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Mike Stewart’s “Do Not Question” is part of the “Cultures Connect” exhibition at Jay Gallery and Na Gallery. / Courtesy of artist |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
 Korea is fast becoming a multicultural society, and what better way to bring people from diverse cultural backgrounds together than with art?
Eighteen Korean and international artists are coming together for a group exhibition, ``Cultures Connect,'' which opens Dec. 2 at Jay Gallery and Na Gallery, near Insa-dong.
Richard J. Beaumont, British artist and curator, said there's a growing interest in multiculturalism in Korea, and this exhibition hopes to put a positive spin on the issue.
``I know the kinds of problems that arise when people from different cultures start banging against each other. The roots of that are fear, ignorance and lack of understanding. … In working and interacting with each other, we can try to understand each other and each other's culture through art,'' Beaumont told The Korea Times last week.
The idea for the exhibition came out of discussions between the owners of Jay Gallery and Na Gallery, who both wanted to have more shows featuring international artists.
Beaumont invited some artists he knew in Korea and put the word out in the international art community. ``I wanted to be as inclusive as possible. I didn't want to judge people's works. If people were enthusiastic, wanted to participate and had some experience as working artists, they were part of the group,'' he said.
The participating artists are originally from Korea, the U.K., the U.S., the Philippines, Canada, Brunei and South America, but are all currently based in Korea. Despite differences in backgrounds, the artists share a common interest in ``communicating with the world through their art in a spirit of multicultural cooperation.''
``We have people speaking in different languages from different backgrounds. Art is very effective in breaking barriers down. Even though people are from different cultures, we are involved in the same things. We are motivated by the same emotions, hopes and dreams. Those are the things that bind us as human beings and those are the things that artists deal with in their works,'' Beaumont said.
The exhibition promises to present diverse artworks, including paintings, prints, videos, installation works and photography.
Seo Hwa-suk, a Korean artist who studied and exhibited her works in Paris, is showing a striking photograph of a group of white-faced people holding a sheet of glass in front of them.
``They are full of makeup, and they lose their personality. People become anonymous. They push the glass, and their faces change. … Normally, people hide their real emotions. If they put on makeup, they can express it more easily,'' Seo said.
American artist Genn Toffey, who has been living here for eight years, has been creating a series called ``Great Women of the Past.'' She fills her paintings with three layers: first, the human figure, followed by candy wrappers and then text.
Korean artist Jang Oui-loung uses everyday materials in her installations, such as the black plastic bag with the words ``I Love You'' written on it. ``You know Korean trot songs are almost always about love; people say `love' too much. But the value is very low. So I related it to the plastic bag, which is also so cheap. The value of love is so cheap and light now,'' she said.
Beaumont hopes ``Cultures Connect'' will only be the start of a series of exhibitions that will bridge the cultural gap, as well as foster understanding and harmony among people living in Korea.
``We are working together to build understanding and also inspiring each other to create new forms of art. … We have to wait and see what happens. This is just one exhibition. We're trying to look beyond that and see what other events will be there in the future,'' he said.
An opening reception will be held on the evening of Dec. 2, and will run for two weeks through Dec. 15. Jay Gallery and Na Gallery are located in the first floor basement of the SK Hub building next to Jongno Police Station, outside Anguk station Line 3 Exit 5 or 6. Call Jay Gallery (02) 2666-4450 or Na Gallery (02) 2732-8846.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr
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