New Space Embraces Amateur Artists
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
An art gallery is a space that displays the results of artistic creativity. But there is an apparent gap between the art world and ordinary people in the conventional art gallery.
Stripping such distance is an unusual art gallery, Jazzy's Multi Art Space (Jazzy MAS), which opened in Seoul Dec. 15.
There, you can feel the creative and dynamic energy in the open space.
The gallery has launched its initial project: the first center dedicated to amateur artists and students to further promote artistic exchange and creation.
Kim Min-jae, director of the gallery, said that she established the place to give more opportunities to young amateur artists; especially students who cannot afford to hold a solo exhibition.
``It is expensive to hold a solo exhibition for many young artist-aspirants in Seoul. It might cost 4 to 5 million won. So I want to help them hold their own exhibits at a cheaper and affordable price,'' Kim told The Korea Times.
The multi-purpose art space is established in the high profile area of Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. In part, it is a gallery that is committed to displaying new work by local artists on a regular basis and also runs workshops, concerts, seminars, fashion shows and meetings and casual gatherings.
The space is suitable for theater rehearsals, visual art exhibitions and installation pieces.
In Korea, there are similar alternative spaces such as Sangsang Madang and Gallery Loop, which combine a cafe, a gallery and a theater, but it is the first place that can be rented out by amateurs, which is an advancement from a cafe gallery.
The gallery spans 363-square-meter (110-pyeong) space consisting of an exhibition hall, a bar and a terrace. It has an exposed brick wall on which artists can freely express themselves
The 26-year-old director, who studied illustration in the United States for several years, said that the gallery has movable partitions, which makes 11 booths for each exhibit.
The exhibit fees cost 50,000 won for one day, 350,000 won for a week. The exhibit space can be rented for anywhere from one day up to three weeks. The number of pieces to be displayed is entirely up to the artist.
``The purpose of our gallery is to bring the arts much closer to ordinary people as visitors can see the artist's work procedures. So they can communicate with artists,'' said Kim.
She said that there are no dress codes and it has long opening hours. ``When you are hanging around the area, just stop by the gallery and see the artworks. Our gallery opens up until 2 a.m.,'' said Kim.
Now the gallery will see the third official exhibit from March 14 to 20, joined by 40 artists including oriental painters, multi-media artists and illustrators. She said that all of the reservations for this month's exhibitions are full.
``An increasing number of college students want to use the space because there is no other place to show their works,'' she said.
Also the gallery's equipment are available for rent, such as easels, desks, screens, beam projectors and audio systems for the exhibitions.
``When I decided to open this gallery, there were a lot of objections from my friends. They said that in Korea, it is very difficult to succeed in running a gallery if you don't have any personal networks with established artists. But I want to change this trend in the local art scene and make new discoveries in the art space with new concepts,'' she said.
Visitors can enjoy a variety of beverages and foods in the bar and cafe beside the exhibit space.
The gallery will hold the first art party March 21. The party will be a combination of a club party and an art contest. Art subjects vary from painting and sculpture to writing. Winners' artworks will be on display for one week.
The art space opens from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. For more information, call (02) 3445-8067-9 or visit www.jazzyspot.com.