[Power K-Women] Korea's First European Museum Director "Question Discrimination and Keep the Spirit of Challenge"

Isuk Kyung, Director of Whitworth Museum, UK
First East Asian Curator at Tate in 2007
Major Role in Western-Centered Art History Globalization
"Women Should Unite Instead of Competing"

"It may be due to luck, but I believe I played a role in helping to view art history, which was centered on the West (Western Europe and North America), as a global art history."

The first Korean director of a European art museum. This is the title held by Lee Sook-kyung, director (55, artistic director) of the Whitworth Museum in Manchester, UK. With 32 years of experience as a curator, she has crossed boundaries without hesitation and has been associated with the term 'first' for decades. In 2007, she became the first Asian curator in the history of Tate. She witnessed firsthand and contributed to the process of the UK rising to the center of the global contemporary art scene. In a video interview with Asia Economy on the 6th, she mentioned global art history as her greatest achievement so far for this reason.

Based on 16 years of effort and achievements at Tate Modern, ranked among the top five museums worldwide by annual visitors, Lee became the head of the Whitworth Museum last August. Even immediately after her appointment, she expressed her ambition to "expand the global network with the world art community." This means that the important task of "broadening the perspective of art history" she has valued is ongoing. Her perspective now looks beyond the so-called 'mainstream' Western art to the world.

- You are currently the director of the Whitworth Museum and the first foreign curator in charge of the Japan Pavilion at the world's largest art festival, the Venice Biennale, opening next month. Where are you mainly active?

△ I mainly stay in Manchester. Leading the organization is the most important task. There is a lot to do.

- What was the reason you first entered the art world? Why did you become a curator rather than a painter?

△ I continuously studied art history and art theory. I had wanted to study art since I was young. That interest did not necessarily manifest as becoming an artist but rather connected with my longstanding humanistic interests. When the Department of Arts was established at Hongik University in 1986, I thought, "Oh, this is a subject I can study." Humanities are inherently diverse and broad, encompassing history, aesthetics, literature, and art. Because it was such an interesting field, I pursued a doctorate. Before entering university, I did not know what career paths were possible. At first, I thought I might work in art criticism. Later, I learned about curating and entered the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

- You were the youngest curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and went to study in the UK in the 1990s. Was there a reason you decided to go abroad?

△ It was not a planned decision. I received a fellowship from the British Council, so I ended up studying abroad by chance. While studying in the UK, I was very impressed by the academic environment. Socially and culturally, it was different from Korea. Regardless of good or bad, the 'difference' itself was fascinating. I realized there was a world and different cultures and environments outside Korea that I had not known. At that time, France and New York in the US were considered the centers of contemporary art rather than the UK. The period when contemporary art began to play a major role in British society coincided with my arrival in the UK. I arrived in the late 1990s and witnessed the opening of Tate Modern in 2000. Interest and influence in contemporary art grew rapidly in the UK during that short period. This change played a significant role in my growth as a professional in this field.

- In the conservative British society and art world centered on white, Western, male perspectives, there must have been both advantages and disadvantages for you as an Asian woman during such a period of great change.

△ There was almost no discrimination based on gender. However, there was significant ignorance about Asian art, especially non-Western art. Western society usually refers to Western Europe and North America, but there was almost no knowledge about global art history from that perspective. When I first arrived in the UK, people specializing in Asian art were often considered special and a minority. Over the past 20 years, this has changed a lot. Art history itself was centered on the West. Economics and political science are also Western-centric. Now, this is beginning to change. I was part of that change as an Asian who established a position in the UK.

Lee Sook-kyung, director of the Whitworth Museum in the UK and the first Korean to lead a European art museum, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 6th, "I believe it is important to challenge discrimination itself," adding, "I hope people continue to question discrimination and maintain a spirit of skepticism and challenge. I hope women take a leading role in raising these questions." (Photo by Whitworth Museum)

- Then, what do you consider your greatest achievement so far?

△ Perhaps due to luck, but I believe I played a significant role in helping to view Western-centered art history as a much more global art history. During my 16 years at Tate, which operates museums across the UK, an important personal and institutional focus was "how to break the Western-centric perspective and view art from a global perspective." At that time, Tate museums had almost no works by Korean artists in their collections. Even very important artists like Nam June Paik were absent. There was a huge gap. When I was in charge of Asian art at Tate Modern, I organized the first Nam June Paik exhibition and increased related collections. Works by Nam June Paik, Lee Ufan, and Yang Hye-gyu were acquired. Not only Korean but also Ono Yoko (Japan) and Kusama Yayoi (Japan) were added to the collection. This was the beginning of my entry as a non-Western curator into Western art. Later, colleagues of various nationalities joined, spreading this trend worldwide, including Africa and South America. I managed the Pacific region, including Australia. Later, in 2019, I also led the Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational, sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company. Although Tate Modern was established only 24 years ago, it has become a very important museum globally because of this global vision.

- On the opposite side of achievements, when do you think was your greatest crisis in life?

△ The lockdown due to COVID-19 was a huge crisis. It was so both professionally and personally. For the first time, I felt how far apart and separated Korea and the UK could be. Also, as a curator, it was a time when people could not come to museums. I had never seen museums close before. I think it was a turning point. It made me ask fundamental questions about what mediates between artists and audiences, what museums do, what their role is, and why people should visit museums. At that time, I was invited as the artistic director of the Gwangju Biennale. (The 2023 Gwangju Biennale, held last year, was the first time in 17 years that a Korean served as the artistic director.) I explored these questions there. Previously, I had thought more objectively about art history, but this gave me an opportunity to reflect more subjectively.

- Do you have any particular way to relieve stress? What do you usually do in your leisure time?

△ I am not the type to get very stressed. But when I do, I usually take walks in parks. The UK has a lot of nature around and clean air. Being in great nature changes my perspective somewhat. Walking and moving my body certainly help, but being in vast nature allows me to view stressful matters from a broader perspective. In my leisure time, I enjoy movies and books, so I watch and read various things. For curators, humanistic literacy is important to understand how the world works and what people think. Movies are a comprehensive art form, making it easy to see what themes or topics people are interested in. They are also multicultural. In that sense, movies are a good reference medium.

Exterior view of Whitworth Museum, University of Manchester, UK (Photo by Whitworth Museum website)

- You have been continuously taking on new challenges. What challenges are you currently pursuing?

△ Actually, I am not someone who lives by setting life plans and achieving them. Right now, the Whitworth is my most important task. I chose the Whitworth because I see great potential in this museum. Manchester is also a very interesting city. It is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and a central city in the history of colonialism. From a contemporary perspective, it is also the birthplace of popular music. My question is how to make the Whitworth Museum in this fascinating city more accessible to the public while becoming a world-class museum. I am thinking about how to present exhibitions that are engaging and easy to understand, based on professionalism and friendly to the public, and how to create a challenging and creative platform for artists.

- What drives you to take on new challenges?

△ I think it is not giving up because something is difficult. Instead of ignoring problems, I always think there is a problem and try to solve it. I discuss it with others. I make it a shared concern and reveal that it is a shared concern.

- Do you have a message for female seniors, juniors, and fellow women professionals?

△ I believe it is important for women to have a sense of solidarity. Especially for women, we should support each other well. Women often find themselves in competition with other women. Often, two or three women compete, and only one advances. I think it is important not to compete but to unite. Also, while gender discrimination is an important issue, I think it is important to challenge discrimination itself. There can also be racial or class discrimination. I hope women continue to question and challenge discrimination. I hope women take a leading position in asking these questions.

About Director Lee Sook-kyung

Born in Korea, she became the youngest curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art at age 26 while attending graduate school at Hongik University. She then moved to the UK, completed her doctoral studies at the University of Essex, and became the first Asian curator at Tate Museum in 2007. She worked as the lead curator for international art and as a curator for exhibitions such as the "Nam June Paik Retrospective" at Tate Modern. In 2019, she also led the Hyundai Tate Research Centre. In 2023, amid the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as the artistic director of the 14th Gwangju Biennale, the first Korean artistic director in 17 years.

She also has a deep connection with the world's largest art festival, the Venice Biennale. She was the artistic director of the Korean Pavilion in 2015 and was appointed artistic director of the Japan Pavilion in April this year. This appointment was notable as she became the first foreign curator to lead the Japan Pavilion in 70 years since Japan established national pavilions at the Venice Biennale.