MOCAs little black box records media art

By Ines Min

How best to remember the creative products of mankind, the use of our technological advancements in this age?

The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon opened an exhibition of media artists from its vast permanent collection last month. “Out of the Silent Planet” comprises the works of eight legendary art names, representative of both the MOCA collection and reflecting the current atmosphere of technological integration.

The exhibition’s title is taken from C.S. Lewis’ 1938 sci-fi novel and focuses on the intersecting concepts of sound, light and time. The presented 10 works make use of elapsed videos, projectors, karaoke machines, optical illusions, repetition and even a set of brand new Galaxy Tabs.

Video pioneer Park Hyun-ki’s “In a Station of the Metro” plays off the famous, 14-word Ezra Pound poem of the same name, while the “Mandala Series” video collage is a 30-minute “plate” of compiled images. Yook Tae-jin’s kinetic works are displayed in a rotating video of a man walking, and a tunnel-vision piece that incorporates visceral vibrations in conjunction with manipulated depth perception.

Kim Seung-young’s looped piece shows a life-size poster of a man as it continuously falls, and is then reattached to the wall. Kim Ki-chul takes advantage of the carpeted, enclosed space with sound art: a semi-circle of speakers surrounds a wooden “moktak,” an instrument used in Korean Buddhist temples.

Famed Cho Duck-hyun takes a sculpted water lily and encases it in a mirror box, which infinitely reflects the seemingly fragile work. Kim Young-jin follows the life of a bar of soap, as it slowly diminishes in fast-forward, while the reflection of the hand-washer is seen in the gleam of the tap. Kim Hong-seok filmed “G5,” which has five people of different nationalities singing the national anthem of another country.

The highlight of the show is arguably Lee Bul’s “Live Forever” — one of three luxurious space pods equipped with form-fitting leather seats and karaoke machines. Unfortunately, visitors won’t have a chance to test run the unique contraption at the MOCA, which is off-limits to onlookers.

The exhibition is the first of MOCA’s Black Box series, which aims to focus on media art, located in the renovated space of the upper circular gallery. The inaugural show opened for the G20 Seoul Summit.

“Out of the Silent Planet” is an open-run exhibition. Docent-led tours (Korean) are held daily at 3 p.m. with additional times on the weekend. The gallery is located a shuttle bus ride away from exit 4 of Seoul Grand Park, subway line 4. For more information, visit www.moca.go.kr.