National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Presents ‘Forest’ Multi-Arts Program
May 23, 2024 - January 25, 2026 at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
Eight Teams Showcase Theater, Performance, Film, Installation, and More
In the dark-filled 25x20m space of the multi-arts performance hall on the basement level 1 of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, sound and light stimulate heightened senses. Standing in front of the piano is Heiner Goebbels, a German composer and director. He crafted the feeling of the garden seen through the round and square windows of the Genko-an Temple in Kyoto, Japan, in 1992, into "sound and voice." Amid the orchestra music of the same name based on Henry David Thoreau's essay "Walden," various voices, and sound effects, Goebbels' piano performance drives away the darkness. He said, “I thought I could draw out a certain sound experience using the window,” adding, “Sound is also connected to books, and in that sense, I think letters are a kind of forest.” ‘Genko-an 03062’ runs from July 14 to August 10.
On the 3rd, at the multi-arts 'Forest' press conference held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, artist Heiner Goebbels is presenting a piano performance.
At the multi-arts ‘Forest’ briefing held on the 3rd at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Director Kim Seong-hee explained the program’s purpose: “We wanted to pose critical questions about the role of museums in the Anthropocene era, where human activities are changing the Earth's environment, and explore the complex relationship between humans and forests.” As a convergence program aimed at breaking down genre boundaries and expanding the realm of art, eight teams will present performances, shows, dance, film, and installation art under the theme of ‘Forest’ at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, from May 23 to January 25 of next year.
Im Go-eun, a filmmaker and visual artist based in Seoul and Amsterdam, reinterprets the reflections in the essay "Walden" as landscapes of light and shadow. She visualizes the intimate traces of contemplation by the author of "Walden" in solitude in a modern way. Im explained, “I tried to view the forest from the perspective of a house and create shadows between the surrounding light and darkness.” ‘Shadow-Forest’ runs from May 23 to 25.
Hong Yi-hyeon-sook transforms the performance hall into a badger’s burrow, listening to the voices of the earth that humans cannot perceive. She conveys the subtle vibrations and echoes deep underground and artistically captures the intersection discovered between humans and non-humans. Hong introduced it as “a special experience that bursts open senses different from the usual ones.” ‘Invitation of Mr. Badger A’ runs from October 11 to 26.
Additionally, the program features ▲Choi Sang-min’s performances ‘4:04’ (June 13?July 6) and ‘6:22’ (November 21?December 11), which follow performers up a mountain to observe different moments of reality ▲Kaia Engel and Ari Ersandi’s ‘Hutan (Forest)’ (August 16?17), an 8-hour sound performance featuring recordings from the primeval forests of Borneo, Indonesia ▲theater piece ‘Eraser Mountain’ by Toshiki Okada and Teppei Kaneuji (November 8?9), highlighting the possibility of an equal relationship between humans and the environment ▲and Gwak So-jin’s ‘Hwi-Pan’ (January 23?25, 2026), capturing wild deer in the dark to contemplate the post-human era.
International exchanges continue as well. This year, in collaboration with Japan’s representative performing arts festival, the Kyoto Experiment Festival, a showcase will be held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, in September, followed by welcoming audiences locally in Kyoto in October of the following year.
Director Kim Seong-hee emphasized, “The multi-arts presented at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art have a strong fan base and sell out quickly, but public awareness is still relatively low,” adding, “We will strive to present contemporary art programs to a wider audience.”
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