Organ Mix Features Korean, German Artists
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Artists from all over the world head to Germany, especially Berlin, which is considered to have one of the hottest art scenes today.
The new exhibition ``Organ Mix'' at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Pyeongchang-dong, features works by 11 Korean and foreign artists who have studied, lived or are still living in Germany.
Jung Me, the Germany-based curator of ``Organ Mix,'' said she chose artists whose works are more conceptual, rather than commercial, and reflect the character of the German art scene.
``When I see the artists from London, they have a different attitude. German artists usually have more conceptual thoughts. Often they don't make money because it is not easy to sell … In Germany, you can still do what's alright with you," Jung told The Korea Times at the museum, Friday.
"In that sense, I think they are all under German influence, whether they are Korean, German or from other countries. Conceptual shows are not very common in Korea. Usually, it is very commercial. I was excited to show these works in Korea,'' she said.
The title of the exhibition is a reference to organ transplants. ``All the artists are from everywhere, but were or still are based in Germany. Our body has different organs, and when we get sick, we can get organ transplants. There is like a cultural exchange, and a mix of cultures in Germany. I didn't want to make the title too serious. I wanted it to be very pop,'' Jung said.
The first thing that greets visitors at the museum is American artist Rita McBride's ``General Marks," in which black swoosh symbols decorate the glass wall of the museum. Jung explained that McBride took logos from tourist buses and placed them in a new context, rendering the logos unrecognizable.
Through the window, visitors can see ``Black and Blues,'' a wall of what seems to be exquisite pale blue tiles. Vera Lossau, who was a student of McBride's, printed beautiful patterns on the ``tiles,'' which are actually made from wax paper.
Science and art combine in the artworks of Kim Yun-chul, who employed complicated scientific techniques in his installation ``Epiphora,'' and Sabine Kacunko, whose ``Past'' looks like a galaxy from outer space but is actually an enlarged image of bacteria under a microscope.
``Vision,'' another work by Kacunko, features a live streaming of images of microorganisms under observation at the Robert Koch Forum at the Institute for Microbiology and Hygiene, Charite University Hospital, in Berlin, Germany .
Kim Hee-seon's ``Flavored Taste'' features TV monitors installed on top of tables, showing videos of different dishes being prepared. While living in Germany, Kim had asked her foreign friends to prepare their favorite dishes at home as she filmed them.
Norwegian artist Bjorn Melhus made a highly entertaining 28-minute video, ``Auto Center Drive,'' in which he plays various roles to represent different egos. ``He uses sounds from TV, movies or open sources, and then he puts them in his film (as dialogue). It's so funny. He shows different types of egos and attitudes, it's a mix of everything but it works,'' Jung said.
Lee Bei-kyoung created an imposing black hexagon structure, which features interactive videos and sound. When visitors approach ``Repeated Freedom #2,'' sensors trigger changes in the dancers' movements in the videos being played.
Jung said that although the artists use different language and have various ideas and concepts, there's an intangible common thread running through their works, which can perhaps be attributed to the fact that they have all lived in Germany. ``They have the core of German art," she said.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 15. To get to the museum, get off at Gwanghwamun Station Line 3, Exit 3. Take the 1020 or 1711 green bus, and get off at the Lotte-Samsung Apartment stop.
Visit www.totalmuseum.org or call (02) 379-7037.