Firmly in the grips of continued jet lag, I woke up quite early. I drank tea and read, until a reasonable hour and then caught a bus to the base of the mountains for a hike into Inwangsan (san = mountain).
This was not an aimless hike, I was headed to the Forest Rest area – a glass enclosed library that is about halfway up the mountain. The path I took was half stairs/half hiking along the city wall of old Seoul. Very steep, but beautiful and thrumming with bird song and insects.
Once there, I read for about an hour and returned to a normal color (I was bright red from the sun and heat!) before heading down to catch a village bus.
Next stop – the MMCA (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art,) where there was an eco-event being hosted. There were trees in bags, tasty food, and a DJ.
The museum itself was free because of Seoul Art Week!
In total, there were four exhibits in the numerous halls of the museum. First, I stopped into the “Back to the Future” exhibit; all media types were represented (painting, installation, video, sculpture, photography) and the accompany text was thoughtful in discussing the selection of each artist for their interpretation of contemporaneity approach in their (also contemporary) art.
The piece I share below, “Motel”, was striking because it captures the contrast of inky, dark forest nearby the fluorescent, garish light of the city – the specific use of a motel has a charged meaning, but it was not the initial reason I was drawn to the painting or why I think it’s interesting: it’s fantasy meets noir, rare to see.
Another piece from the same exhibit was “Flowers of Tomorrow,” an installation which took up half the entrance way. The inclusion of yellow, fluorescent plants (not pictured) along side those which appear as rusted metal was an interesting juxtaposition of a city also – the natural, encased in signifying materials and colors, then transplanted and displayed as if in a hotel entrance was fascinating.
In Jung Yeondoo’s exhibit, there was a mixture of installation and video art which were difficult to document. The topic of his exhibit was surprising: the korean diaspora in Mexico. Personally, I’ve read “Black Flower” by Kim Young-ha, so I had some knowledge of the immigration of Koreans to Mexico in the early 1900s, but this is the first time I’ve seen it represented in art. Really interesting contemplation on a complex topic, with brilliant use of materials in the installation “Wall of Blades” which alludes not only to the work many Korean immigrants did, but also the the historical role of sugar in colonization.
The last exhibit I’ll write about is Kim Kulim’s solo show; reading through the exhibition guide, I understood that he is a key figure in the Korean experimental movement and, having some knowledge of the modern and contemporary art in Korea, I can appreciate the social importance of his work. However, the trajectory of his chosen mediums track with contemporaneous art movements more broadly (installation/found objects in the 60s/70s, integration of technological elements to 2D art in the early 2000s, video, etc.) and it was difficult to understand how these pieces were in dialogue with either art or social movements (local or international). Is something experimental without a contrasting norm or without context? I’d like to learn more about his work, to see if I’m missing something. I did like the overwhelming experience of Kim’s most recent piece, “Yin and Yang”, which was accompanied by a massive din from all of the videos echoing in the mirrored room – it very much captures the cacophony of our current state of technology and life.
Exhibited in “Kim Kulim.”
Exhausted, I did try to eat at a recommended restaurant and failed because it was only open for dinner! And…I fell asleep early again. I can decisively state that I’ve failed at acclimating to the time zone here – but I’ll embrace it. Tomorrow – more art, some shopping, visiting more parks?
What&Where 2022-2024 
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