Last Year's Retrospective Catalog Conflict Escalates
Artist "No Communication with Museum at All"
Museum "Unprecedented Special Privilege Demands"
Kim Ku-rim (88), a veteran experimental artist who held a solo exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), filed a complaint with the police against Kim Sung-hee, the director of MMCA, over issues related to the production of the exhibition catalog.
Artist Kim Ku-rim explaining his work On August 24 last year, at the press conference for the 'Kim Ku-rim' exhibition held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, in Jongno-gu, Seoul, artist Kim Ku-rim is explaining his work 'Eum and Yang 91-L 13'.
[Photo by Yonhap News]
According to the art community on the 5th, Kim filed a complaint at the Jongno Police Station in Seoul the day before, accusing Kim Sung-hee of defamation and copyright infringement, claiming that the exhibition catalog was published with damaged images, which tarnished the artist's reputation and violated the 'right to integrity.'
Kim held a solo exhibition at the MMCA Seoul branch from August 25 last year to February 12 this year.
Conflicts arose from the planning stage of the exhibition. Kim attempted to recreate her avant-garde art from the 1970s, which involved wrapping the museum's exterior walls with fabric. However, since the MMCA Seoul branch is housed in the former main building of the Military Security Command, a registered cultural property No. 375, coordination with related departments was necessary, and due to difficulties in completing administrative procedures within the schedule, the museum did not accept this plan.
The conflict extended to the production of the catalog. Typically, when an artist holds a solo exhibition, the hosting institution produces a catalog featuring texts and images centered on the exhibited works. On February 20, the museum published the first edition of the catalog, which included eight essays, over 420 plates and materials.
Kim's side claimed, "The first edition of the catalog contained typographical errors, inaccurate English translations, and a composition that was not organized chronologically, resulting in a flawed printed product." They also stated, "The museum published the catalog arbitrarily without showing the Indigo printer proofs to the artist before printing."
In response, the museum rebutted, stating that they held at least 16 revision meetings with the artist before printing the catalog. A museum official explained, "We agreed with the artist to use a white background for exhibited works and a colored background for non-exhibited works. We also showed paper samples for the interior pages to the artist. Some images of non-exhibited works and parts of exhibited works were included without retouching, based on files provided by the artist, which was discussed during production meetings."
They added, "Considering the exhibition flow and media, we arranged the image order and included English translations, all of which were reviewed by the artist. Before printing the first edition, we sent three physical proofs to the artist, received corrections and handwritten confirmations, and finalized the print plate files, which were emailed in January."
Kim Sung-hee, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Following the artist's criticism, the museum decided not to sell the first edition of the catalog and to distribute it only to related institutions, seemingly resolving the conflict temporarily. However, as the artist continued to request revisions during the production of the second edition proof catalog, the conflict escalated uncontrollably.
Kim claimed, "The catalog should only include exhibited works, and the museum insisted on publishing the second edition by only changing the printing paper without correcting the errors in the first edition, which led to the cancellation of the second edition publication."
Regarding this, a museum official stated, "The artist demanded a complete overhaul of the editorial direction, including replacing the editor during the second edition production process, and requested the addition of a large number of non-exhibited works that were not included in the first edition. This is an unprecedented special favor that goes beyond the museum's policy for solo exhibition catalogs."
They further emphasized, "While typically about three essays and around 100 works centered on exhibited pieces are included in a catalog, this catalog covered eight essays written by authors designated by the artist and over 420 works including non-exhibited pieces. This is about twice the volume of other artists' catalogs and is essentially akin to a 'complete works catalog.'"
The museum also clarified its position regarding the re-publication of the exhibition catalog, stating that it differs from a complete works catalog. A museum official explained, "Accepting the artist's unreasonable demands would prevent the museum from properly documenting the exhibition held at the national museum and would also violate fairness with other exhibiting artists, making it difficult for the museum to comply."
They added, "The museum remained silent despite the artist's unilateral claims out of respect for the artist who exhibited here." Regarding the artist's legal action, they said, "We will respond according to procedures going forward."
In March, Kim Ku-rim raised issues about the exhibition catalog, stating, "I requested the museum and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to discard and republish the catalog, but was ignored," and announced, "I have decided to leave Korea due to the lack of communication."
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art emphasized, "We deeply regret that a smooth agreement could not be reached regarding the production of the second edition of the 'Kim Ku-rim' exhibition catalog due to the artist's continued unreasonable demands."
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