[Exhibition of the Week] Joseon, the Land of Folding Screens 2 · Peter Weibel: Art as an Act of Cognition and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] ▲Peter Weibel: Art as a Cognitive Act = The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) is holding the exchange exhibition "Peter Weibel: Art as a Cognitive Act," co-organized with the Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (ZKM) in Germany, at MMCA Seoul until May 14.

Peter Weibel: Art as a Cognitive Act.
[Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

This exhibition is a large-scale retrospective that surveys the artistic world of Peter Weibel (b. 1944), known as a media conceptual artist. Since the 1960s, Peter Weibel has been active as an artist, curator, and theorist, significantly influencing the development of media art. The exhibition explores his artistic world under ten themes including artistic actions, performance, photography, linguistic analysis, writing, poetry, video, expanded cinema, and computer-based installations, showcasing about 70 representative works by the artist.

The exhibition is centered around the MMCA Seoul’s multi-purpose space. The entrance to the multi-purpose space is mainly composed of Peter Weibel’s early photographs and video works from the 1960s. Inside the multi-purpose space, visitors can experience the highlight of the exhibition, "Melody of Plurality" (1986-1988). Following this, after exiting the multi-purpose space and ascending the corridor stairs, the artist’s later works and audience participatory pieces are presented.

Peter Weibel is an artist who freely traverses between art and science, continuously expanding his awareness of issues through diverse materials, forms, and technologies. His works reflect social changes from the late 20th century to the early 21st century and challenged conventional views of art at the time. Based on a deep interest in early media development, linguistic theory, mathematics, and philosophy, he expanded his unique artistic world and further addressed themes such as experimental literature, performance, deconstructionism, and experimental film.

From his early works, the artist has critiqued mechanical devices such as typewriters, records, magnetophones, photography, film, and video, experimenting across all areas of art based on these and posing ontological questions about the difference between image and reality. Since 1966, he has incorporated interactive elements into his works, actively proposing communication and participation with the audience. The art he presents to us can be described as ‘the process of cognition itself.’ The exhibition runs until May 14 at MMCA Seoul, Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Chaos 01, 2023, Oil on canvas, 53 x 45.5 cm. [Photo by SPACEUNIT4]

▲Ddaannss Solo Exhibition 'CHAOS' = Gallery SPACEUNIT4 is hosting the solo exhibition "CHAOS" by painter Ddaannss from February 8 to 25.

Ddaannss aims to express the state of chaos, which cannot be grasped by reason or rationality, in his work. His paintings focus on the meanings or feelings newly generated when individual objects coincidentally meet, embodying imagination that transcends fixed notions about humans, objects, and the world, as well as the freedom of disorder. In the work "Person Made of a Conscious Tree," which tells the story of creating a human-shaped living being from a conscious tree, the artist reverses fixed objects of perception to their opposite extremes. He believes that such subversion of thought through imagination is one of the painter’s roles.

In this exhibition, Ddaannss draws inspiration from Joseon Dynasty folk paintings, as well as vanitas still lifes, Cubism, and the technique of d?paysement, freely unraveling overlapping minds and chaotic thoughts as if floating. Bodies and objects that deviate from order and function reflect the unconscious and dream worlds. His paintings, resembling incompleteness, grant viewers infinite interpretive autonomy and novelty, as if drawing playfulness and imagination from chaos. The exhibition runs from February 8 to 25 at SPACEUNIT4, Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul.

Amorepacific Museum of Art Ancient Art Special Exhibition 'Joseon, the Land of Folding Screens 2'_View.
[Photo by Amorepacific Museum of Art]

▲Joseon, the Land of Folding Screens 2 (Beyond Folding Screens 2) = The Amorepacific Museum of Art is holding the special exhibition on ancient art, "Joseon, the Land of Folding Screens 2 (Beyond Folding Screens 2)." This exhibition, which showcases the essence of Korean folding screens from the Joseon Dynasty to the modern period, runs until April 30.

This exhibition is the second folding screen exhibition presented five years after the 2018 exhibition "Joseon, the Land of Folding Screens." The 2018 exhibition attracted attention by focusing on the folding screen, a traditional painting format representing Joseon. This exhibition revisits the art historical value and significance of folding screens produced from the Joseon era to the modern period, aiming to introduce the diverse aesthetics of Korean traditional art to visitors. To this end, over 50 works from 15 institutions and private collections are gathered and displayed.

Ilwolbando Twelve-Panel Folding Screen, 19th century, color on silk, private collection. [Photo courtesy of Amorepacific Gallery]

In particular, this exhibition divides the theme into folk folding screens and court folding screens according to their users and producers, allowing viewers to appreciate the cultural characteristics of both folk and court. Through folk folding screens, visitors can glimpse the free-spirited and distinctive aesthetics embedded in everyday life and the stories contained within. Through court folding screens, visitors can confirm the authority and dignity of the Joseon royal family and the majestic and delicate aspects of court painting. Modern folding screens are displayed in a separate exhibition room considering their production period. This arrangement allows visitors to see a facet of the Korean modern art scene that transformed with the advent of a new era while inheriting tradition, all within the folding screen format.

Rarely seen folding screens and newly collected works by the Amorepacific Museum of Art are introduced together in the exhibition. Newly unveiled folding screens include Chaeyongsin’s "Ten-Panel Folding Screen of Longevity," Lee Sangbeom’s "Ten-Panel Folding Screen of Return" and "Twelve-Panel Folding Screen of Sun and Moon Peninsula," among others. Designated cultural properties such as the Treasure "Eight-Panel Folding Screen of Pyongyang Fortress (Songam Museum)" and Busan Metropolitan City Tangible Cultural Property "Eight-Panel Folding Screen of Gonyeojeon (Busan Museum)" are also exhibited. Additionally, the exhibition features the "Eight-Panel Folding Screen of the Royal Banquet of Emperor Gojong" owned by the Amorepacific Museum of Art and the Seoul Metropolitan City Tangible Cultural Property "Ten-Panel Folding Screen of the Royal Banquet (National Gugak Center)," allowing visitors to experience the last royal court banquets of Joseon through folding screens. The exhibition runs until April 30 at the Amorepacific Museum of Art, Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.