemporary art began in earnest in the later half of the 1960s. For the last thirty years, Korean artists have actively embraced the advanced artistic trends popular in the West. It has been a period of intense social change, political chaos and rapid economic recovery and development domestically, but Korean art did not develop in isolation from world trends such as the action painting, pop art or minimal art popular in the United States. Since the 1980s, we have seen a broadening of artistic scope in the United States, a trend away from the simple concept of "Fine Arts" toward a broader cultural concept which addresses important social issues through artistic media. For example, the AIDS epidemic has been vividly portrayed in American art since the early 1990s. In addition, the complex images created by the mass media have great social significance in modern industrial society. Video artist Paik Nam-june is just one example of this trend. I believe we must view Korea's contemporary art within this cultural context. Over the last thirty years it has been hard to find a Korean artist who

takes an introspective or critical view. Korean artists have been extremely expressive. No doubt this is related to the Korean people's native tendencies. Thus, if we are to consider Korean contemporary art from an international perspective we must define what it means to be Korean. What are our cultural habits? There are all sorts of habits-ways of thinking, ways of feeling--:-but I'm talking about a kind of working habit, for art is a kind of work. Habits exist in the unconscious so we must discover the artistic elements which lie dormant there, create a model and analyze the data. From this point of view, it is most unfortunate that Korea has no research institute specializing in the arts. Korea is seriously lacking in data on art, especially when compared to Japan or the United States. We need a data bank dedicated to the arts. KIM: The enhancement of national competitiveness and the "globalization" of the Korean economy are the principal issues facing Korean society today, but we still seem severely Jacking in any concept of internationalization of the cultural sphere such as art. In that sense, your suggestion for a data bank for the arts seems a good way to enhance our international competitiveness in this field. RHEE: The sharply defined ideological boundaries of the postwar period have grown fuzzy in the 1990s with the collapse of the Soviet bloc and socialism. We are witnessing the emergence of a period without any clear ideology, a period of what Americans like to call multiculturalism. In the 1990s there are no major artistic movements, no shared spirit. Artists an,; dealing with their own individual issues. Gradually Korean artists are stepping out onto the international stage. International exchanges are becoming more common, and with the development of communication technology, information is much more readily and rapidly available. Artists are no longer simply imitating what they have seen abroad. They have transcended a simple re-

YuJune-sang

If we are to consider

Korean contemporary art from an international perspective, we must define what it means to be Korean. What are our cultural habits? What artistic elements lie hidden in the artist's unconscious?

hashing of Western ideas and trends and have begun to develop their own powerful vocabulary which is fully capable of withstanding the currents of international art. I see the 1990s as a period of unprecedented vitality.

~ ~

Bhak Young-taik

We are seeing a broader approach to painting in the 1990s. Korean artists are not simply tagging along after their Western counterparts anymore. They are expreS5ing their own cultural tradition, their own sense of ethnicity, broadening their view of painting

Artistic Ventures Overseas KIM: We all seem to agree that the 1990s appear to be a hopeful period for Korean art. How then is Korea's contemporary art viewed overseas? Today we are focusing on the role of Korean contemporary art within the context of this international trend toward globalization. In recent years Korean artists have been participating in international exhibitions with greater frequency and appear to be gaining international recognition. I wonder how they are viewed abroad. Perhaps you could tell us, Professor Lee, since you have participated in a number of international exhibitions. LEE: Korean artists participated in an overseas exhibition for the first time in 1961 at the second Paris Biennale and have continued to take part in similar exhibitions ever since. From a quantitative point of view, arts in Korea have developed a great deal since the 1960s. Just look at all the art schools, museums, galleries, artists, critics and curators! Our resources are limitless when it comes to artists, but unfortunately financial and administrative support remains at the level of the early 1960s. In the United States, Germany and other advanced countries, support for artistic activities is readily available. Korea pales in comparison. We can't depend on government cultural policies. Korean corpqrations must broaden their support for the arts. Despite the lack of local support for the arts, Korean artists have continued to expand their activities overseas. As Mr. Yu pointed out earlier, art is a habit of the heart, and in that sense I believe the Korean people are endowed with vast artistic potential. I've traveled a great deal and have shown my work at a number of international exhibitions.

In my opinion, there are few nations with artistic potential as rich as the Korean people. Non-Koreans look at Korean art from a number of different angles but they generally view it positively. Many find Korean art rich in creative ambition and potential, but others point to a tendency toward blind Westernization and a lack of creativity. Generally speaking, they are impressed by Korean artists' technique and feeling. YU: Metaphorically, we could liken society to a large ship. Culture is what prevents that ship from losing its balance. Culture is the ballast of society. It keeps society on an even keel, just as ballast prevents a ship from listing to one side or another. We must increase our financial support to culture for only then will we be internationally competitive. We must overcome the premodern conception that we can live without art. Culture is an important national resource. KIM: In recent years we have seen some movement toward corporate philanthropy and more specifically, corporate support for the a_rts. Clearly domestic businesses must commit themselves to supporting cultural activities. What do you see as the major stumbling block to the internationalization of Korean art? Where do we need to improve? BHAK: I believe there is plenty of room for improvement in the selection of artists to participate in international exhibitions such as the various biennales and triennales held around the world. These exhibitions are, in a sense, art Olympics. They reflect each country's artistic competitiveness. Korean artists have been participating in the Venice and Sao Paulo Biennales for years. But they have often been selected on the basis of vested interests within the Korean art community or along lines of school or personal loyalty, rather than truly representing Korean art in general. We also need to improve on solo and group shows held overseas. So many Korean artists are having shows overseas, but frankly it's hard to under-

stand why they are there or what they achieve. The problem is Korean artists tend to leap into things without sufficient preparation or understanding of the local, let alone international, environment. In the 1990s we are beginning to see a broader approach to painting. Korean artists aren't simply tagging along after their Western counterparts anymore. They are expressing their own cultural tradition, their own sense of ethnicity, and broadening their view of painting. This is especially true of the younger generation. I see this as a most positive development, but we still must make systematic improvements, for example in art education, to reinforce this trend. RHEE: As Professor Lee noted earlier, we've seen great quantitative expansion of the art world as well as noticeable qualitative progress. The history of contemporary art in Korea is relatively short compared to that of the West, but the speed of Korean artists' advancement is truly remarkable. Perhaps, as Professor Lee has suggested, this is all attributable to something inherent in the Korean metabolism, part of our protoplasm, so to speak I personally believe we should seriously consider artistic ventures overseas. We shouldn't be disappointed by the lack of immediate or obvious benefits. We must remember that we have only just begun. We must look at the problem of international competitiveness over the long term. As noted earlier, a systematic means of support must be developed as soon as possible. Korea is pitifully backward in this regard. For example, Korea and Japan each sent three artists to the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1994. The Japanese artists received 40 million yen from the Japan Foundation, whereas their Korean counterparts only received 8 million won from the Korean Fine Arts Association, less than a fortieth of what Japanese artists received at the then exchange rate. When the economy is slow, the culture and arts field is always hit first. On

the other hand, when the economy picks up, it is the last to pick up again. Things don't look particularly good for the arts in the United States at this time. Last year the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts was reportedly cut in half. As for Korea, things continue to improve. Overall conditions appear to favor the arts rather than work against them. There has been a lot of talk about the Kwangju Biennale scheduled for this fall, but one thing is certain: Few countries are capable of staging an art exhibition with a 10 billion won (about US$13 million) budget. The Kwangju Biennale has its share of problems, but I believe we can solve them gradually on a trial and error basis.. All in all, I see the Kwangju Biennale as an encouraging development. LEE: The number of galleries has increased rapidly in recent years. Now is the time for them to look beyond the home market and actively promote Korean art abroad. Today's art market stretches around the globe. Korean contemporary art cannot survive in this global market if it remains unknown outside Korea. Local galleries must work to discover talented young artists and cultivate them so they can compete in the international market. RHEE: The most important factor in the distribution of art is the relationship between the artist, the gallery and the collector. I believe the critic's role is secondary. Art dealers have played an important role throughout the history of art. These dealers, namely gallery owners, have always been responsible for the discovery and support of the artist. It is time fqr Korean galleries to stop depending on artists with short-term commercial appeal and start broadening their search for artists with long-term potential. LEE: Art critics and curators also have an important role to play in Korean artists' advancement overseas. In a sense, they are the programmers who develop the software to promote Korean artists overseas. Nearly all local

RheeJong-soong

In the 1990s, Korean artists are dealing with their own individual issues. They have transcended a simple rehashing of Western ideas and have begun to develop their own powerful vocabulary which is fully capable of withstanding the currents of international art

artists depend on commercial galleries. This is a serious structural flaw in the Korean art community. Identity Problems KIM: In this era of globalization, the question of Korea's artistic identity is attracting a lot of attention. While many point to the relevance of national identity , the question of the individual artist's personal identity also seems important. In a sense, art itself is a quest for identity. How do you view Korea's artistic identity within the international art community? BHAK: I believe Korean artists must concern themselves with two specific issues. First, they have to take a broad view toward the very idea of the visual media called painting. They have to transcend the narrow sensory, conceptual and formal significance of painting to discover its fundamental character. Second, they must constantly reexamine their own society, their own culture, for ultimately their painting is rooted in their own national cultural sensibility. It's much more than a question of how we portray our "Koreanness." LEE: I once heard a professor of food science talking about the diets of second- and third-generation Koreans living in the United States. He said ethnic Koreans who were born and lived in American society and had never tasted Korean food began to crave it around the age of forty! Korean food is in their blood, or as Mr. Rhee suggested earlier, in their protoplasm. I think art is much the same. We may have embraced much of Western art, but somewhere deep inside us is a native artistic temperament or sensibility which emerges naturally as time passes. Korean artists may follow a Western approach but deep inside there is always a certain "Koreanness." The expression of ethnicity cannot be achieved in a conscious manner. RHEE: The defining of a Korean identity is no easy matter. Should we follow the world trend toward univer40

sality or focus on our own regional tra- Âˇ participate in international events. As ditions? Where should we draw the president of the association, I am very line? We may try to express a Korean concerned about this pwblem. We identity in a work of art, but that have a lot of artists in Korea but only a doesn't mean we've succeeded. A su- very small minority ever get a chance perficial expression of "Koreanness" to participate in a major international may stimulate a certain curiosity among exhibition. That is why there is always non-Koreans. On the surface it is differ- an uproar over the selection of candient, Oriental, but ultimately it does not dates. Actually, many young artists are inspire a true reaction to the art itself. very much interested in participating in Take Paik Nam-june for example. international events. I will do my best He's an internationally recognized video to make the selection of judges more artist, but frankly we Koreans can hard- fair in the future. ly take credit for him. He was born RHEE: While the question of who is here, but he was educated in Japan, selected is important, we must also recfound his artistic inspiration in Ger- ognize the importance of numbers. For many and became famous in the Unit- example, Koreans were disgraced last ed States. Nevertheless, overseas critics year at the Sao Paulo Biennale when say his work is borne of a speculative we tried to send nine artists, ignoring Oriental spirit. A certain Korean feeling the organizers' limit of three. Ultimateis naturally embodied in his work. ly, we had to cut our delegation to The Korean identity isn't something three after the organizers co~plained , you can create intentionally. If we are but it was a great embarrassment. obsessed with finding this identity, we As Mr. Bhak said earlier, these interwill certainly fail. For an artist, the im- national exhibitions are very much like portant thing is not nation but personal the Olympics. Competition is stiff. character. All artists have their own Artists from around the world particiroots. Those roots are expressed in pate. Not everyone. can be a worldtheir work. Of course the issue of eth- class artist. Not all artists are going to be nic identity is important, but an unnatu- famous. We must find a way of identiral fixation on it or any artificial expres- fying truly talented artists and concension of what we believe might be our trating our support on them. national identity will only undermine We also have to remember that our attempts to be recognized in the in- these international exhibitions and festiternational art community. vals usually have specific themes and BHAK: Korea's art will only receive be sure to select artists on this basis. a fair evaluation in the international art For example, the theme for the 1990 community when we have created a Sydney Biennale was "Ready-made fair and objective system for evaluating Boomerang." The organizers were tryartists here at home. There are still ing to demonstrate how object art had many problems arising in the process changed since Duchamp. The 1994 Sao of selecting artists to participate in inter- P;J.ulo Biennale was based on an envinational exhibitions. From time to time ronmental art theme, exploring changes Korean artists with absolutely no affini- in the concept of installation art since ty for world art trends have been cho- Rauschenberg's combine painting. sen to participate in international exhi- Clearly artists incapable of assimilating bitions and have ended up embarrass- the object and installation genres are going their countrymen. We need a ing to have a hard time fitting in at insound system by which we can accu- ternational art festivals in the coming rately and fairly evaluate each -artist. years. Most of these festivals explore LEE: The Korean Fine Arts Associa- new directions in modern art. They tion's international division has been reprovide an opportunity for competition sponsible for the selection of artists to and communication among young

artists. The domestic process of selecting artists must reflect this. BHAK: In the West, many young artists make their debuts right out of the blue. They are given a free hand and plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their talent. Western governments cultivate young artists through their cultural policies. That is not the case in Korea, however. We may be holding our own international exhibitions, but when it comes to selecting the participating artists, the "recognized" senior artists are always chosen. There is no innovation, no new faces. It's time that we too begin to actively cultivate dynamic young artists through our cultural policies. We have to cultivate internationally competitive artists on our own. We can't wait for outsiders to discover them. YU: We must take a more active stance. We aren't sending simple pieces of art to these international exhibitions; we're sending artistic commodities. It's childish to assume that we can just trot out there with any old thing because art is "pure" and uncommercial. Times have changed. The international art world is a cultural battlefield. We must have a professional organ that can provide support for overseas activities through systematic planning and public relations. RHEE: Clearly the Korean art community suffers from some deep-seated problems-a lack of information on world art trends, organizational bottlenecks, a shortage of financial resources and administrative confusion-but we have to remember that Korean contemporary art is still quite young. In a sense it's still in its adolescence. No one can tell what it will grow up to be but we must assume that it is rich in potential. We will gain experience and cultivate specialized talent through events like the Kwangju Biennale. We can also look forward to the return of the many students now studying art history and art administration in New York and Paris. We are definitely seeing a gradual expansion of our human resources. Of course, there has

been-and continues to be-a lot of negative criticism, but we shouldn't view this as criticism for criticism's sake. Rather it should be taken as a kind of reference, offering us a vision for future development. In any case, I see a bright future, full of possibilities, for Korean art. LEE: The "internationalization" of Korean art is not going to happen overnight. It is not the kind of problem that can be solved easily, but it is possible when people work together. The art community can't do it on its own. The internationalization of the art community is closely related to culture in general, the economy and our strength as a nation and must be understood as such. However, compared to just a few years ago, the Korean art community is attracting a remarkable amount of world attention. KIM: Clearly long-term vision with an interest in understanding international trends is essential. We have reached a point where each artist must work to develop his or her own potential. Perhaps we could close with a brief discussion of overseas Korean artists respected in the international art community. YU: I would have to choose the late Kim Whanki or Paik Nam-june for they are cosmopolitan artists who have been successful abroad. Kim fits into the modernist mold while Paik could be called a contemporary artist. Kim's

___................. ~ ~

Lee Doo-shik

Our resources are limitless when it comes to artists. Unfortunately financial and administrative support remains at the level of the early 1960s. Korean corporations must

Somewhere, Somehow, We Will Meet Again, which won the Grand Prize at

broaden their support for

the Hankook Ilbo Art Contest in 1970, reflects the artist's rich imagination. Paik, of course, is the godfather of the international video art community and is known .for his remarkable intuition, knowledge and humor. Kim and Paik are both Korean artists and world artists. Indeed, Paik Nam-june is undeniably the guiding star for Korean art's modernization and internationalization. KIM: Certainly the internationalization of Korean art requires courageous and determined artists like Kim and Paik as well as an enlightened art community. +

the arts.

Art in the 1990s: Toward Suh Sung-rok Art Critic/Professor of Art History Andong National University

n the first half of the 1990s, Korean contemporary art has seen a clear tendency toward stylistic pluralism and creative individualism. Some critics have described the past few years as a time of "dissipated ideologies" and fads, but clearly today's pluralism and individuality are the hard-earned results of the dark and suppressive 1970s and 1980s. There is a flip side to this new freedom, however. Over the last few years, we have seen a rapid increase in the number of commercial art galleries. The local art market has been severely shaken as a result. "Quaint," "soft-toned," "pretty" paintings are mass-produced like goods displayed in department stores, and many artists bask in the glow of the new art consumerism. This is only one small example of the Korean art community's failure to restrain itself in the face of the modern market mechanism. More important is our apparent inability to cope With this phenomenon. Perhaps this is why the art community has s4ch high expectations for the young ar~st now making their debut. People have grown tired of the same old art. They want something new and seem willing to embrace any attempt to recover from the state of lethargy prevailing among established artists. Young artists come and go, but the expectations are always the same, for the young are most capable of recognizing problems and boldly responding to them. Many factors are discussed in connection with today's young artists. Freewheeling individualism, powerful selfexpression and improved living stan-

dards are just a few. Generally speaking, young artists prefer anti-materialistic values over materialism and long to express their own identity and desires freely. The emergence of this new generation has been a breath of fresh air for the local art scene. Blatant oppression was the norm in the past, but today young artists are stimulating the art world with their free spirit. While their work is sometimes stylistically confusing and fragmented in content and theme, they are clearly contributing to a break from the stodgy art of the past. The key to art in the 1990s is found in the third dimension, especially installation. Installation art is the fastest growing art media today, overtaking painting by a significant margin. Since 1990, most group exhibitions have focused on installation and other forms of three-dimensional art. This is especially true of the shows held by young artists' groups and exhibitions that have raised important artistic debate. Installation artists refuse to confine themselves to the limits of two-dimensional art. That is the nature of their medium. Not only does the source of their artistic inspiration differ from that of other ,artists, their style of artistic expression is highly diverse, variable and emotional

Challenge of Young Artists A unique feature of the 1990s has been the emergence of young artists' groups making bold "personal declarations" on art. These declarations are usually concerned with self-expression, freewheeling style and a dizzying array of

presentational methods. A number of factors distinguish this new generation of artists from their predecessors. Young artists are breaking away from existing artistic norms to embrace new genres, such as mixed media, retro style, assemblage and kitsch. They have also begun to use commercial brand names and various types of multimedia in their work Having grown up in an age of television and films, these artists experience life quite differently from the older generation, which was weaned on print media. Whereas the print generation is rational, logical, contn; lled and tends to pursue common goals and values, the visual generation of the 1990s, now in their early and mid-thirties, is emotional, instinctive, self-expressive and true to their senses. They take a heterogeneous outlook on life and art and reject the cultural legacies of the 1970s and 1980s. Of the many art groups formed by this younger generation, Museum, founded in 1987, is a pioneer. In the manifesto commemorating the group's first exhibition, the members announced their refusal ''to be part of any artistic genre or category." They reject categorization because it limits the individual's aesthetic freedom. Their determination to be free is obvious in their experimentation. They actively employ all means and material to express themselves, whether it be collage, objec~ drawing, assemblage, fabric, paper, polycot or acrylic. Museum's experimental stance has been carried on by a number of other new groups. Sub Club, founded in 1990, insists that realism and modernism "are

a New Pluralism nothing more than black-and-white television" to them. Golden Apple, Off and On, Bio-Installation and the H6nhwaga Group all share an indifference to sociopolitical issues and the formal logic of the older generation. Other groups of young artists, including Green Heart, Azalea, Blue Structure, Time Capsule and Team Spirit, share this apolitical, avantgarde stance. These groups often touch on environmental problems, traditional ethics, and issues arising in the course of modernization, but like other young artists, they are pluralistic in style and values.

In terms of content, a defin~t aesthetic gap separates older established artists from the younger generation. Young artists do not suffer from the ideological complexes of the 1980s, nor do they limit themselves to the prevailing media-that is, tw<Xiimensional art They attempt to build their own bold artistic world based on freedom, experimenting with innovative methods and materials, such as television, animation, advertisements and other visual media, utilizing high-tech media, such as video, computer graphics, holograms, facsimiles, lasers, virtual reality, labyrinth-like flows of consciousness

and erotic or meaningless subject matter, challenging traditional taboos, and exploring the artist's inner self. The use of electronic media in art has become especially popular recently. A whole new movement is forming. The past two years has seen a wide range of electronic art exhibitions including "Art and Technology," "Theoretic Garden," "Science and Art," "Art Tech;' "Diet," "Art and Photography;' "TV Art, Seoul 93;' "'93 Expo Techno-art" and ''Remote Control" Of course, not everything about the younger generation artists is "new." Some methods and materials have

Hong Sung-il, Untitled, 1993 43

already appeared in the work of established artists. What distinguishes the new generation's methodology is their unique sense of auteurism. They transcend the "contemplative" approach seen in the two- and three-dimensional works of their predecessors through technological experimentation, expanding the viewer's aesthetic experience to new frontiers and creating a "complex" experience for "all senses." For these artists, artistic experience involves more than seeing; it has been expanded to include hearing, feeling and even participating in the artistic process itself. The link with high-tech media is becoming increasingly important as television and video enhance an artwork's reality with speed and synchronicity. The process of artistic creation is transformed in these high-tech, multimedia works. For example, the introduction of commercial art methods, such as television and advertising, sometimes

serve as a warning against the sensual fantasies of consumerism and the commercialization of sex, even as an expression of the fading distinction between fine art and commercial art in our culture. On the other hand, they can also contribute to the creation of yet another form of fantasy and desire in our consumer-oriented society. We must remember that the members of these various groups merely "work together." They do not always share a common artistic ideology. Most young artists find the pursuit of a common goal confining. They unite as a group out of necessity and break apart when they no longer need the group. As a result, many of these groups are prone to exaggerated artistic gestures, clever ideas and fancy techniques. While the experimentation in new media is encouraging, experimentalism should be a means of reacting to the mainstream, not a means of destroying it

Cultural Criticism Some young artists have taken a critical approach, examining the processes of industrialization and commercialization and their relationship to the art world. They usually act in temporary groups formed for special exhibitions, such as "Ah, Korear' (Chahamun Gallery, 1992) "Reflections on Art" (Kumho Museum of Art, 1993) and "This Art-Nostalgia" (Kumho Museum of Art, 1994). These artists focus on the problem of rendering reality derived from visual images. For them, a work of art serves as a code leading into a subjective world. Cleverly packaged to fit the structure of our consumer society, these works of art serve as cultural critiques. In the 1990s, young artists are beginning to take a more critical view and examine -the superficial cohesion, simplistic harmony and order of traditiop.al society. One group known as Pulmo (Infertility) confronts materialism and

other problems arising in the course of modernization, while Shinch'on examines the aesthetics of emotions, as opposed to the a ~ stheic of logic. A group of women artists, Thirty Carats, examines women's issues and challenges the aesthetic concepts of male-domination. All three groups have successfully illuminated current problems in our society, while meeting the requirements of artistic experimentation. Pulrno was founded in 1993 and has held three group exhibitions in Seoul. The members first met while participating in a series of exhibitions organized by the progressive Post-Artists Association. Through these shows, they came to focus on modern civilization, and in 1993, formed their own group. At the time of the group's founding, the members swore to "indict the infertility of modern civilization." They take a criticaL and sometimes tragic, view of modern civilization. An Won-ch'an uses discarded military materials to depict a reality overwhelmed by materialism. Yi Huisop demonstrates the confrontation between urban civilization and nature through juxtaposed slide projections of urban and wilderness images. Yi Chunmok depicts psychological tension through hunks of meat hanging from a butcher's rack, and To Py6ng-hun tells a tale of human despair through scenes of a human dissection. While the content of these artists' works is important, the most unique element of this group is its tendency to examine real-life problems through abstract artistic means. For these artists, "abstraction" is no longer a fixed aesthetic value or decorative device. Abstraction means a closing of one's inner self and desires from the outer world for traditional modernists, but the artists of the Pulmo group use abstract techniques to monitor external reality. They reduce the rich artistic qualities and articulate form and structure of abstract art to create a whole new feeling of roughness, tension and barrenness. This feeling is manifested differently in each artist's work An W on-ch'an's work reflects a

An installation by Yi Hyong-u, 1993

cold, dark loneliness. Yi Hui-sop's portrays a chilling spectacle of disharmony. Yi Chun-mok depicts cruel and wretched images, while To Pyong-hun uses meaningless letters and codes. In the works of To and Yi Hui-sop, family history and biographical details play an important role in the depiction of broader themes-the pain of national division and lost tradition. An W on-ch'an uses green to symbolize life and contrasts it with tattered images of civilization. Yi Hui-sop attempts to give new meaning to traditional totems, shamanism and geomancy as a means of reviving Korea's "lost history." The individual artists' methods may vary, but as a group they share the goal of working together toward the advancement of contemporary art and the development of new meaning in .abstract art. The younger generation is also distinguished by their aesthetic preference for the sensual over the logical. Shinch'on, founded in 1993, is a good example. Since its inaugural show at the Kongp'yong Art Center, the group has held two exhibitions in the Seoul area, both under the theme ''Ecology of Daily Life." The daily life depicted in their works is meaningless, yet inescapable,

and takes the form of icons dancing across a borrowed stage. The aura is unsettling and ambiguous. One moment the icons are there, and the next they are nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this is only natural for a generation familiar with momentary phenomenon such as television images. For them, sensory experiences take precedence over all other experiences. When the senses precede content, aesthetics are momentary and sensual, the aesthetics of fleeting involvement. Art d~ not portray human senses in this case; rather the senses produce each work's aesthetics. The work of the Shinch'on group strays from the traditional concept of art, which focuses on delivering a certain meaning. Their images speak for themselves. A bundle of tangled wire, a motor crawling across the floor like an insect, secret spaces, a claustrophobic room filled with paper boxes and plastic, an ugly broken-down wheelchair, a book that cannot be read-meaning is lost, but a whole new sense of color and form is found instead. Self-consciousness and dependency, loss and fears-all these little thoughts are taken beyond their limits. The signs and reactions communicated between the artist and the viewer 45

Yom Chugyong, Cloth, 1994

Young artists' greatest contribution has been their creation of a place for pluralism and individualism. They have paved the way for new ideas, breaking free from the narrow mainstream and defining a new relationship for art, culture and society 46

are extremely intense, and the result is a kind of narcissism. The artists use all sorts of methods to realize this narcissism. Bits and pieces of objects are juxtaposed in an odd, chaotic manner. Nothing seems finished; nothing seems to be in the right place. This group emphasizes the "effectiveness" of a medium over its unique characteristics. For these artists, "effectiveness" refers to the visual effect the medium inspires, not the message it conveys. They stress "effectiveness" because they are trying to deliver atmosphere, feeling, emotion, image and lifestyle. In this complex and momentary form of expression, they express dreams, desires, nostalgia, physical longing and psychology that cannot be captured in a linguistic structure. The interests of young artists do not stop here, however. They deal with a diverse range of topics as is evident in the works of the all-woman group Thirty Carats. The group's name is a metaphor for the artists themselves: They are all in their thirties and believe women are of great value. The group was formed in an effort to "prove that women's lives can be expressed as an artistic subject and to help each other achieve that goal." So far, they have focused on discovering the female identity and potential. In their 1993 inaugural exhibition, they dealt with the issue of female self-discovery. Their second showâ&#x20AC;˘ was entitled "Male Reality: Classicism Shaken," and their third show, ''Finding Our Roots." This group has made a meaningful attempt to look back on Korean traditions and identity through the eyes of women living in a male-dominated culture. Ha Min-su and Yi Sung-yon use relics from traditional male-chauvinist society, such as genealogies and ropes, to deal with sexual discrimination. Yom Chu-gyong contrasts shamanistic rituals performed by women with Confucian rituals performed by men. Ha Sangnim's installations and Im Mi-ryong's oil paintings portray women as a minority deprived of identity. An Mi-yong juxtaposes natural surroundings and the

Pak Chi-suk, A Slice of the Day, 1994

human body to stress the significance of the female body as a source of life. Pak Chi-suk takes a similar approach to femininity using the t'aeguk symbol. Kim Mi-gyong expresses the importance of motherhood through the folktale motif of women hatching eggs, and Yi Hyonmi attempts to find identity in the father-daughter relationship. Ch'oe Ongyong links the past and the present through mixed media, using television monitors and traditional objects from the Korean kitchen.

Prospects for the Future One of the main concerns of the new generation is breaking free of traditional mores and freely expressing humanity's oppressed desires. However, not all young artists have succeeded. Some have fallen prey to consumerism and the mass media, never quite grasping

what lies beneath the surface of such phenomenon. The work of the new generation is still open to debate and analysis, for it is an ongoing cultural phenomenon. It is also subject to debate because many artists' work is still somewhat raw and unrefined. Their ambition is not always matched by their ability. There is a danger here: These young artists' free-wheeling emotional expression can give way to meaningless self-indulgence. Individuality can easily turn into tedious repetition, and the characteristics that distinguish the new generation today may soon be the marks of the "older generation." More important, however, is the question of the future. What lies ahead for this new generation? Their greatest contribution thus far has been their creation of a place for pluralism and individualism. They have paved the way for new

ideas, breaking free from the narrow mainstream and defining a new relationship for art, culture and society. In short, they are attempting to free themselves from the realist approach to reality. They have proven that human life cannot be understood through a single closed concept. They have taken an open approach to experiencing and expressing reality as a multidimensional and flexible entity. In our modern world, the human consciousness is no longer dominated by a single tradition or ideology. These young artists' attempt to look at all aspects of life from an individual point of view is a valuable achievement in this age of fluidity. Beneath the individual lives, identities and experiences depicted by these artists lie many more layers of truth to be revealed and redefined in the future. + 47

Korean Art Today

A Status Report Kim Dal-jin Art Archivist National Museum of Contemporary Art

ast year saw the opening of more than 5,000 exhibitions and the graduation of more than 7,000 collegians from art departments across the country. In Seoul alone, no less than 27 new galleries were opened in 1994. This year shows no sign of a slowdown and it has the added distinction of being the fiftieth anniversary of the nation's liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the government-designated "Year of Art." Of course, Korean art is not as well-established as that of the West, but even in its short history it has shown remarkable progress and profound transformation.

Although the history of Korean painting since Japanese rule skips over a period of indigenous modern art, the greatest achievement of the Korean art community has been the establishment and subsequent expansion of numerous institutions for art education. There has been remarkable growth in the number of museums, galleries and other public venues for the arts, as well as artists, curators, critics and and other professionals. Also conspicuous are the advance of Korean art and artists abroad, and frequent exchanges of artworks with foreign countries. This article is intended to provide an overall sur-

vey of the current state of art in Korea and to introduce seven prominent artists.

Museums Apart from the National Museum in Seoul, there are 22 national museums across the country, located in such cities as Kyongju, Kwangju, Chonju, Ch'ongju, Chinju, Puyo, Taegu and Kongju. In addition, public and private museums registered under the Act for the Promotion of Museums number 68, including 21 in Seoul, and 77 universities have their own museums. Of these, Korea's most representative

art museum is the National Museum of Contemporary Art, which was founded in 1969 and moved to its present location in Kwach'6n, a southern suburb of Seoul, in 1986. It stands on a spacious lot of 22,000 p'yong (about 72,600 square meters) and includes nine exhibition halls, an outdoor sculpture park and various educational facilities. The museum features modern and contemporary art works from its permanent collection and regularly holds special exhibitions. The museum's Culture School offers Saturday art classes, museum studies, children's classes and training programs for educators. There are also facilities

for concerts, dance performances and film screenings. The Contemporary Art Academy, the educational wing of the museum 's membership association, serves to enhance the level of art professionals in Korea through comprehensive training in theory and practice. The largest and finest private museum is the Ho-Am Museum of Art, which the Samsung Art Foundation opened in Yong-in, Ky6nggi-do Province in 1982. It has 400 p'y6ng (1,320 square meters) of exhibition space and an outdoor sculpture park of over 15,000 p'y6ng (49,500 square meters). Its diverse collection ranges from pre-his-

toric artifacts to contemporary paintings by artists from Korea and around the world. Twice a year, the museum rotates its permanent exhibition and holds special exhibitions. The Walker Hill Museum, founded in 1984, is located in the Sheraton Walker Hill Hotel in Seoul. Its gallery space totals 135 p'y6ng ( 445 square meters) and it has an outdoor exhibition park of 343 p'y6ng (1,132 square meters). Its collection is strong in Korean modern art and folk art, which are exhibited regularly throughout the year. The Sonje Museum, opened in 1991, is in Ky6ngju, ancient capital of the Shilla

The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Kwach'on.

i ..___ _.-..._....:.._....__ _-',.__ (From top) Ho-Am Museum of Art 1n Yong-in,Sonje Museum in Kyongju, and Hankaram Museum at the Seoul Arts Center, and (below) the Cheju Sculpture Park on the southernmost island of Chejudo

Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). With an exhibition space of 700 p'y6ng (2,310 square meters), the museum focuses on invitational exhibitions of well-known artists. The Whanki Museum (Musee Whanki), which was founded in 1992 to commemorate Kim Whanki, a Korean master of Western-style painting, is in Puam-dong in Seoul's Chongno district. The 300-p'yong (990 square meters) museum displays Kim's works from its permanent collection and holds special exhibitions of contemporary art. The museum also presents seminars, art appreciation classes and music performances. Established in 1992, the Total Museum (200 p'yong or 660 square meters) in Seoul has been pushing forward with its expansion plans and activities to popularize contemporary art. It established the Total Art Prize and opened an outdoor gallery in Changhung, Ky6nggi-do in 1.994. Since its founding in 1983, the Hankook Museum has been actively organizing classes and events for members of its association. It moved to its present 100-p'yong (330 square meters) facility in Yong-in in 1993. The Unhyang Museum at the Unbo Culture Town in Ch'ongwon, Ch'ungch'6ngbuk-do, was founded in 1994 to celebrate the achievements of two

painters with uniquely Korean styles: Unbo (Kim Ki-chang) and his deceased wife Uhyang (Park Re-hyun). It has an outstanding display of susok, naturally polished, unusually shaped stones, and an outdoor ceramics park The Seoul Metropolitan Museum opened in 1988 on the site of Ky6nghuigung, a Chason Dynasty palace, with an exhibition space of 300 p'yong (990 square meters). It offers art classes to the public on the first and third Friday each month. The Hankaram Museum in the Seoul Arts Center, opened in 1990, has five galleries totalling 1,057 p'y6ng (3,488 square meters). It regularly holds exhibitions of contemporary art from museums in Korea and abroad. The Seoul Arts Center also has a 308 -p'yong (1016 square meters) calligraphy gallery which opened in 1988. The 847-p'yong (2,795 square meters) Kwangju Municipal Art Museum, established in 1992, has permanent displays from its collection and also holds loan exhibitions. It has special galleries for the Oh Chi-ho, Ha Ch6ng-ung and Heo Baig-ryeon collections. Located in the Cheju Sculpture Park on the southernmost island of Chejudo is the Shinch6nchi Museum which was founded by sculptor Chung Kwan-mo in 1987. Here viewers can appreciate 300 sculptures in a 30,000-p'yong (99,000 squar ~ meters) natural setting, as well as visit the 150-p'yong ( 495 square meters) indoor gallery for paintings and drawings.

Galleries

~ 50

Commercial galleries continue to open at a pace that defies the recent stagnation in Korea's art market. This trend is attributed not so much to an upturn in the market but rather to a greater appreciation for art and culture among the middle class, as well as an increasing number of exhibitions by younger artists. There are 68 galleries in Seoul and another 20 in other cities which are registered with the Galleries' Association of Korea .

However, the actual number of galleries is certainly much higher. Some of the more prominent galleries are briefly profiled here. The Gallery Hyundai is the nation's premier commercial art gallery, with two buildings and 200 exhibitions to its name since its opening in 1970. The gallery specializes in the works of established artists. The Gana Gallery is noted for its progressive management and outlook. Founded in 1983, the gallery launched a bimonthly art journal in 1988, inaugurated the Gana Art Prize and opened the Gana Printmaking Studio in 1990. It is now working on advancing into overseas markets. The Sun Gallery, opened in 1977, frequently exhibits the works of renowned artists. It established the Sun Art Prize in 1990. The Kukje Gallery, established in 1982, has cornered the market on American art. By contrast, the Dong San Bang Gallery, founded in 1975, has been pioneering new markets for traditional Korean painting. Founded in 1993, the Gallery Bhak deals primarily with artists in their thirties to mid-forties. The Hak Go Jae Gallery, founded in 1988, has specialized in calligraphy but has recently begun to exhibit the works of artists of other genres. The Inkong Gallery, established in 1988, is distinguished by its utterly modern sensibility and sculpted interior, befitting its forte in modern art. Also founded in 1988, the Gallery Seomi has carved a niche for itself in the contemporary / experimental art markets. The Park Ryusook Art Gallery, established in 1983, is noted for its well-organized exhibitions and support for crafts. The Jean Art Gallery, one of the first domestic galleries to participate in international art fairs, has become a leading purveyor of French art since its establishment in 1972. Other well-known specialty galleries include the Chosun Gallery, established in 1971, the Yeh Gallery, established in 1978, and the Pyo

The Kukje Gallery in Seoul focuses on American art.

Gallery, established in 1981. Galleries in Seoul are generally found in two locations: to the north of the Han-gang River and to the south. On the northern side of the river, galleries are clustered in the Insa-dong, Sagandong and Tongsung-dong areas. In the south they are found in the Shinsadong, Ch'6ngdam-clong and S6ch'o-clong areas. Galleries can be further differentiated into those that stage exhibitions of works from their own collections and those that host and organize exhibitions for painters. Members of the Galleries' Association of Korea from across the country join together for the Seoul Art Fair, an annual event since 1991, in which each gallery invites an artist to exhibit his/ her works. Similar festivals are held in Ch'6ngdam-clong and Shinsa-clong.

Groups & Associations Most artists' associations in Korea are made up either by alumni of the same art school or artists hailing from the same region of the country. Ranging in size from fewer than 10 members to more than 100, they hold group exhibitions once or twice a year and sponsor competitions to encourage the debut

and development of younger members. Some of the more prominent groups are presented here by genre. The ink painting tradition is represented by several groups. The Shin Mook Group was founded in 1984 by graduates of Hong-ik University with an aim of creating a new value system based on contemplation of nature and expressed through the landscape genre. The august Shin Soo Group, also composed of Hong-ik alumni, has enjoyed a long and rich history since its establishment in 1963. Representative of artists working in the col ~ r painting tradition is the Choon Choo Fine Arts Exhibition, which was organized in 1975. The group also sponsors periodical contests of painting. The Korean Painting Group, founded in 1967 by graduates of Seoul National University 's College of Fine Arts, embraces a diverse range of genres from the traditional to the abstract. The Contemporary Korean Painting Association, founded in 1971, has made deliberate efforts to replace the general reference "Oriental painting" with "Korean painting." Artists of Western painting have their own associations. True to its name, the Figurative Exhibition of Gusangjeon has sought to innovate figu51

rative expression since its founding in 1967, but lately it has begun to accept artists working between abstraction and realism. It sponsors a concours as well. Although it was founded in 1958 by painters of the naturalism / realism school, the Mok Woo Hoe Fine Art Association has been expanding its membership to include sculptors and painters in the Korean-style and literati ink traditions. It also holds a competition. Since 1975, the Ecole de Seoul has been composed of artists invited by commissioners on a yearly basis. Its uniquely non-permanent membership structure has reflected the currents of Korean contemporary art since the late 1970s. The largest of the groups is the Origin Painters Association, established in 1963 by Hong-ik alumni of a non-conceptual stream. The Changjak Fine Art Association, established in 1957, champions abstract art, and sponsors its own competition. The Korean Contemporary Print-

makers' Association has promoted various printmaking genres since its founding in 1968. Likewise, the Korea Watercolor Association, founded in 1975, has been providing opportunities for research and public activities for watercolor. Both groups sponsor competitions. Sculptors are amply represented by several associations, one of which is the Seoul Sculptors Association, formed by Seoul National University graduates in 1981. The Korean Figurative Sculpture Association, founded in 1977, and the Munwha Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) cosponsor the Korean Figurative Sculpture Exhibition. The Korea Sculptors Association, established in 1985, is dedicated to upholding the rights and interests of sculptors and stimulating public interest in sculpture. The Korea Contemporary Sculpture Association, established in 1969, strives to promote abstract sculpture. The Korean Craft Council, founded

The plaza at the Korea World Trade Center complex in southern Seoul 52

in 1974, represents artists in all the crafts: metalwork, ceramics, woodwork, textiles and dyes.

Artists The exact number of artists active today is undeterminable, but a reasonable estimate can be made on the basis of the membership of the Korean Fine Arts Association. To qualify for membership, a candidate must be a graduate of a four-year art college and have exhibited for at least three years. Graduates of two-year college programs must have no less than six years of experience to qualify. In addition, candidates who have practiced art for twelve years and who have shown their works in exhibitions recognized by the association can join the organization on the recommendation of current members. As of February 1995, the nationwide membership totals 9,184, with 5,027 members based in Seoul. By genre, the

figure breaks down to: 1,718 Koreanstyle painters; 3,878 Western-style painters; 117 printmakers; 776 sculptors; 1,262 craft artists; 1,017 calligraphers; 394 designers; and 22 critics. Of course, the actual number of artists is certainly much higher, excluding as it does college professors and lecturers, school teachers, operators of academies and instructors at small studios who continue to be active. The Korean Institute of Architects lists 1,100 members and the Photo Artists' Society of Korea, 3,000. In a survey conducted by a local art journal, 39 art historians and critics specializing in modern or contemporary art were asked to name Korea's most prominent artists. Seven of the artists they named are introduced here. LeeSang-beom (1897-1971)

Born in Kongju, Ch'ungch'ongnam-do Province, Lee Sang-beom attended Sohwa Art School. With his debut at the Choson Art Exhibition in 1922, he attracted favorable attention for his attempts to infuse creative touches in traditional ink painting. Year after year he won top prizes or special citations at the annual exhibition. After Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, he served on the jury for the National Art Exhibition and on the faculty of Hong-ik University. Lee liked to depict the gentle slopes of Korea's mountain ranges and the joy of rural life amidst poverty. His sketches were remarkable for their unique expressiveness and elaborate organization. The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper sponsored a retrospective exhibition of his works in 1972 and the National Museum of Contemporary Art sponsored an exhibition of his works in 1982. Byeon K wan-sik (1899-1976)

Hailing from Ongjin, Hwanghae-do Province (now in North Korea), Byeon Kwan-sik was raised under the tutelage of his maternal grandfather Cho Seokchin before going to Japan for further study. In 1921, he participated in the

Park Soo-keun, Father and Son, 120x90cm, 1962

Sohwa (Calligraphy and Painting) Exhibition and later on in the Choson Exhibition. After liberation, he took part in the National Exhibition, but in 1957, compelled to expose the absurdities of the art world, shunned it completely. He later taught at Sudo Women's College. Byeon's defiant spirit found apt expression in his free style and bold handling of the brush in the point- and diffused-stroke techniques of classical ink painting. , His favorite subjects were Mt. Kumgangsan and farm villages. In 1974, Byeon was honored with a major retrospective exhibition organized by Gallery Hyundai, and the following year, he was honored with a similar exhibition organized by the Dong-A Ilbo. Park Soo-keun (1914-1%5)

Park Soo-keun, who was born in

Yanggu, Kangwon-do Province, taught himself to draw. Starting out in watercolor, he exhibited at the Choson Exhibition and won consecutive awards from 1936 to 1940. He later served as a juror for the National Exhibition. He led a miserable life for some time after fleeing to the South during the Korean War. He developed cataracts and eventually lost sight in his left eye. Park was able to capture the essence of ordinary people through his unique perspective and innovative techniques. His subjects ranged from markets to streets and alleys, to mothers carrying babies on their backs. His simple yet solid forms, incorporating the material qualities of both granite and gritty earth, were wholly unique. Ten years after his death, the Munh6n Gallery organized a major retrospective exhibition of his works and the Gallery Hyundai did the same on 53

the twentieth anniversary of his death, and another show is being held this year. Park remains one of the most acclaimed Korean painters of all time.

faces and continued in this style until his death. In 1985, the National Museum of Contemporary Art organized a retrospective exhibition of his works.

Kim Whanki(1913-1974)

Yi In-song(1912-1950) A native of Taegu, Yi In-song graduated from the Pacific Art School in Tokyo and won special prizes consecutively at the Choson Exhibition from 1931 to 1936, earning a reputation as a genius. After Korea's liberation from Japanese rule, he became an instructor at Ewha Womans University and had his first solo exhibition in Seoul in 1948. A founding member of the National Painting Research Center, Yi served as a juror for the very first National Exhibition in 1949. He died at the age of 39 the following year, a victim of the Korean War. The Seoul Gallery organized a retrospective exhibition of his works in 1972, and the Munwha Gallery held an exhibition of previously unexhibited works in 1977. His style was free and unrestrained, yet filled with deep emotion, similar to Impressionism. Bright colors and sharp touches lent his wor~s sensitivity and lyricism. He chose his subjects at random from his surroundings.

Hailing from Shin-an, Ch6llanam-do Province, Kim studied at Nihon University. He went to Paris in 1956 to study art for three years, after which he taught at Hong-ik University. In 1963 Kim received a special award at the Sao Paolo Biennale, which precipitated his move to the United States where he remained until his death. In the 1930s, when he began his painting career, Kim painted abstract works in the Constructivist style, but by the 1950s he had evolved a poetic style employing vibrant colors and depicting simple subjects such as the moon, mountains, birds .and white porcelains. In the late 1960s, he shifted back to simple, geometric abstraction. By the 1970s, his style had culminated in a complex yet new form in which he divided the painting surface into consecutive blocks dotted with green and blue paint, similar to pointillism. Âˇ The National Museum of Contemporary Art organized a retrospective exhibition of Kim's works in 1975, and again in 1984 on the tenth anniversary of his death. No other Korean artist has achieved as much international recognition as Kim.

Kim Whanki, Morning Echo,

178x127cm,1965(top);Oh Chi-ho, Snowy Landscape, 93x157cm, 1971 (middle); Leejoong-seop, Cockfight, 50x33cm, 1955 (bottom) 54

Oh Chi-ho(1905-1982) Born in Hwasun, Chollanam-do Province, Oh was a graduate of the Tokyo Art School. In 1938 he and Kim Chu-kyong were the subjects of the very first book of painting published in color in Korea. After settling in the city of Kwangju in 1948, Oh taught at Chos6n University until1960 and served as a juror for the National Exhibition. He led the movement to develop the arts in the Cholla region. A classical scholar with nationalistic sympathies, Oh combined theory and an unshakable conviction in conceptualization. Like the Impressionists, Oh experimented with the effects of daylight on various sur-

Lee]oong-seop (1916-1956) Born in P'y6ngwon, P'yong-annamdo (now in North Korea), Lee was a graduate of the Culture Academy in Japan. He participated in the Japan Creative Artists' Association and was a founding member of the New Artists Association. Lee fled to the South after the Korean War broke out, moving from Pusan to S6gwipo to T'ongyong as a refugee. He had his first solo exhibition in Seoul in 1955. A nationalistic spirit infused his Fauvist treatment of subjects such as cows, chickens, peachessentimental scenes reminiscent of his homeland. Lee's naive, almost unworldly, personality inspired many anecdotes; indeed, the story of his life has been dramatized on stage. In his final years, Lee's works were autobiographical, describing life with his family and the pain of separation. The Gallery

Hyundai sponsored an exhibition of Lee's works in 1972, and the Ho-am Art Gallery held a major exhibition of his works in 1986. In addition to these seven artists, Kim Pok-chin (1901-1940) gained recognition for his dynamic and grand portraits of people caught in the vicissitudes of history. Ko Hui-dong (1886-1965) was the first Korean artist of Western painting and an early proponent of modernism. Kim Dn-ho (1892-1979), a master of traditional color painting, inspired legions of students to follow in his steps. The works of Lee Sang-beom, Byeon Kwan-sik, Park Su-keun, Lee Joong-seop and Kim Whanki command the highest prices on the Korean market, and are the representative Korean works handled by Sotheby's and Christie's in New York Since the 1960s Korean contemporary art has moved onto the international stage at venues such as the Paris Biennale, the Sao Paolo Biennale, the Cannes International Painting Festival, the India Triennale, the Bangladesh

Suh Seung-won, Simultaneity 82-62, 162x130cm, 1982; Baik Kum-nam, Let-

ter 88629, 51x100cm, 1988 (below)

Biennale and more recently the Venice Biennale. Most active abroad have been abstract artists sud], as Park Seo-bo, Kim Tschang-yeul, Shim Moon-seup, Ha Chong-hyun, Lee Ufan, Suh Seung-won, Yun Hyong-keun and Yoon Myeung-ro. Having been invited to the Kassel Dokumenta in September 1992, the young Yuk Kun-byong has been very active abroad. While there are no official records proving which artist has held the most shows, Baik Kum-nam, a printmaker and visual design artist, is one of the most active, with over 120 exhibitions since 1971. Most Korean artists active today are in their thirties, forties or fifties and exhibit from three to five times a year in solo exhibitions and art shows in Korea and abroad. The number of Korean artists exhibiting overseas increased from 229 ill 1993 to 269 in 1994. Foreign artists exhibiting in Korea numbered 177 in 1993, rising to 214 in 1994. The prospects for increased international exchanges remain promising. +

CLOSE-UP

A Powerful Artistic Spirit

Jheon Soo-cheon SongMisook Art Critic/Professor of Art History Sungshin Women's University

hen Jheon Soo-cheon held his first solo exhibition in Korea in 1989, his name was unfamiliar to the local art community because he had been living abroad for many years. Since then, however, he has executed the installation work Drawing on the Han River, created the sculpture Space Aflight for the 1993 Taejon Expo, and held two solo exhibitions in 1992 and 1994, both at the Gana Gallery in Seoul In addition, he has been chosen one of four artists to represent Korea at the Venice Biennale this year, thus firmly securing his place in the art world. ]heon left Korea in his youth to study at Musashino Art College in Tokyo. From there his ambitions took him to New York. After earning a graduate degree from the Pratt Institute, he established a studio in Soho. He now divides his time between the United States, Japan and Korea. Jheon is a man with a multicultural sensitivity and a true artist of the global village. ]heon's inclination to study his native land not through the confines of its topography and history but as an outsider looking in is a reflection of his own particular experiences and perspective. Since the late 1980s, he has experimented with various materials and motifs such as the hermit crab, the planets and most recently the t'ou (clay figures used as burial accessories during the Shilla period, 57 B.C.-A.D.935). However, he has always focused on the basic issue of the human existential condition. Although this theme has remained consistent, the materials, motifs, methods and media and

In spring 1995 Jheon Soo-cheon was selected "Artist of the Year" and featured in a special show at the National Museum of Contemporary Art At left, T'o-u, one of his installations.

even scale of his works have undergone constant change. For Jheon, change is a way of life. Unable to remain peacefully in one place, he constantly roams the earth. The change in his work derives from this constant wandering. Most of Jheon's works from the 1980s are intensely expressionistic paintings, portraying the tragic side of the human condition. Human figures are depicted as being at the mercy of mysterious and uncontrollable forces, either subordinated or alienated and compelled to move on. His 57

brushstrokes are like flames or seem to have been created by powerful gusts of a whirlwind; the colors are intense blues and reds. The people depicted in his paintings are hard to define-dark silhouettes, hooded and with their backs turned. In contrast to their indefinite shapes, their movements are clear and show their actions are controlled by some irresistible force. Jheon uses the hermit crab, which scuttles between the homes of others or their waste (abandoned shells), as a 58

metaphor for the constant refugee, the exile. In some respects, this metaphor speaks of. the artist's own experiences. But on a more universal level it addresses the issue of the condition of all human beings. In the late 1980s, this intense expressionist tendency gives way to a more tranquil sensibility. Human beings are still his major subject They are still indeterminate and perpendicular outlines, metaphorical in form. But sometimes the figures are reduced to only hands, faces

or feet and appear in conjunction with other motifs such as eggs, ships, turtles, arrows, spirals and crosses. These emblems are either painted onto the canvas or built up on small metal plaques that are attached to the paintings. Rather than themselves being subjects of delineation, they are metaphoric forms stamped like stencils across the canvas. In these paintings, known as the ''Planet" series, curved iron rods are also attached to the paintings. These rods define the orbit of the planets, which are

in turn symbolized by the separate motifs appearing within the orbit In this series, the human existential condition-a constant theme in Jheon's art-is seen from a wider, more encompassing spatiotemporal perspective, allowing the artist to be more objective, and the composition has become more stabilized. Nevertheless, the motifs pertaining to anxiety, pleasure, chaos and the human condition, common in his earlier paintings, continue to survive. They can be seen in the wandering foot-

steps, open hands allowing the grain of and the dark vertical the plywood to silhouettes. , show through and become part of the In the 1990s, Jheon image. He has also has returned to conventional painting Jheon's Drawing on the Han River, been executing methods, but he has executed in 1989(above), and T'ou-1, works on shiny stuck to his own included in his 1995 show, niflÂŤ:t the stainless steel panels. unique structural and progression in his work. For his solo exhicompositional techbition at the Gana niques and use of emblematic elements. Gallery last year, Jheon prepared a large Many of his works are executed on large installation of light boxes containing phoplywood panels. The paint is usually thin, tographic transparencies of artworks 59

from the East and West titled Faces of Gods, Faces of Men. The light boxes were the only source of illumination in the dark gallery. Some of the boxes were standing upright, others were scattered across the floor as if to block the viewer's path. The gods shown in the photographic images are those created in the shape of humans but are incomplete or broken. To collect these images, the artist visited many galleries and museums. He says this installation expresses the imperfection and limits of gods humans made after their own image. Not only has Jheon been chosen one of four artists to open the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, he has also been selected "Artist of the Year" by the National Museum of Contemporary Art as part of its new "Artist of the Year" exhibition program. The exhibition includes Jheon's recent paintings and installations which are all associated with each other but placed in six separate rooms restructured by the artist for his own purposes. The rooms have an eerie atmosphere, their only illumination being the pale blue neon tubes which are symbolic elements of the artworks. In the first room, a blue neon streak vertically cuts the room. The whole floor, except for the edges, is covered with small t'ou clay figures. The hands of the t'ou are either stretched out in front of them or clasped together. In the center, dozens of t'ou are piled on top of each other lying in a heap. The t'ou motif is repeated on silkscreened panels which

Light of Wisdom, 1995 (near & upper

right); Mask of Planets, 1995 (center opposite); a partial view of the special exhibition at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (bottom opposite) 60

Means of Evolving Planets, 1,200x700x135cm, 1995

line the walls. The floor on which the t'ou stand is made of glass. Underneath the glass floor is strewn all matter of industrial waste. Placed at regular intervals among the rubbish are small lights which, together with the blue neon tube, provide the only lighting in the room. Following the lights, the viewer is able to walk among the t'ou and inspect the rubbish. The artist intends to have the viewer reflect upon the damage that has been inflicted upon the world by our industrialized and materialistic civilization. The t'ou stand for the inner spirit and identity of the Korean people. The blue neon streak lights a path linking the past, present and future. It may also symbolize the seemingly inconceivable and invisible 62

wheel of history and the human spirit A similar message can be clearly read in the second room which contains a work titled Means of Evolving Planets. Pebbles are piled on the floor to represent a natural state of chaos. Rising up among them are blue neon poles to which are attached plastic banners bearing such words as "civilization," "socialism ," "weapons" and "wisdom." The poles stand for the evolving or wandering planets and everything that is against nature. In the third room, ghostly white plaster feet are scattered about the floor as if they are aimlessly wandering about Yet they appear to be going somewhere, as they are gathered around a blue neon

pole, "'forming a big circle, as if under the control of some invisible power. Titled Light of Wisdom, the neon light illuminates a screen at a corner of the room, where typed messages are projected. The light symbolizes the order underlying the chaos of the human condition which is expressed by the wandering feet. In the fourth room is an installation of steel helmets, an element Jheon has been using since the late 1980s. In his earlier works, the helmets are caricatures of traditional masks. In this installation, they have undergone a transformation. Seventy-seven helmets are lined up on the floor in military style in eleven rows of seven. On the surface of the helmets in the fourth row, which are each on a

Faces of Gods, Faces of Men, 1,000x500x121cm, 1994

raised platform, are welded such symbols as a cross, nails, hands, eyes, male genitalia, a dog's face and a traditional mask Through the reference to war, the artist denounces the cruelty of human civilization and its sexual and religious practices. The fifth room contains terra-cotta t'ou standing in two rows. A long iron tetrahedron closed off with glass lies on the floor. Inside it t'ou stand knee-deep in dirt in a procession that stretches on behind it. On top of it, a line of t'ou stand with pale blue neon light rays falling between them. T'ou are commonly found in tombs of the upper class and nobility of the Shilla Kingdom. These small clay dolls

are one of the most humble and tranquil symbols of the spiritual nature of the Korean people. The earth, the material from which the t'ou are made, is a familiar motif for both creation and extinction and also an element that bonds death, time and history. The sixth room contains the installation presented at the Gana Gallery last year, Faces of Gods, Faces of Men. The highlight of the "Artist of the Year'' exhibition is without a doubt the first installation titled T'ou-Spirit of the Korean People. With minor modifications, it will be featured at the Venice Biennale. Jheon's strength as an artist is the mode of existence he has chosen for

himself, the way he refuses to cling to any one place or group, any particular format or style. He does not stay in one place but roams the earth experiencing different cultures and ideas. He makes these experiences the foundation of his art and persistently seeks the fundamental problem of the human condition without resorting to sentimental egotism or self-gratifying nationalism. Moreover, Jheon carries out with his own hands everything related to his work, from concept to composition and production to final installation. His originality comes from his thorough devotion to his art and his ability to assimilate disparate experiences to produce a focused vision. + 63

ON THE ROAD

Ch6ngs6n and Nestled in the Korean Heart Kim)oo-young Novelist

YOngwol

Y6ngdong Expressway about an hour west of Kangnung. As you leave the expressway you are surrounded by beautiful unspoiled views leading to the town of Ch6ngs6n itself.

Standing Rock towers over Ch'ongnyongp'o in Yongwol.

The snow falls The rain pours The monsoons come down in torrents Black clouds gather over Mt. Mansu. Why does the sweet briar bloom If this is not My6ngsa Beach, so famous for that flower? Why does the cuckoo sing If it is not yet spring? Arirang, arirang arario Arirang Pass, I will be passing o'er so soon. These lyrics are believed to be the oldest of 500-plus versions of the famous folk song "Ch6ngs6n Arirang." Mt. Mansu, referred to in the lyrics, is located near Kaes6ng, capital of the Kory6 Kingdom (918~ 1392), suggesting the origin of the folk song. In 1392 when the Kory6 Kingdom collapsed to be replaced by the Chos6n Kingdom (1392 ~ 1910), seven qf the court ministers loyal to the Kory6 monarch refused to serve the Chos6n monarch, and took refuge in the remote mountains of Ch6ngs6n to spend the rest of their lives. "Ch6ngs6n Arirang" is thought to have been born of this incident. It was originally recorded in difficult Chinese characters to suit the literati whose story it portrayed and has never been particularly elegant in tone or rhythm. But over the centuries "Ch6ngs6n Arirang" has cc_)lne to express the joys and sorrows of Korean history and life in this mountainous region.

As the problems of unlimited development become more obvious, the people of Kangwon-do are beginning to count their region's lack of development as a blessing. 66

Shingled Roofs Kangwon-do Province is a labyrinth of mountains so dense that the local people claim they hang their laundry from lines stretching from ridge to ridge. Each morning the rooster's cry echoes through the narrow ravines for hours. It is here, in these isolated valleys, that we still find traditional houses roofed in thick pine shingles or stone slabs. The wooden shingles, or nowa, are split from pine trees more than 200 years old, then laid in horizontal rows along the roof, beginning at the eaves and ending with a long pine beam across the ridge of the roof. Heavy stones are placed here and there to prevent the shingles from blowing off in winter storms. These shingles last about five years. The residents climb up on the roof to replace rotting shingles as necessary. Smoke from the kitchen fire often seeps through gaps in the shingles instead of up the chimney, giving the impression the roof is on fire. The materials used to build these houses are readily available in the surrounding mountains. Some houses resemble n6wa houses but are actually roofed in oak bark stripped from nearby trees. The oaks used in this process

Houses roofed in native pine shingles, still found in the mountainous villages of Ch6ngs6n and Y 6ngwo~ reflect the local people's affinity with nature.

are at least 20 years old. But peeling the bark from the trees is no easy task, and the houses often look like they are covered in a tattered brown quilt. Oak bark warps when the weather is dry, so during the arid months the sky often peeks through gaps in the roof, but come the rainy season, the bark shingles expand again and fill the gaps. Like n6wa shingles, oak bark shingles last about five years and are often weighted down with stones.

Traditional houses, like this one roofed in stone slabs, can still be found in the mountain valleys of Kangwon-do.

The highway leading south from Chongson passes through Yongwol County where Tanjong, the sixth monarch of the Chason Kingdom, was sent after he was deposed. Tanjong came to the throne in 1452 at the age of eleven and was ousted just three years later by the ambitious Prince Suyang, his eldest uncle and second son of the late King Sejong. He was taken to Yongwol by military escort and confined at Ch'ongnyongp'o, a bend in the western branch of the Han-gang River which is surrounded by water on three sides and steep cliffs to the southwest. For two years he lived there, completely isolated, then he died at the hand of an assassin sent by his uncle, now King Sejo, who realized that his throne would never be secure as long as his nephew was alive. The following poem, written by Tanjong while he was sequestered at Ch'ongnyongp'o, reflects the young king's sorrow and bitterness.

I left the palace a resentful bird, A lonely shadow alone in the mountains. Each night I struggle for sleep but it is no use. How long before this bitterness runs dry? The cuckoo's song is finished, the crescent moon bright, The spring flowers red with bitter tears. The skies do not hear the cuckoo's heart-rending tune, So why does it echo so clearly in my grief-filled ears? Tanjong's body was thrown in the eastern branch of the Han-gang River. No one had the courage to give him a proper burial for fear of the court's retaliation. Finally a man named Om Hong-do fished the corpse from the river and buried it before he disappeared, never to be heard from again.

The boy-king Tanjong, cruelly deposed by an ambitious uncle, spent his final years in exile at Ch'ongnyongp'o (above). The stone marker at left indicates the entrance to Ch'ongnyongp'o. After his murder, Tanjong was buried at Hyo-niing, near Y ongwol Township (right).

Traditional Customs Live On During the Chason period the population of Yongwol was so sparse that officials sent from the central government had literally nothing to do. Local customs have always been simple, and the county's isolation has meant that many traditional practices, long forgotten elsewhere, live on in Yongwol. One often sees villagers using stone mortars or treadmills to pound grain. Many ancient superstitions have survived as well. For example, when a woman is having a difficult labor, her husband draws a cross in the yard and stabs a kitchen knife at its center in the belief that it will open a path for the birth of a healthy baby. Local people also draw a human face on their outhouse doors and poke a needle or nail in its eyes in the belief that it will cure illness. The mountain folk of Yongwol are a loyal and hardy people who rarely move once they have laid down their roots. It is a difficult life. In some places, fields have been cultivated on slopes so steep it is difficult to stand up, much less plow a row. Still, they_ live on, sharing life's joys and sorrows with their neighbors. This tradition of neighborly love and loyalty is born of the beautiful natural environment and bountiful water of this region. Indeed, Yongwol is the source of the southern branch of the 5 Âą Han-gang River, which quenches the ~~ thirst of Seoul's 11 million citizens. ~ Chongson and Yongwol are best reached by the highway leading south from Hajinbu. Mt. Soraksan in northern Kangwon-do Province is known for its magnificent autumn foliage but the road from Hajinbu through Chongson to y ongwol offers views of such breathtaking beauty you can't help but stop the car and jump out to take a picture. Neatly manicured roadsides, crystalline streams flowing through twisting ravines, quaint shingle-roofed farmhouses-all combine to offer a precious glimpse of traditional life in a mountain ~

village. â&#x20AC;˘ ~

DISCOVERING KOREA

Cow A FAMILY FRIEND 8 VALUED TOOL Lee Keun-bae Poet

still an agrarian society, with 70 percent of the population classified as farmers, the cow was raised not for milk and beef as in the West, but as a source of labor. The his traditional shijo poem was cow was the farmer's alter ego, not just written by Nam Ku-man (1629another domestic animal such as the 1711), scholar, poet and govern- pig or the hen, but a member of his ment official during the middle household to be cherished. of the Chosan period (1392-1910). "Fix the cowshed after the cow is "Has the cowherd not risen yet?" the lost" is an old proverb that points out poet asks. The question implies that in the folly of not taking adequate prerural Korea the sun rises and sets with ventive measures ahead of an incident . and then indulging in the folly of regret the cow. In spring farmers go out to the fields, when the damage has already been but before they can scatter seed and done. Why is the cow used to symbolplant seedlings, they have to harness ize the loss of something precious? the ox to the plow and till the land. That is a question worth asking. The Indeed the role of the cow is not con- proverb shows that for Koreans the fined to plowing. Just as the horse is cow is a symbol of great property ridden in the West, the cow is a mode value. of transport in the East, used to draw in "The farmer is the foundation of all the harvest in autumn, hitched to a cart things under heaven," the ancients used and made to pull heavy loads. to say, recalling a time when farming Although the role of the cow was was a holy occupation and the brawny drastically reduced beginning in the cow did the work of humans. Men 1960s when the New Community were grateful for this service, and they (Saemaul) Movement increased the expressecj their gratitude by treasuring speed of rural development by promot- the cow as a family member and praising the widespread use of new ing its obedient character. mechanical cultivators, we can never The novelist, Yi Kwang-su, widely forget that the cow was an indispens- regarded as the father of modern able source of labor in rural Korea for Korean literature, wrote in an essay thousands of years before the mecha- titled In Praise of the Cow: nization of agriculture and presumably continues to be used in traditional ways The cow! The cow is a humanitarian. in remote mountain areas. It is the Buddha, the saint among animals. Prior to the 1960s when Korea was According to Aristotle, the cow did not

Does dawn light the east window? Listen, the lark is singing. Has the cowherd not risen yet? When will he plow the long-furrowed field across the hill?

Lee]oong-sup, Cow, 28.3x40.8cm, 1953

emerge until the world had reached an advanced stage of development, and while Aristotle was not sure whether man was higher than cow or cow higher than man in the natural order of things, he maintained that if man wished to lose his animal nature and achieve sanctity, the cow was the teacher he should take as a model. Lee ]oong-sup (1916 - 1956), often referred to as the Korean Picasso, loved to paint the cow with his distinctive style, unifying in his paintings his own inner consciousness with the image of the cow. He has even left us a poem on the subject, perhaps because he felt his paintings alone were inadequate to express his mind. The poem is titled "The Words of the Cow."

Noble, forthright, genuine breath come down here now beautifully down breath stacked on breath, brimming to overflowing. Life is a lonely thing, sad, dear. Such beauty here: two eyes limpid open delve luminously to a heart. A poem by a painter rather than a poet, it reveals how Koreans look at the

In traditional Korea, the cow was raised not for milk and beef as in the Wes~

but as a source of labor. It was the farmers

alter ego, a friend, a member of the family 74

cow, expressing sentiments of shared love and compassion and a pure heart. The eyes of the cow in this poem overflow with limpid loveliness. The cow is impressed indelibly on the Korean heart, not only as a source of labor but as a subject of painting. The typical Korean pastoral scene is not one of large flocks of herded sheep, but one in which a young lad brings a cow to the bank of a stream where it lazily crops grass under green willow branches. The boy astride the cow, playing his p'iri flute, is a very common painting subject In the old days, Koreans rode cows rather than horses. The story is told that when Maeng Sa-song (1360 - 1438), a prominent official during the early Chason Dynasty, noted for his personal integrity, was going home from Seoul to Asan, .he made the trip on the back of a cow, dressed in shabby cl?thes, so that the village officials failed to fecognize him. A widely known story concerning the poets, 0 Sang-sun (1894-1963) and Pyon Yong-ro (1898- 1961), and the novelist Yom Sang-sop (189Z -1963) tells of a drinking party in the mountains near Seoul where they became so filled with the tingle of hUng that they took off their clothes and rode a cow back into the city. When Koreans want to decide the rights and wrongs of a dispute, they say: Ask someone riding a cow back to frond This ironic statement suggests even someone foolish enough to ride a cow backward can pass judgment in the case. There are many cow proverbs springing from the cow's traditional closeness to man. "To act like a cow looking at a hen" is an expression of a supreme measure of indifference. "Reading scripture in a cow's ear'' says you are wasting your time talking. "Earn like a cow, spend like a minister of state" expresses the sanctity of labor: the injunction is to make money through hard work and then use it wisely. "The cow needs a hill to scratch" means that for success ability is not enough, you also need the right environment or conditions. "A bull walks in short steps" means that a big man may appear to work slowly, but

he gets ahead by being thorough. "The cow is the progenitor of the farmhouse" is a proverb of very ancient origin. It shows the value placed on the cow in rural society. Each day on the lunar calendar has its assigned animal from the zodiac. On the first cow day in the first month of the lunar calendar, it was customary to let the cow rest, to feed her boiled beans, fatten her, and to stay away from farm machinery. However, since machine culture began to diminish the cow's role in Korean society, humans have lost affection for the animal As the Cow Looks at the Hen by Ch'oe Sun-u (196 ~ 1984), a scholar of ancient art history and onetime director of the National Museum, contrasts the beloved cow from the old days with the loveless cow of the present time:

The debility of the Korean cow today is partly due, of course, to the prolonged

cut in the line of that proud, imposing northern seed, but it is also due to a thinning of the love owners have for their cows. In the old days a farmer reared a

cow as if it were a member of the family; his cow was an object of gratitude. It is only natural that the cow today should be different from that cow in the old days, when the entire family was concerned through the seasons whether the cow was cold, or whether the cow was hot

working, silent, sweating cow, prized as the "progenitor of the farmhouse." Spring, summer, autumn, winter, always in the center of Korea's peaceful pastoral landscape, pushed out by industrialized society and machine culture, so that it is no longer the object of love as it was in the old days. â&#x20AC;˘

Thus we have it. The faithful, hard

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Addition of Korea Pavilion

THE VENICE BIENNALE Lee Yil Art Critic

his year we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule and observing the "Year of Art." Of course, this does not mean we have ignored art in other years or will ignore it in the future. It simply means we hope to take a special look at Korean art this

year to appraise its present state and determine how we can promote it in th;,f.uture. The fiftieth anniversary of liberation and the Year of Art are not the only things we have to celebrate in 1995. This year also marks the first time a Korean pavilion has been included at the Venice Biennale of Art

Yun Hyung-keun, UMBER-BLUE, 130x162cm, 1991

to be held from June to October. And it is also the lOOth anniversary of the Venice Biennale, making the inclusion of a Korean pavilion all the more meaningful. The Venice Biennale boasts a long and rich tradition. Some 60 to 70 countries participate in the exhibition, but only 25 have pavilions of their

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own. Korea is the second Asian country to be given this privilege, a remarkable accomplishment considering Korean artists have only participated in the last four shows. In past Biennales, Korean art displays have been limited to paintings, except in the 1990 Biennale when a three-dimensional work was submitted. No doubt this lack of variety was due to space limitations. After all, Korean artists were little more than roomers in the pavilions of other countries. With the construction of a pavilion of their own, Korean artists have finally acquired a foothold abroad to introduce a wider range of their art to the international community. Construction has been underway since November last year. The pavilion officially opens on June 7 during the Biennale's preliminary festivities, including a press preview. The Venice Biennale itself opens on June 11. The schedule has been very tight not only for the pavilion construction

Part ofJheon Soo-cheon 's T'ou series, 1995

With the construction of a Korean pavilion this year, Joe~]

artists are finally getting a chance to

communicate the true identity of contemporary Korean art abroad.

but also for the time-consuming onsite preparations essential to the installations and other three-dimensional works being presented by three of the four Korean participants. Time constraints have not been the only problem, however. As commissioner for the Korean Pavilion exhibition, my primary responsibility was selecting the four artists to participate in this important exhibition. The layout of the exhibition space was the first consideration in the selection, which produced a mixed contingent: one painter, Yun Hyung-keun, one cubic artist, Kim In-kyum, and two installation artists, Jheon Soo-cheon and Kwak Hoon. Naturally, I had to consider the artistic quality of each artist's work as well as the need to balance a clear expression of "Koreanness" with the universal appeal required at such an international exhibition. I also had to focus on the unique character of each artist's body of work as well. In this 77

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Kwak Hoon revives the legacies of Korean life by using traditional pots in his installations.

regard, I tried to reflect broad trends in contemporary Korean art, avoiding as much as possible any rigid preconceptions about the artists' ages or backgrounds. Painter Yun Hyung-keun, now in his late sixties, is the oldest of the four artists. I did not choose him for this reason: I was impressed by his "pannaturalism," a fluent expression of his thoroughly Oriental view of nature. His works reflect a concentration or compression of the traditional Oriental contemplative nature, which embodies a correspondence between natural forces, such as heaven and earth, light and darkness, yin and yang. Unlike Yun, Kim In-kyum works in three dimensions. The structure of his work reflects a certain transparent environment. For a sculptor, he has a very strong sense of composition embracing both open and closed space.

That duality allows him to create a spatial environment. The two installation artists share an interest in the powerful creation of an "anti-civilization." Jheon Soo-cheon's work revives an indigenous motif from traditional culture, t'ou (clay figures used as burial accessories during the Shilla Kingdom which ruled much of Korea from 57 B.C. to A.D. 935), while at the same time revealing an independent microcosm that could be called a kind of "trans-civilization" for its contrast and integration of refuse from human civilization, artificial and cultural devices. Kwak Hoon, on the other hand, revives the legacies of traditional Korean life in his installation works, such as onggi (traditional brown-glazed pottery jars): Clearly, his onggi is an objet, to use a bit of art terminology, but at the same time it possesses its own his-

tory, vestiges of the traditional life of the ordinary Korean. His objet reveals an epic pathos that pays tribute to the lives of our Korean ancestors. I must withhold any conclusive evaluation of these two artists' installations for they must be completed on site. Indeed, little remains of most installations except the record from the site. As I mentioned, this is the fifth Venice Biennale for Korean artists, but its real significance is in the opening of a Korean pavilion for the first time. Clearly, the 1995 Venice Biennale will serve as a bridgehead in contemporary Korean art's march onto the international stage. As commissioner for the Korean Pavilion, I hope this year's exhibition will be more than a oneshot commemoration. With a little insight and determination, the exhibition will mark the beginning of a new era in the history of Korean art. â&#x20AC;˘

In past Biennales, Korean participation

has been limited to paintings, but this year sees bold innovation in the field of installation art 78

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Dismantling the Former Colonial Government Building

To Restore the National Spirit Lee Man-hoon Staff Writer, The ]oong-ang Daily News

he Âˇdemolition of the old Japanese colonial government building, home to Korean government offices since liberation and now the National Museum, has been the subject of lively debate for years. Come August 15 this year, the fiftieth anniversary of Korea's emancipation from colonial rule, the building will be dismantled once and for all The first step of the dismantling was taken on the seventy-sixth anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement As some 4,000 guests from patriotic and veteran groups and the general public looked on, a special ceremony was held in front of the building to proclaim its dismantlement On August 15, the actual demolition is expected to begin with the removal of the building's symbolic dome. The demolition schedule is timed to coincide with the completion of the Chos6n Royal History Museum, now under construction nearby, and the relocation of relics from the existing National Museum to there. Officials hope to complete the process by the fifty-first anniversary of liberation on August 15 next year or by the end of 1996 at the latest The dismantlement is part of a much larger plan to restore Ky6ngbokkung, the main palace of the Chos6n Kingdom (1392-1910), by rebuilding 48 structures destroyed by the Japanese when they built the government-general building. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2009 at a total cost of 178.9 billion won The plan's promoters hope to provide the Korean people with a fresh start on their march through the 21st century, restoring the national spirit

The government-general building has long been a symbol of the japanese plan to create a

mantlement silenced its proponents. There was also a serious ideological question: Dismantlement supporters have argued that remnants of Japanese colonial rule should be eliminated, whereas opponents have asserted that the building is an important reminder that Koreans must never fall prey to tyranny again. The government's decision to go ahead with the demolition came in 1990 after President Roh Tae-woo expressed his support for removal of the Japanese government-general building and the restoration of Kyongbokkung Palace. Considering Korea's remarkable economic growth and improved international status as a result of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Roh felt it was time to revive the Korean people's national spirit and self-esteem. The demolition plan was subsequently embraced by President Kim Young-sam upon his inauguration in 1993. Plans to demolish the building and relocate the National Museum to a site in Yongsan were soon finalized.

Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. shaken by the bitter colonial experience. The debate over the demolition of the former colonial government building began during the administration of South Korea's first president Syngman Rhee. The issue has since arisen on several occasions, and in 1986 an expedient measure was taken to relocate the National Museum to the building. Although the debate was always spirited, each time the tremendous cost of dis-

Symbol of Colonial Oppression The building was dedicated on October 1, 1926, after ten years of construction which proceeded according to a master plan adopted by the first Japanese governor-general, Masatake Terauchi, who governed Korea between 1910-1916. The building was the largest of its kind in East Asia, surpassing even the British colonial government building in India and the Dutch colonial government building in Indonesia The Japanese were determined to demonstrate their economic and military might to Koreans and the international com79

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well-known Japanese art historian symmunity. Indeed,Japan later invaded China and attempted to create a Greater pathetic to the Korean plight, bitterly criticized the colonial government's East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. move: "Imagine how we would feel if The government-general building was designed by George de Lalande, a Korea annexed our country, tore down the imperial palace and built their goverGerman architect who also designed the old Chosun Hotel in downtown Seoul. nor-general's office on its site!' UnfortuAfter the designer's sudden death in Aunately, his protests were unheeded. The government-general building gust 1914, detailed blueprints were comcost 6.79 million yen to construct, the pleted by Ichiro Nomura, architect of price of some 560,()(jJ sacks of rice at the the Japanese government-general building in Taiwan, whose assistants included time or about 60 billion won in 1995 cura Korean architect, Pak Kil-yong. The rency. The Japanese used only local maedifice was built in the then popular terials in the construction, but they refused to use Korean workers for anyNeo-Renaissance style on a lot of 97,()(jJ square meters in front of Kunj6ngj6n, thing except the most basic labor, claiming that the local people were unskilled the main audience hall of Ky6ngbokin Western-style construction. kung Palace. The five-story structure In January 1926, nine months before had a total floor space of 31,300 square the formal dedication, the colonial govmeters, which was later expanded. Among reasons for the Japanese to ernment began moving into the buildbuild the colonial government building ing from its previous location on Mt. in front of Ky6ngbokkung was a theory Namsan. The building served as the headquarters of Japan's iron-fist rule that they wanted to crush the national spirit of the Korean people by interferfrom the days of its third governor-gening with the geomantic layout of the eral, Makoto Saito, until liberation in 1945. Chason capital, which centered around the palace. By blocking powerful natuRecovery of National Sovereignty ral forces which emanate from the In September 1945, shortly after palace site located between Mts. PugakJapan's unconditional surrender, General san and Namsan, the Japanese hoped to John R. Hodge, commander of the U.S. Forces in Korea, commandeered the make Korea their eternal servant. The layout of the government-general buildbuilding for use by the U.S. military goving resembles the Chinese character B . ernment. It was in this building that When combined with the character General Hodge accepted the formal sur:k made by the two arms of Mt Pugak- . render of Japan's last governor-general, san, which stands behind the palace, and Nobuyuki Abe, and the commander of the character ~ created by City Hall, also Japanese forces in Korea. At the time, built by the Japanese, the Chinese charthousands of cheering Koreans gathered in the streets leading to the building. It acters for Great Japan, :k B ~' are scrawled across downtown Seoul. was the first time the building had ever Once designs for the building were fihad a positive meaning for the Korean nalized in 1916, demolition of no less people. than 48 structures within the palace While the building was used by the complex was launched. Among the U.S. military government, Americans razed structures were the original called it "Capitol" for its architectural deKwanghwamun Gate, Hungnyemun sign. The building's main hall was used Gate and the Queen Consort's residence. for the military government's legislative In an article entitled "Shed a Tear for the assembly which was made up of KoreKorean Peopler' Muneyoshi Yanagi, a an representatives. The hall later be80

came the site of South Korea's Constituent Assembly. Upon the establishment of the Republic of Korea on August 15, 1948, the independent Korean government occupied the building. The inauguration of the Republic's first president, Syngman Rhee, was held in front of the building, and it was an important step toward erasing the taint of colonial rule that hung over the edifice. President Rhee held his first cabinet meeting in the building's main conference room, where the Japanese had laid the plans for their colonial conspiracy. Witness to the political and social vicissitudes of modern Korean history, the building housed many offices of the central government until 1983 when new government office complexes were completed. Clearly the most tragic incident in the post-liberation history of the building occurred during the Korean War. It was gutted in a fire set by the retreating communists when the United Nations forces recaptured Seoul from Notth Korean occupation in Septembef 1950. A decade later, during the April 19, 1960 Student Revolution, the building was severely damaged again when demonstrators broke through police lines to stone government offices. The building was restored as the site of the central government in November 1962, after extensive renovation costing some 270 million won. With the gradual growth of the government, the economic ministties were relocated. By the early 1980s, the building was home to only several key administrative offices. In 1983, with the relocation of the Prime Minister's office, the building was closed to be retooled, at a cost of some 20 billion won, for use as the National Museum of Korea, which opened in August 1986. The building still houses the museum, though not for long. With its demolition, this often notorious structure, which has witnessed so much of Korea's tumultuous modern history, will disappear from the Korean map forever. +

JOURNEYS IN KOREAN LITERATURE

KANG SHIN- AE

Kang's literary interest in the fate of women and the ethics of modern romance, her witty style and distinctive characterizations are best manifested in her short stories.

Kang Shin-jae Profiles of Life Through the Short Story Kim Chong-uk Literary Critic

ang Shin-jae is generally viewed as a writer of short stories dealing with love and affection, rather than an author of full-length novels. She has written over 30 full-length novels since her first, Waves, was serialized in Hyundai Munhak in 1963, but her image as a short story writer remains strong because her literary world is best revealed in her short stories. In other words, her unique literary interests-the fate of women and the ethics of modern romance-and her witty writing style, sophistication and distinctive characterizations are best manifested in her short stories. Kang herself confirmed this when she said , "Artistic completion is best achieved in short stories for they represent the most brilliant completion." It was toward the end of 1949, just before the Korean War, that Kang made her literary debut. Her writing career took off in earnest when two short stories, "Face" and "Chong-sun," were published, on the recommendation of the novelist and short story master Kim Tong-ni, in the literary magazine Mun-ye in November 1949. Since then, she has published numerous short stories and novels, including "The Young Zelkova Tree" and "Return to the Mountain," reprinted in translation in this issue of KOREANA. Her most recent novel Assassination was serialized in the late 1980s. Kang has received numerous awards during her forty-year career: The Korean Writers Association A ward in 1959 for the short story

"Cliff," the Third Woman Writers A ward in 1967 for the novel This Splendid Sorrow, the Chung-ang Cultural Grand Prize for The Crown Prince's Wife in 1984, and the National Academy Award for Literary Achievement in 1988. Kang's writing is unique for her descriptive technique. She creates characters using extremely specific and sensual expressions. The characters rarely reveal their personalities on their own; they are revealed through fragmented actions and appearances. He is always enveloped in the smell of soap. No, I'm wrong. That isn't entirely true. I can't really say "always." It is when he comes home from school, runs into the bathroom, and comes out having battled and tussled with the water that he gives off the smell of soap. Even as I sit motionless in front of my desk with my back turned to him, I can feel him coming toward me. I can anticipate beforehand what mood he's in, and even tell what kind of expression he's wearing on his face. ("The Young Zelkova Tree") Kang does not use the language of logic and concepts to analyze her characters. She simply describes the character 's traits in concise sentences. Some writers examine characters extensively in paragraph after paragraph. Kang, however, reveals her characters through sensory stimuli such as "the smell of soap." Kang herself once confessed: "In most cases, I'm only led by vague images." The reader fits together the pieces of a character, the aura

and background surrounding them, in much the way one would work a jigsaw puzzle, carefully reconstructing a single, unified form. Kang also creates an exotic atmosphere with unfamiliar loan words such as "a Turkish-blue dress," combined with Westernized characters, a non-Korean home atmosphere, and unfamiliar, almost foreign, scenery and lifestyles, as in the prosperous 'residential area depicted in "The Young Zelkova Tree." Kang has attracted attention because of the poem-like empathy of her writing. There is m ~ re to her, however. We must first remember that she is a woman writer, in every sense of the word, and her stories are basically "tales of women." Hence, her main characters are generally women, and when they are not, events still unfold through the eyes of a woman. Kang perceives the world and the objects around her from a woman's point of view. Of course, we must look more closely into the women she creates, for women irrefutably form the center of Kang's stories. Kang shows a special interest not only in the various processes by which women experience pain but also in the alienation and loneliness fundamental to all human existence. Her interest in women has been clear since her debut with the short stories "Face" and "Chong-sun." "Face" is the story of a woman who closes herself off from the world after the death of her beloved husband. "Chong-sun" tells of a passive woman who is afraid of re-

vealing her Jove for a man and finally loses him to her younger sister.

Kang's readers must fit together the pieces of each

Focus on Women's Lives Women's lives continued to serve as the foundation of Kang's work well after the Korean War. Of special note is the psychological transformation brought on by the female characters' failures in Jove. Their relationships with men flounder in part because of the men's basic struggle for surviva l, but also because of unavoidable circumstances such as war. The pain of

characte1; their aura and background, much as they would work a jigsaw puzzle, carefully reconstructing a single, unified form.

lost love causes the female character to distrust all humanity, and as a result, she rejects the genuine love of others. The vicious cycle of heartache, distrust and refusal to accept Jove ultimately results in despair and loneliness. Kang's protagonists experience loneliness and alienation as a result of their relationships with family members and lovers, basic social associations for most authors. Kang's characters, however, are overwhelmed by these relationships. They think, live and die within the context of their familial or 83

romantic relationships. In other words, for them these relationships signify the world itself, not an outlet to the world. For this reason, the collapse of such relationships suggests the loss of all human connections and ultimately results in spiritual loneliness and alienation. "The Young Zelkova Tree," published in the early 1960s, highlights the delicate and refreshing sensibilities of youth in a portrayal of the innocent love between a young man and woman who are not related by blood but are siblings by law. The protagonist Suk-hui moves to Seoul when her mother remarries. Suk-hui's new stepfather is a professor whose son, Hyongyu, is a university student majoring in physics. As time passes, Suk-hui realizes that she sees Hyon-gyu not as a brother but as a man. The story deals with incestuous love, which is socially taboo, and young love in general. An 18-year-old girl's forbidden feelings of love make for fascinating reading. Her emotions test her very soul as she stands on the threshold of adulthood. The story also shows how an innocent girl overcomes the mental trauma associated with her forbidden love. ... I don't feel guilty about being in love with Hy6n-gyu, but taking into consideration the nature of the affinity between Monsieur Yi and Mother, that sort of betrayal would almost certainly spell the utter destruction of all four of us. The harsh and dangerous sound of the word "destruction" makes me shiver ... The moral taboos shaping the lives of the characters emerge through a series of coincidences. If Suk-hUi's mother and Monsieur Lee had been married to each other "from the beginning," romantic love would not have developed between Suk-hui and Hyon-gyu. When Suk-hui violates the social taboo against love between siblings, she walks a path toward mental and physical destruction. The destruction of her family would cause her to feel lonely 84

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and alienated from others. In the end she has no choice but to bow to convention in the face of the threat of destruction and loneliness, because her family represents the world to her. This story is premised on the fact that Hyon-gyu and Suk-hui did not choose, by their own free will, to live in a society that interferes with their love. This direct premise is partly born of the unique nature of the short story genre. But we must remember that Kang's characters never go through a process of creation and development. Rather they are the premise of the story. The social conditions that determine the lives of her main characters represent an unavoidable fate. They exist before the story even begins. At times, these conditions appear as social circumstances, such as war, but from the characters' point of view, they are as inescapable as fate itself. . Nevertheless, Kang leaves the door open by not dealing with fate on a fundamental leveL "Fate" is merely the premise of the story; it does not confine or restrain the lives of the characters. And a world offering the possibility of an escape from fate is actually the embodiment of love. Kang 's works are based on disharmony and conflict between men and women, but beyond that, they strive for harmony.

For Kang's characters, love is a refined romantic and spiritual feeling, not a lusty passion. This is clear from the beginning of "The Young Zelkova Tree" when Suk-hui says, "He is always enveloped in the smell of soap." In this story, Kang is not interested in masculine selfishness and lust which so often make romantic love impossible in the real world. She focuses on those aspects of women's lives that are twisted by the distorted structure of lust. By the late 1960s, however, Kang begins to show an interest in the distorted structure of masculine lust and the irrational social structure that is at its base in stories such as "Return to the Mountain." Her female characters are not merely depicted as victims of men. Kang's literary world has, for the most part, developed through the short story format. In the 196o"s, when Kang was establishing herself as a writer, the Korean literary community was dominated by what literary critic Lee 0-young has called a "slash-andburn consciousness." .Completely alienated from the traditions of literary realism that formed the methodological mainstream in the previous era, postwar writers started anew, experimenting with various literary styles to invent a new creative method. Accordingly, postwar writers chose a small but well-honed tool called the "short story," instead of the large but blunt instrument known as the "novel." Continually sharpening and polishing this tool, they attempted to portray the spiritual wasteland of the postwar period. As a result, the best work from this period, through the 1970s, was written in short story style. Kang uses the short story to portray fragments of postwar Korean society in a complete and comprehensive manner. She confronts social realities through these portraits, examining women's lives and personal or familial conflicts, bringing them to the fore and bestowing shape on the individual's inner world through her own unique prose. +

NEWS FROM THE KOREA FOUNDATION

Support for Korean Studies Programs Abroad

FELLOWSHIP FOR KOREAN S1VDIES

The Korea Foundation offers financial assistance to universities, research institutes and libraries abroad in their efforts to promote the study and understanding of subjects related to Korea. Projects submitted for consideration must be in the fields of humanities, social sciences or arts and within the categories listed below: 1) Establishment and expansion of Korea-related courses and faculty 2) Fellowships for graduate students or research grants for faculty 3) Library acquisition and cataloging Applications must be submitted to The Korea Foundation by May 31. The results of the final selection will be announced by October 15 of the same year. For application forms, program guidelines or further information, please write to:

Applicants should complete two copies of The Korea Foundation Fellowship for Korean Studies application form and submit their academic research proposals to The Korea Foundation by May 31. The results of the final selection will be announced by August 15 of the same year.

The Korea Foundation Fellowship Programs

International Cooperation Department I The Korea Foundiition

C.PO. Box 2147 Seoul. Korea Tel82-2-753-3464. Fax. 82-2-757-2047.2049

KOREA FOCUS A BIMON711LY ON CURRENT KOREAN AFFAIRS

In addition to KOREANA, The Korea Foundation publishes KOREA FOCUS as part of its effort to inform the world community about Korea and to enhance international understanding in this era of globalization. We believe KOREA FOCUS will serve as an important and timely reference for the world community KOREA FOCUS offers a comprehensive view of contemporary Korea in a wide-ranging selection of informative articles on Korean current affairs. In this bimonthly, you will find timely reports on Korea's politics, economy, social environment and culture, opinions on world affairs, and a chronolcgy of recent events in Korea. Published in English and Japanese, ·=--:=::.its articles come from leading publica· -~ . . . . . ·= tions in Korea, including major daily 1·n.===::newspapers, newsmagazines and academic journals.

·- -

FELLOWSHIP FOR KOREAN LANGUAGE TRAINING

The Korea Foundation offers grants for Korean language training to graduate students, scholars and other qualified professionals overseas who wish to learn the Korean language at a Korean university language institute for a period of six to twelve months. Each successful applicant will be assigned to a Korean language course at one of three major Korean universities, and will be provided with tuition and a monthly allowance during the grant period. Applicants should complete and submit two copies of The Korea Foundation Fellowship for Korean Language Training application form to The Korea Foundation by ~· The results of the final selection will be announced by August 15 of the same year. For application forms, program guidelines or further information, please write to:

International Cooperation Department ][ The Korea Foundation C.PO. Box 2147 Seoul. Korea lel 82-2-753-6465 Fax. 82-2-757-2047.2049

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