Fresh Look at Arko Art Center’s Collection
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Arko Art Center's collection of award-winning works is being given a new spin.
Eight curators have come up with fresh themes that place the works in a new context in ``Chronicle of Images.''
The exhibition is divided into eight sub-themes, starting with ``Intro'' by cartoonist Kim Young-ki. Several paintings are carefully placed on a wall with Kim's own cartoon drawing. Each of the works are connected through the drawing, making all the pieces part of a bigger picture. ``For an object to take its presence, not just the object, but also everything around it has to exist together,'' Kim said.
Artist Kim Bo-min curates the second part ``Mountain, Tree, Grass, House and Bystreet. This section explores the various perspectives of the artists through the years, starting from classic landscapes of mountains and nature, to cityscapes depicting modern life.
Ceramic art is the focus of ``Bowl Body and Desire.'' Artist Kang Hong-goo said he chose to curate the ceramics section because he does not know a lot about ceramics, and considers this a chance to learn more. In this section, visitors first see the silhouette of the ceramic bowls and jars behind a green screen. On the other side of the screen, the works can be seen up-close.
``Art works look to H2O'' is aimed at educating the public about art appreciation. Curated by the in2museum, the section gives visitors tips on how to look at and enjoy the art works, based on E.B. Feldman's theory of art appreciation. On the floor, there are marks where visitors are supposed to stand and gaze at the particular painting.
``Memory of Writing,'' by Dongduk University professor Kim Hang-nyang, explores calligraphy's ``power of image. Hankyoreh 21 reporter Roh Hyung-suk curated the section ``Person and Person,'' a critical look at the social and realistic contexts of modern portrait paintings.
``Room within the mind,'' a section by curator Lee Eun-ju, shows the abstract paintings from the turbulent 70s and 80s. Instead of merely focusing on the aesthetic interpretation of the works, the social and political aspects of the works are highlighted.
In ``Take In,'' artist Kim Yun-ho produced a video work with the edited images of the sculptures, since many of the pieces are located outside the center. While some of the sculptures can be seen near Arko Art Center in Daehakro, other pieces are placed around the Arko HRD Center in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi province and New Seoul Country Club in Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi province.
Four screens on the walls randomly show an image of the sculpture at 1/30th of a second, along with flashes and sounds of camera clicks. Visitors can never be sure when or where the images will be shown on the screens.
``Chronicle of Images'' features a total of 93 works, of which 79 are from Arko's own collection, 12 are on loan from other museums and 2 are new works. Established in 1979, Arko Art Center has amassed a diverse collection of art, calligraphy, photography and media art.
The exhibit runs through June 29. The center, located in Daehakro, is closed on Mondays. Admission is 2,000 won for adults and 1,000 won for students and children. Visit www.arkoartcenter.or.kr or call (02) 760-4724.