Korean, Foreign Artists Create Fusion Art
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Visitors to the Namsangol Hanok Village this month will not just see traditional Korean houses, but also enjoy contemporary art works by Korean and foreign artists.
The Namsangol Hanok Village, a popular tourist attraction located in Pildong, Chung-gu, is the venue for Fusion Art/Korea's second annual art show ``In Place.''
Inside the traditional houses or hanok, visitors can enjoy interesting works by 16 artists from Korea, the United States, Canada, Australia, Iran and England.
Jae J. Rhee, Fusion Arts/Korea art director, said the title of the show ``In Place" is broad enough to accommodate the artists' diverse works.
``Namsan Hanok Village is such a unique place for an art show, particularly for modern art. It's also unique for foreigners and even Korean artists to display their artworks there. So, we decided to show a different concept of place in a different location in the village,'' Rhee told The Korea Times.
Rhee relished the opportunity to hold an exhibition of modern art works at the traditional village. She tried to find a way to incorporate contemporary art works in the hanok, which would be enjoyed by the visitors.
``I fell in love with the challenge of striking a balance between the traditional hanok and the modern arts. People can see how well the Western and Eastern stuff mingle and how the artworks are arranged in this unique place. Art is not only in a gallery anymore,'' she said.
Rhee formed Fusion Art/Korea in 2006, inspired by Fusion Art, an organization of professional artists in the U.K. ``Fusion means different kinds of things getting together to create a new and unique thing. Fusion Art comes with different kinds of art like painting, photography, drawing, design, installation and dance,'' she said.
The main concept of Fusion Art is to allow their art to reach people. Unlike most artists who are cooped up in their studios, with their artworks only displayed in posh galleries and museums, Fusion Art/Korea wants its artists and artworks to interact with the people.
``When I formed Fusion Art/Korea, my concept for our group was to communicate to people through our art. We are here not only to display our artworks, but also to share our efforts and talent with people,'' Rhee said. In the future, she hopes Fusion Art/Korea will become a symbol for public art.
Fusion Art/Korea has nine foreign artists including Zachary Eichelberger from the United States, Eshe from Canada, Andrew Marley from Australia, Roxana Manouchehri from Iran and Murdo Mackay from England.
Rhee admitted it was hard to organize the exhibition, since the artists' visas only allowed them to stay for a limited time in Korea. She hopes the government in the future will allow foreign artists to stay here longer so they can have more time to create their work.
The exhibit runs through June 30. Namsangol Hanok Village is located near the Korea House in Chungmuro (Chungmuro Station Subway Line 4 and 3, Exit 3 and 4). Admission is free.