[Exhibition of the Week] ACC Focus 'Gaia-ui Doshi'·Byeon Jong-gon Solo Exhibition and More

Editor's NoteThis week's exhibitions introduce a variety of diverse and attractive exhibitions that can be experienced nationwide over the course of one week.

▲ACC Focus 'City of Gaia' = The 2023 ACC Focus 'City of Gaia,' which opened at the National Asia Culture Center (ACC), is an exhibition that contemplates the relationship between plants representing nature and humans as the agents of civilization.

Ai Weiwei, Palace, 2019, cast iron, 143×256×185cm.
Photo courtesy of the National Asia Culture Center

Gaia is a goddess appearing in ancient creation myths symbolizing the earth mother who governs the cycle of birth, growth, death, and rebirth of all life. However, in this exhibition, Gaia signifies the great nature as a self-regulating system that maintains the Earth's chemical state to allow all life, including humans, to survive ? an 'active being.'

The explosion of industrialization and capitalism in the modern era divided humans and nature into opposing entities, emphasizing human superiority and clearly establishing humans as rulers over nature. As a result, Gaia has reacted through self-regulation by causing abnormal weather, natural disasters, various viruses, and diseases to maintain homeostasis and counter the anthropocentric mechanistic worldview.

Recently, with reconsiderations of nature from the perspective of posthumanism, active discourse on coexistence between humans and nature and sustainability has been underway. Having rethought the human-nature relationship and realized the importance of ecological solidarity and balance, we have reached a point where we must embrace not the era of 'human civilization' but the era of 'ecological civilization.' This exhibition was planned to share reflections on sustainable ecological civilization by addressing the phenomenon of nature migrating and transforming into cities according to human needs and desires, yet plants practicing coexistence with humans without losing vitality through their active will.

Patricia Piccinini 'Metaflora (Time-lapse)', 2015, 3-channel video, color, sound, 3 minutes 5 seconds, 3 minutes 4 seconds, 12 minutes 31 seconds.
[Photo by National Asia Culture Center]

An ACC official stated, "Through this exhibition, we hope to understand the organic relationship between humans and non-humans and the sequence of Gaia that maintains it, and that discourse on ecological solidarity will continue." The exhibition features works by 11 teams of artists from Korea, China, Japan, France, and Sierra Leone (West Africa), including one team from the ‘2023 ACC Sound Lab.’ The exhibition runs until February 25 next year at the ACC Cultural Creation Center, National Asia Culture Center, Dong-gu, Gwangju.

Byeon Jong-gon, 'Last Supper', 2011, Mixed media, 41 × 80 × 15 cm
[Photo by The Page Gallery]

▲Byun Jong-gon Solo Exhibition = The Page Gallery is hosting a solo exhibition of artist Byun Jong-gon. In this solo exhibition, the artist presents 24 works created between 1997 and 2013.

Byun Jong-gon, who gained attention with his unique hyperrealistic oil paintings reflecting the zeitgeist after winning the grand prize at the 1st Dong-A Ilbo Art Competition in 1978, suddenly moved to New York, USA, in 1981 at the age of 33 to escape government pressure. Although he aimed to devote himself solely to painting as a full-time artist, his harsh and difficult immigrant life left him without even transportation money. He collected discarded items from the streets, frequented flea markets and used bookstores, gathering objects that had lost their usefulness to others.

Picking up discarded refrigerators, fans, radios, and furniture on the streets of New York, Byun Jong-gon recalled the US military product catalogs his grandmother had saved for him in his childhood and felt warmth in these objects born from desire and eventually discarded after their usefulness ended. These objects, each with a completely different life, are given new life through the artist's hands.

Byeon Jong-gon is a contemporary artist.
[Photo by The Page Gallery]

The artist, who says "creation occurs from the encounter and clash of heterogeneous things," now travels the world collecting objects and presents his own free sculptural language transcending art, science, religion, and ideology. His artistic world has long been recognized by the American art community, with works held in the Albany Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, among others, and a documentary about him directed by Marie Rose was screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

This exhibition mainly features works created in New York between 1997 and 2013, centered on art history, film, literature, and religious symbols. It contains memories of churches and temples he visited with his grandmother as a child, black-and-white films he watched in theaters, and the chaos of the world entering the 21st century. Having experienced the historical and political turmoil of both Korea and the United States, the artist seeks to infuse his works with his own humor and wit beyond criticism and satire. This exhibition offers an opportunity to experience the perspective of an immigrant who witnessed the turbulent times in New York and to explore the artist's creative world built over more than 40 years. The exhibition runs until February 3 next year at The Page Gallery, Seoul Forest 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

Wooden flower #3 #1 #6 #2 #4 #5 2023 Vinylic emulsion on paper, 35.0 x 26.0 x 4.0 cm, Photo by Artivist

▲Agostino Iacurci Solo Exhibition ‘Making Room’ = The cultural arts residency ‘ARTIVIST’ is hosting the Asian premiere of Italian artist Agostino Iacurci’s solo exhibition ‘Making Room.’

The exhibition showcases the artistic outcomes inspired by various cultures during the residency period, presenting the artist’s unique flat painting style delicately combining elements of traditional Korean architecture and plant motifs in natural harmony. The artist focused on the Korean traditional coloring technique ‘Dancheong’ and created various works; deeply impressed by Dancheong’s vivid colors and geometric patterns, he produced his own unique works that reinterpret Korean tradition with respect for it and a contemporary art perspective.

In particular, the brightly colored artworks and the concrete architectural design within the exhibition space were carefully orchestrated to encourage immersive interaction from visitors. The gallery walls and space themselves become elements of the artist’s work, breaking away from conventional fixed notions. The specially created walls for the exhibition resonate with geometric forms, creating a fluid visual narrative where the architectural space naturally connects to the canvas. This innovative approach blurs the boundaries between art and space, offering visitors a unique and captivating experience.

Making room #1, 2023, Vinylic emulsion on canvas
[Photo by Artivist]

The exhibition title ‘Making Room’ reflects the artist’s attempt to approach art innovatively. For him, space is not merely a physical boundary but signifies the exploration and metaphorical combination of the process where two-dimensional works transform into three-dimensional experiences. The artist hopes that the works presented will develop as canvases of cultural and social expression where local heritage and international narratives dynamically interact. The artist’s persistent effort to interweave various cultural elements that inspired him in a relevant manner offers visitors inspiration to view familiar environments as strange and new. The exhibition runs until January 27 next year at Space Matt, Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.