Spanish museum director shakes off resignation rumors

Bartomeu Mari, director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), speaks during a press conference commemorating his first year at the museum, Monday. / Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Bartomeu Mari, the first foreign director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), disregards worries regarding not-so-satisfactory evaluations on his first year in the post.

Mari, who led the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) before arriving in Seoul, spent a highly anticipated year at the MMCA as he was considered the right person to promote Korean art internationally based on a wide global network.

However, there are concerns about Mari's petty success as his influences over the museum or its exhibits seem insignificant so far.

Korean art magazine, Art Monthly, interviewed Mari for its December issue and the magazine's chief editor Lee Joon-hee said Mari lacks the responsibility to understand and decide about museum issues and administrative power to suggest a vision to lead the country's only national fine art museum. "Mari should voluntarily step down and return to his country," Lee wrote in the magazine.

However, director Mari reaffirmed his determination to maintain his post. "By next week, I've been working for the MMCA for one year. Resignation does not exist for me. I would like to demonstrate what I can do well. We are full of energy and ideas for the coming years," Mari said at a press conference on the occasion of his first anniversary at the museum, Monday.

"I am a director-curator because I was a curator. I'm not a manager-director or media-director since I come from a curatorial background. However, I don't pretend that I’m taking on the role of a curator and my role here is to stimulate, support and inspire the staff. That is my point of view," Mari said. "I've been working more than 30 years in this field and I try to contribute to the program in the best ways possible. I don't impose my philosophy on what is already programmed."

Mari suggested connecting tradition and modernity together as a key theme for upcoming exhibitions of the MMCA.

Major exhibits for the next year and the year after next include "When Art becomes Liberty: The Egyptian Surrealists," "Picasso and the Popular Arts and Traditions" and "Andy Warhol: Shadows." The museum will also produce a major retrospective of British master Richard Hamilton as well as Poland-born artist Krzysztof Wodiczko's new works.

The museum has three branches _ Gwacheon, Seoul and Deoksugung _ and Mari has vowed to develop the characteristics of each branch while maintaining the identity of one museum. The director commissioned outdoor site-specific projects for each branch, which will bring together different generations of artists.

"It will emphasize different contexts of each museum such as a park for Gwacheon and a monumental area in Deoksugung," Mari said.

The museum will also hold a special, permanent presentation of its collections as well as a showcase of new acquisitions.

Though his endeavor to let the world know about Korean art is not visible yet, Mari asked to look further.

"International institutions plan their exhibitions three to five years in advance. We are working with various institutions in Europe," the director said.

One of Mari's ambitious yet elementary projects to better introduce Korean art overseas is strengthening the museum's publishing system. "A good catalogue is essential to gain attraction from partner institutions. If catalogues are published in time in multiple languages, we can improve communicating with them.

"Globalization of Korean art is not a question of exports. It is about Korea becoming a real platform of international contemporary art. Seoul is already a big international metropolis and many international collectors, directors and curators visit this country. We are on the map and this is an instrument we need to use creatively," Mari said.

Supporting Mari's innovative project is an increased budget. The annual budget for the MMCA in 2017 is 72.4 billion won ($62 million), which is a 45 percent jump from 49.9 billion won for this year. It includes 4.2 billion won set aside for the so-called "Mari Project," including public art. The amount for purchasing collection pieces also increased from 5.3 billion won to 6.1 billion won.

Mari also talked of his efforts to familiarize Korean art with the people concerned. When he was appointed, Mari resolved to learn Korean to communicate with the staff and artists, but he spoke in English during the press conference, admitting his progress in Korean was not as much as he expected. The director pledged to continue learning Korean.

The Spanish director said he tried to talk to as many artists, curators, museum directors, collectors and agents as possible to better understand the Korean art world.

"I still need to acquaint myself with the art circle. I'm full of attention for what people have to say and it's very basic for the job I do _ listening to people and their opinions. My job is very absorbing and I force myself not to be swallowed by those routines," he said. "On Friday afternoon, I will visit exhibitions and talk to artists. Though probably I will have to choose another day since there is too much traffic (on Fridays)."