Official Appearances at 'AI' Events Before and After Divorce Issue
Contemplating the Role of Art for AI-Human Interaction
Attended 'Art Korea Lab Festival' on 22nd
Stepping Out as Conference Host
No So-young, director of Art Center Nabi, who gained public attention with the 'Divorce Lawsuit of the Century' and the 1.3808 trillion KRW property division ruling, is drawing attention again as she is scheduled to attend an AI event. Director Noh will serve as the moderator at the AI conference held on the 22nd. Although she does not frequently appear in public, most of the events she attends are related to AI.
Director No So-young explaining the background of the exhibition at the 2015 Art Center Nabi event, "Why Humans Are Still Needed: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Humanity." Photo by Art Center Nabi
From the 19th to the 23rd, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Management Support Center are hosting the '2024 Art Korea Lab Festival' at Art Korea Lab in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and Defive on Dohwaseo-gil. On the 22nd, Director Noh will continue her external activities as the moderator of a conference where domestic and international figures discuss the role art can play in the interaction between artificial intelligence (AI) and humans under the theme 'AI Humanity.'
The conference panel includes Ferdi Alici, a convergence art expert from Turkey; Octavian Mott, a German new media artist; and Park Seung-soon, co-founder of Newtune, who will explore the creative possibilities that AI technology and art can generate together.
Director Noh, who has been recognized as a pioneer of AI and digital art in Korea, has consistently sought the fusion of IT technology and art, as all her official appearances following the divorce-related issues surrounding her have been AI-themed events.
Since founding Art Center Nabi, Korea's first digital art institution, in 2000, Director Noh has steadily researched the fusion of AI and art. She graduated from Seoul National University’s College of Engineering with a major in Textile Engineering, then studied abroad at the College of William & Mary in the U.S., changing her major to Economics. After completing doctoral coursework in Economics at the University of Chicago, she earned a master's degree in Education at Stanford University, a master's in Environmental Planning at Seoul National University, and pursued doctoral studies in Film Arts at Yonsei University.
In the past, she emphasized that “the question of what to teach AI is essentially a process of asking what it means to be human,” highlighting that technology can serve as a tool to re-examine humanity.
In October, following the first trial ruling in the alimony lawsuit against Kim Hee-young, chairperson of the T&C Foundation and partner of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Director Noh chose to make her first public appearance by giving a lecture at the Seoul Design Conference. The lecture topic was 'Interaction between Technology and Art,' discussing the social implications of creation involving humans and AI.
Even after Chairman Chey publicly acknowledged his extramarital child and Kim’s existence through the media at the end of 2015 and expressed his intention to divorce, Director Noh’s first official event appearance was in November of the following year at Art Center Nabi in Seorin-dong, Jongno-gu, for the exhibition 'Why Humans Are Still Needed: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Humanity.' At the press conference, she explained the exhibition’s purpose by saying, “Art does not necessarily aim for ethics. However, art can question the existing order.”
This conference also aligns with the themes Director Noh has continuously addressed despite ongoing legal disputes. At the 2015 press conference, she stated, “Art has the power to question the existing order,” suggesting that exploring the ethical and philosophical implications of technological advancement is the direction she pursues in art.
Director Noh is currently involved in a divorce lawsuit with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. When Chairman Chey first filed for divorce in 2018, Director Noh rejected it and responded with a countersuit the following year, continuing the legal battle. In May, the Seoul High Court ruled that Chairman Chey must divide assets worth 1.3808 trillion KRW, but as Chairman Chey has appealed, the case is now pending at the Supreme Court.
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