By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
When most people go to Itaewon, they head to the bars, restaurants, brunch spots or shops. Itaewon is not exactly known for its art scene, but an unconventional art group, DoBaeBacSa, is hoping to inject a bit of artistic and creative sensibility in the area.
Located next to the Seoul Grand Mosque, DoBaeBacSa is nothing like the sleek, commercial art galleries in Cheongdam-dong. If not for the small sign, people might think DoBaeBacSa was just an abandoned hole-in-the-wall.
Yuon In-mo, the curator, said they really wanted to have an exhibition space for experimental art along the once-vibrant Goblin Market Street. It was the gritty character and rustic charm of the old shops, rundown houses and neighborhood market that attracted them to the area.
Even DoBaeBacSa's choice of art exhibitions is quite different. Its current centerpiece, ``To and From (Ocean),'' features a 14-minute, 34-second video by U.S.-based artists Naotaka Hiro and Sid M. Duenas.
``In-mo told me about this space (DoBaeBacSa) and I thought this piece was a perfect fit (for the exhibition space). We are dealing with a cross-cultural theme. I was born in Japan, Sid was born in Saipan and we're both living in the United States. There's a mix of culture and nationality,'' Hiro told The Korea Times.
Anyone can go inside DoBaeBacSa, sit on the floor with a mustard yellow blanket and watch Hiro and Duenas' video on a TV screen.
The ``Ocean'' video starts with a close-up shot of a notebook being held by a man wearing a red shirt and sitting on the beach. He is reading aloud from the notebook, saying ``red from red, red to red, line-folding pieces sinking.''
Slowly, the camera recedes into the distance, away from the man, and reaches the water. The camera captures images of the clear blue water, clouds, the beach and finally a half-submerged American tank, a relic from World War II.
Hiro is the cameraman, while Duenas is the man on the beach. ``He describes what he sees and hears very objectively. As he composes, I go back to the ocean, go under water until I hit the tank … It was pretty much a one take, because I saw little sharks swimming around and I got scared. I know they're not going to do anything but I didn't want to deal with it,'' Hiro said with a laugh.
The project began when Hiro became interested in the history of Saipan, which was the site of battles between Japan and the United States during World War II. Duenas told him how underwater war relics, like tanks and planes, were slowly becoming unearthed because of the dropping sea level in Saipan.
Hiro found it ironic that Saipan is a tourist haven for the Japanese and Koreans, who do not know much about its history during the war.
``They don't know much about history, but they have fun swimming in the ocean, resting on the tanks but not knowing which side the tanks were on, Japanese or American. They just don't want to be bothered because they're on a vacation. I thought that was a crazy combination. A long time ago, I saw a Japanese teen magazine where they showed bikini-clad girls posing on a tank or cannon (in Saipan). I'm not trying to criticize, but that's just the reality,'' he said.
``Ocean'' is part of a four-part video series featuring footage of historically relevant locations in Saipan. The exhibition at DoBaeBacSa runs through Feb. 28. To get there, get off at Itaewon Station Subway 6 Exit 3. It is located at the left side of the Seoul Grand Mosque.