Art world marked by ups and downs in 2015
By Kwon Mee-yoo
As 2015 draws to a close, the Korean art scene wraps up an eventful year ― both for better and worse. Korean artists achieved recognition internationally, proving their potential. The death of renowned artist Chun Kyung-ja was made public belatedly in October, reigniting controversy over a forgery scandal regarding one of her major works, "Beautiful Woman." The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) finally welcomed its new director Bartomeu Mari from Spain, who became the first foreign head of the nation's flagship art museum, ending a 14-month leadership vacuum.
Silver Lion at Venice Biennale
Im Heung-soon holds the Silver Lion at the 56th Venice Biennale for his documentary film "Factory Complex" in Venice, Italy on May 9. / Korea Times file
Video artist Im Heung-soon, 46, won the Silver Lion at the 56th Venice Biennale 2015 for his documentary film "Factory Complex" in May. It was the highest award ever received by an individual Korean artist at the world's most influential art event.
Im's video installation blurs the border between art and film, exploring the conditions of female labor in Asia with an aesthetic approach. He took inspiration from his mother and sister and expanded it to a universal theme.
Im produced "a moving video that probes the nature of precarity in relation to the conditions of labor for women across Asia," said the jury. "Factory Complex takes the form of a documentary but with a direct, lightly mediated, encounter with his subjects and their working conditions.”
Dansaekhwa sweeps world
Visitors look at the late artist Kwon Young-woo’s dansaekhwa “Untitled” at the Frieze Masters in London on Oct. 13. / Courtesy of Frieze
"Dansaekhwa," or the Korean monochrome movement, is now at the center of interest, though it began some 40 years ago in the 1970s.
The dansaekhwa paintings reflect Korean artists' endless search for neutrality and transcendence. The long-forgotten artworks were rediscovered as the world has begun paying attention to how the modern history of Korea took shape and has come to influence Korean contemporary art.
Major Dansaekhwa artists and their works were introduced at a collateral exhibit of the Venice Biennale at Palazzo Contarini-Polignac and received attention at major art fairs including Art Basel and the Frieze.
Dansaekhwa paintings also proved their commercial viability by breaking auction records.
Kim Whan-ki's pointillism work "19-Ⅶ-71 #209" was sold for 31 million Hong Kong dollars (4.7 billion won) at a Hong Kong auction hosted by Seoul Auction in October, becoming the most expensive Korean art piece.
Chun Kyung-ja passes away
Late artist Chun Kyung-ja
Chun Kyung-ja, one of the most prominent female painters in Korean modern art history, died of a chronic illness in August at the age of 91. The news of her death, that came out belatedly in October, was revealed by the artist's eldest daughter in New York.
Chun mainly depicted female figures and flowers in a bold style with vivid colors. There is a permanent collection of her work at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), where the artist donated 93 of her pieces.
She retired from painting in 1991, when one of her works titled "Beautiful Woman" faced a forgery scandal. The painting in question was part of the MMCA's collection but the artist claimed that their version was a fake. However, the national museum said it was genuine, which they claimed was assessed and approved by experts.
The late Chun's children filed a suit against the museum, and succeeded in making the artist's assertion accepted and legal.
Foreign director to lead MMCA
MMCA director Bartomeu Mari
The MMCA, the biggest and most important art institution in Korea, lacked a leader for some 14 months since the dismissal of its former director Chung Hyung-min over allegations of interfering in the recruitment of curators.
After the recruitment process was finished, Bartomeu Mari was finally named the new director in December. The former director of the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art and president of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CiMAM) faced objections even before his inauguration, as he had stepped down from his former post in Spain over a censorship-related issue.
Despite the opposition of Korean artists and other art-related officials, Mari took office in mid-December, pledging to protect the freedom of expression of all artists.