Must-see art exhibitions in 2020

By Kwon Mee-yoo

A variety of art exhibitions are lined up for the year 2020 as the nation commemorates the 70th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War. This year sees yet another biennale in Korea which is sure to generate diverse discourse on contemporary art and society.

MMCA past-oriented

Major exhibitions to be held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) will relate to Korea's modern art history, reflecting the specialty of new museum director Youn Bum-mo who is well-versed in the topic of Korean art history.

On the 70th the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, the MMCA will present "Unflattening" (working title) from June to September, featuring Korean and international artists including duo Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho, Park Kyung-kun, Hsu Chiawei and Chto Delat, the exhibit aims to examine the nature of war and its consequences from various perspectives in collaboration with historians, scholars of women's studies and performers.

As the museum strives to put together Korea's modern art history, artist Park Re-hyun will be presented through a retrospective commemorating the 100th anniversary of her birth. Art informel and abstract expressionism artist Lee Seung-jio and experimental artist Lee Seung-taek will also draw attention for their development of modern art in Korea.

As noted in Youn's inaugural address, the museum shifted focus to some of the neglected genres of art such as calligraphy, craft and print. The MMCA will also hold two exhibitions on the effects of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, giving a new context to pieces from its collection.

"Sun & Sea (Marina)," the Golden Lion-winning installation by Rugile Barzdziukaite, Vaiva Grainyte and Lina Lapelyte from last year's Venice Biennale, will come to MMCA Seoul in July. The opera-performance held on an artificial beach will raise consciousness on environmental issues.

The state museum's effort to embrace diversity in contemporary art continues with "Museum for All, Museum for Dogs" showing at MMCA this May. The month-long exhibit will incorporate pets in the public space, questioning whether they can be accepted members of society.

Top Korean artists

The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) focuses on strengthening relations in the international art world.

"Lee Bul ― Beginning," slated for opening in December, will rediscover the internationally known Korean artist's earlier performance works from the late 1980s to 1990s.

The museum's 2017 exhibit on Korea's typography pioneer Ahn Sang-soo will travel to the CAFA Art Museum in Beijing, China in November and the SeMA aims to tour more exhibitions internationally including the Lee Bul show.

The SeMA will also hold an exhibition on Rim Dong-sik, mainly with the artworks and archive donated to the museum by the artist in 2019.

Kim Whan-ki's "05-IV-71 #200 (Universe)" was sold for 13.2 billion won at a Hong Kong auction last November, turning the status of Korean art up another notch. As Korean abstract art headlined by "Dansaekhwa" (Korean monochrome painting), major galleries are shedding light on a handful of famed ones.

Kukje Gallery will reopen its main exhibition space in March with an exhibition of Park Seo-bo, who successfully finished a retrospective at the MMCA last year.

Lee U-fan will hold a solo exhibition in Seoul in September for the first time in four years. The retrospective at Kukje Gallery will feature Lee's major painting series including "Dialogue" as well as sculptures resonating with the space.

Quac In-sik, a theorist of the Japanese Mono-ha (School of Things) movement, will receive attention in his home country once again at Gallery Hyundai in September. Gallery Hyundai also commemorates its 50th anniversary this year with a special exhibition and archive exhibition from April to July.

While Dansaekhwa artists continue to solidify their position in the art market domestically and internationally, Korean figurative painters are also being brought back into the spotlight.

Hakgojae Gallery presents solo exhibition of Kim Sun-doo, who experiments with Korean traditional ink-and-color painting methods.

Nam Hwa-yeon, who represented Korea at the 2019 Venice Biennale, will continue her research on the late Korean dancer Choi Seung-hee at a solo exhibition at Artsonje Center in February.

International big names

American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer, best known for her text-based works, will present her iconic LED sign sculptures as well as some more recent pieces at the Kukje Gallery in March, in addition to her installations at ""FOR YOU: Jenny Holzer" at the nearby MMCA Seoul on show through July.

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson will push the boundary of art once again in Korea at PKM Gallery in the latter half of the year, bringing in new works combining art with science, math and architecture.

Artsonje Center will present solo exhibitions of Japanese artist Koki Tanaka, who explores the status of minorities in Japan, and Taiwanese artist Chen Chieh-jen, known for rebellious artwork, in September and November, respectively.

Year of biennales

The year 2020 also is the year of biennales in Korea, clustered in autumn.

Headlined by the Gwangju Biennale, the oldest and largest contemporary art event of its kind in Asia, a variety of biennales are slated to open in September.

This year, the 13th edition of the Gwangju Biennale is themed "Minds Rising, Spirit Tuning" as the two artistic directors Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala center their interests on visualizing intelligence through art in the southern city of Gwangju from Sept. 4-Nov. 29. Participating artists will explore the elaborateness of intelligence from spirituality to artificial intelligence in the form of an exhibition combining performances, online publishing platforms, publications and public forums.

The Seoul Mediacity Biennale named Yung Ma, curator of contemporary art at Paris's Centre Pompidou, as the artistic director of the 11th biennial event specializing in media art.

Beck Jee-sook, director of the Seoul Museum of Art which organizes the biennale, said she hopes to bring a new chapter for the biennale to synchronize with other global cities, transcending ideas of borders and time under the title “One Escape at a Time.”

Busan Biennale celebrates its 20th anniversary under the artistic directorship of Jacob Fabricius, who also serves as artistic director of Kunsthal Aarhus in the Danish city of Aarhus.

Other notable biennales include Daejeon Biennale, which converges art and science; Daegu Photo Biennale; and Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale centering on ink paintings.