INTERVIEW How Paris-based curator joined Daejeon's new museum as founding director
The facade of Heredium, the Japanese Oriental Development Company-turned-cultural complex, in Daejeon, which officially opened in September / Courtesy of Heredium
It was during her time working as a curator in Paris in the 2010s that Ham Sun-jae first came face to face with the introspective works of the German post-war master Anselm Kiefer.
Among a number of exhibitions of Kiefer’s art put forth in the French capital over the years, his 2015-2016 landmark retrospective at the Centre Pompidou left a lasting impression on her.
“The pieces were overwhelming in a way that couldn't possibly be compared to what I had seen in the pages of a book. It made me dream of working with the artist someday,” the 43-year-old shared in a recent email interview with The Korea Times.
Seven years later, her dream came true as she assumed the role of founding director at Heredium, the newly established museum in Daejeon.
Heredium's founding director Ham Sun-jae / Courtesy of Heredium
The museum’s inaugural exhibition, titled “Herbst,” which means “autumn” in German, features 17 of Kiefer’s latest paintings and installations, marking the first institutional showcase of the German-born painter in Korea.
The decision to commence the museum’s journey with Kiefer’s solemn pieces – which highlight his exploration of cultural memory and history through ruins and the eternal cycle of decay and rebirth – was a straightforward one, according to Ham: they resonate with the building’s own history.
The two-story structure, which boasts an eclectic fusion of Japanese and Western architectural elements, was erected in 1922 during Japanese colonial rule (1910-45) as the Daejeon branch of Imperial Japan’s Oriental Development Company. The company was part of the empire’s state-led enterprise responsible for managing and exploiting Korea's land and resources.
Over the course of a century, the building has withstood the Korean War and the transformative forces of modernization, serving a multitude of roles from a district postal service office and telecommunication center to commercial facilities.
But it wasn’t until after undergoing extensive renovations in the last two years that the once-forgotten Japanese colonial company building came back to life this year as a new cultural complex.
“The term ‘Heredium’ refers to a hereditary estate in Latin,” the director noted. “The museum’s building was once on the verge of destruction and oblivion, but it has experienced a remarkable rebirth as a contemporary cultural institution. We believed that, for both the museum and Kiefer, the ruins represent a place where new beginnings are made possible.”
She added that the artist sympathized with the historical significance embodied in Heredium, leading him to accept the invitation to present his solo show in Korea's fifth-largest city.
Anselm Kiefer's "Herbst" at Heredium is the German post-war master's first institutional showcase in Korea. Yonhap
Before taking up her position at the Daejeon institution, Ham was involved in organizing shows both in France and Korea, which included the special exhibition at the 2012 Busan Biennale and the Chanel VR media art support program in Paris from 2017 to 2021.
One of the most memorable projects she recalls is the first solo exhibition of the renowned Korean minimalist painter and sculptor Lee U-fan at the Palace of Versailles in 2014, where she served as an artist liaison under the curation of Alfred Pacquement, former director of the Centre Pompidou.
“My participation in organizing this showcase inspired me to seek opportunities where I could similarly engage contemporary art in dialogue with historically significant spaces in Korea,” the director explained.
That was why after her return to her home country, she joined Heredium’s renovation project as an art director. After delving deeper into the historical importance of the venue, the experience naturally culminated in her role as the museum’s inaugural director.
As a major new presence in Daejeon’s cultural landscape, Heredium aims to organize more contemporary art exhibitions and live performances in the future that can connect with the local community.
“The museum is meaningful in that it is located outside of Seoul, thus contributing to balancing out the concentration of cultural activities in the capital area and reflecting the values of other regions," Ham noted.
The exhibition “Herbst” runs through Jan. 31, 2024.