Sciene, Art Meet in Genesis
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Science meets art in the fascinating exhibition ``Genesis,'' featuring the works of Geneva-based artist-scientist Ariel Ruiz i Altaba and Korean artist Toh Yun-hee.
Organized by the Swiss Embassy in Seoul and art consulting firm Laurence Geoffrey's, ``Genesis'' attempts to bridge the scientific and artistic worlds.
During the opening of the exhibit, Swiss Ambassador Christian Hauswirth said this was a unique opportunity to bring together Ruiz I Altaba and Toh's works in a single exhibition.
For ``Genesis,'' Ruiz i Altaba and Toh presented intriguing artworks that delve in the basic elements of life. The two artists are from different countries, yet have similar artistic philosophies
Ruiz i Altaba created his own universe of black spots, dashes, lines and silhouettes on a clean white background. A renowned professor at the University of Geneva Medical School's Department of Genetic Medicine, he was in Seoul last week to attend the opening of the exhibition and also give a lecture about his scientific research work. .
His ``Minimal Landscapes'' series feature intriguingly minimalist works, mostly of black spots, lines and smudges on a white background.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Ruiz i Altaba talked about how he focuses on issues of identity and boundaries as well as how art and science can intersect.
``I realized landscape is boundary. What separates two things in the landscape is the boundary. Yin and yang, the difference is the border and that makes it continuous,'' he said.
Looking closely at his work, one may notice the edges of the black spots are imperfect. He invites viewers to look at it and appropriate their own meaning in his works. ``Borders are never perfect. They are constantly changing,'' he said.
On the other hand, Toh may not be a scientist but as an artist she wanted to unlock the mysteries of nature in her paintings.
Since the mid-1990s, her work has become more scientific, as she explored the ``beauty of plant life on a molecular level.'' ``The main theme is still `time,' but the point of view has changed from a micro point of view to a macro point of view,'' Toh told The Korea Times.
Toh, the daughter of a famous Korean scientist, depicted the micro-universes found in the cellular realm in her paintings. Her painting, ``The Two Silences of Heaven and Earth Were Being Linked,'' may look like an Oriental painting of a mountain from afar but upon close scrutiny, it looks like splitting cells.
The exhibit runs through Aug. 1 at the Korea Foundation Center, first floor of the JoongAng Ilbo Building, Sunwha-dong, Jung-gu, central Seoul. Visit www.kfcenter.or.kr/english or call (02) 3789-5600.