AUGUST 2ND, 2019

DISASTER l Ko Young Mee, Noh Suntag, Min Yu Jeong, Park Kyung Jin, Song Jin-Hee, Lee Boram, Chang Woojin, Cho Kyung Ran, Ha Tae-Bum

<재난展> ㅣ 고영미, 노순택, 민유정, 박경진, 송진희, 이보람, 장우진, 조경란, 하태범

서울대학교미술관, 서울 ㅣSeoul National University Museum of Art, Gallery1-4

2019. 06. 04 - 08. 18 

Typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, planetary collision, unceasing warfare in corners of the world, massacre and terrorism, conflicts and tension between states, social and environmental issues, pollution and infection, unpredictable events and accidents - all of these are disasters that have a devastating effect on human life. We grow incapable of feeling the magnitude of an event in its entirety as we become exhausted by the deluge of the negative news. All this points to the "disaster fatigue,” a weariness that keeps us from emotionally connecting to things that are well worthy of our empathy. This might be yet another tragedy created by disasters in the age of information overload.

This exhibition is, therefore, an exploration of how artists make sense of, respond to, and portray these traumatic events. The artists featured in this exhibition intentionally magnify the unspeakable emotional burden, observe the tragedy with a calm and distanced gaze, engage in chilly, cynicism-laden critique, invite the viewer to revisit the old object from a new standard, and negate the object in a playful way. We hope that it contributes to creating a healthier society, where we can tune in to the suffering and tragedy of the others, and take real actions to heal the wounds.

HA TAE BUM

Ha Tae-Bum (1974-)’s White series starts out by collecting the news photos of acts of terror, war, disasters and accidents. The images are then combined, and the scenes of the disasters are recreated with paper and white plastic materials, and photographed. The artist removes parts of the actual images to create simplified versions of disastrous scenes in the color of white solely. 

NOH SUNGTAG

A Documentary photographer, Noh Sungtag, captures and criticizes social conflicts. The artist makes records of our daily lives, delivering a sharp critique of the social discrepancies within.  The artist records the social disasters that take place due to the Korean condition of being a divided country, from the demonstration against the U.S troop relocation to Daechu-ri (Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do), the North Korean bombardment of Yeonpyeongdo, the torpedoing of the South Korean naval warship, which sunk on the shores of Baengnyeong Island. 

JANG MINSEUNG

Jang Minseung 's 'voiceless-pitch-dark, a withered field' (2014) is a video installation work created in mourning for the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster of April 16, 2014. . After feeling depressed and lost upon hearing the tragic news, the artist tried to make music to heal his feelings of helplessness and console others who have suffered the same emotions.

MIN YU JEONG

Min Yu Jeong paints moments of disasters in the format of illustration, observing terrifying scenes of disasters from a distance and highlighting tragic moments of disasters that happen in various corners of the world. The stories, however, are serene, strangely devoid of the profound sadness, and calms the mind, which comes from the narrator's stance as a spectator, who selects and edits the images of disaster. By representing the fragmented imagery of the disasters and violence as warm and non-provocative landscapes, the artist  critically portrays our ready acceptance and forgetfulness of the overflowing images of disaster, and the self-consolation, complacency and a false sense of relief we harbor.

CHANG WOOJIN

Having lived in Libya as a child, Chang Woojin reads news of Libia slightly different from those who haven't. Learning about the atrocities in the physically distant country fills the artist with sorrow about the devastation of the land which was once full of memories, leading Chang to criticize our state we find ourselves in, namely one of force, oppression, conflict and slaughter arising from invisible corners induced by the man-crafted social system. 

PARK KYUNG JIN

Catastrophes in the contemporary times include both the natural disasters and man-made disasters arising from human negligence. Park Kyung Jin became aware of death in daily life after encountering the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March, 2011, and focuses on the contemporary man-made disasters that might not have occurred had we prepared ourselves thoroughly in advance.

 

 

INSTALLATION VIEWS