l'Art de Far East

Hyperallergic article/exhibition review:  

Japanese Propaganda Kimonos

Sept 10 – Oct 24, 2015

Korean modern art movement - “Tansaekhwa” - finally getting their spotlight in the art world? 

Interestingly though, this art movement is being criticized harshly by modern art historians in Korea... for reasons that this article vaguely points to:

“The resultant works had a strong, if superficial, affinity to paintings by Cy Twombly, the ZERO artists...and other exponents of postwar abstraction, but came out of a period of economic deprivation and political upheaval.... Although political repression was met with some disaffection and resistance, the Tansaekhwa artists remained silent.” 

“Superficial affinity” and the “silence” are not the only issues I find with Monochrome paintings. 

While doing research in Korea, I was, frankly, just bored of seeing the same Monochrome artists and their motifs fill every single gallery and museum in Seoul.

Shitamichi Motoyuki (b. 1978)

Motoyuki Shitamichi shows us “shapes” that are present but escape our notice. In Remnants (2001–2005), he discovered, recorded, and introduced old defensive structures in Japan, including gun emplacements and fighter aircraft hangars that constitute part of the landscape but are used for different purposes such as barns. In his Re-Fort Project (2004–), he has given new functions to these war relics (which no longer function as they were originally designed) by using them as venues for kick-the-can games or fireworks events. Through these activities, Shitamichi connects the past with the present, and links missing memories with the remaining structures. There are some things that pass unnoticed in our daily lives and that we avoid looking at: Shitamachi makes us aware that they have melted into the landscape but remain as shapes.

The Torii series is a project that Shitamichi has been working on since 2006. He has visited and photographed torii that are located outside Japan’s current national border. Torii were built in the Northern Mariana Islands (a U.S. territory), Northeast China (former Manchuria), Taiwan, South Korea, and Sakhalin (a Russian territory). His works show that, after the war, their shapes and uses have been changed to suit the local cultures and lifestyles in respective countries. In Saipan, torii remain intact at cemeteries; those in South Korea have been destroyed and no longer exist. In Taichung City, a torii is laid on its side and used as a park bench. Torii, which represent a symbolic shape in Shintoism, have lost their significance as symbols but remain in shapes different from their original forms. In this way, Shitamichi focuses on how symbolic shapes can be transformed into non-symbolic objects.

Torii are also considered as barriers (borders) to distinguish the sacred from the secular. Indeed, Shitamichi’s torii project is synonymous with his discussions about borders. Torii located outside Japan’s national border look different depending on the historical view, political situation, and culture of respective countries. The difference is attributed not only to the regime and large events such as war, but also to the gradual change in people’s daily lives. As life continues, memories of large events gradually fade due to the accumulation of small events. The consecution of small events transforms the landscape before people realize it. The torii that Shitamichi focuses on in this series encompass the time series in terms of both large historical events and small personal events. He borrows the landscape to provide the audience with opportunities to contemplate upon the visible/invisible, existent/nonexistent borders. In general, the Japanese people are too sensitive or try to distance themselves from issues regarding the national border, territory, and state, because they are not accustomed to focusing on such issues. Shitamichi boldly takes up these issues and quietly upsets the concept of “Japan” or “the Japanese people.” His works reveal relative, fluid, and personal borders that are different from those created by political ideologies or historical objectivity.

Mihoko Nishikawa (curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo) Quoted from the catalog of MOT Annual 2012: Making Situations, Editing Landscapes (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo) (edited as necessary)

Tae-bum Ha (b. 1974)

Lives and works in South Korea

Inspiration behind Ha’s works derive from everyday images of war and natural disasters that he frequently encounters through mass media. By creating “white-washed,” intricately replicated scenes of disaster and trauma, the artist seeks to not merely comment on the larger questions of humanity and grief, but also the jaded and blase, consumerist attitude we have perhaps unintentionally adopted. 

Jinju Lee

b.1980 in Busan, Lives in Paju, Korea

Jinju Lee’s work begins from questions thrown repeatedly in life. The negative events and emotions of the past, which were not even wanted, endlessly appear and disappear within the everyday life. Lee continuously asks herself what becomes the device which arouses memories from within the uncomfortable 'ventilation' one does not wish to face, what are the common structures of memories and in what way do memories, which survived without having been forgotten, manufacture. She wonders why people with Alzheimer do not only lose memories of the past but cannot live the present and cannot imagine the future and where the boundaries are between memories, dreams and conscience. What are the afterimages of images, made by her perception from cognitive force of memory surpassing time and space, like? What becomes visible during the process of inner quest starting from these questions is recorded as her work.From the superfluous cut from a well-made frame, following their softly soundless stories, cuddling the insignificant and petty motifs of the everyday, she discovers the unconscious sensuous layer that is hidden inside. At that moment, Lee becomes a melancholic adventurer and the everyday is reborn into things of the extraordinary.

“The two day sales reflect the growing global prominence of Asian artists, as international collectors showed their affirmation of Asian art with a modern interpretation. Christie’s brought the theme of Asian abstract art into a broader global context and achieved enormous success as strong prices were seen for both modern and contemporary artists. Chinese masters such as Chu Teh-Chun (1920-2014) continue to assert their presence at auction, with ‘Le 30, Oct 1985’ becoming the top selling lot in the sales. Continuing the momentum from the evening sale, Korean 20th century art was 100% sold with 14 works selling above high estimate. Vietnamese modern artists also gained momentum with four new artist records while work in other mediums, such as sculpture, also saw strong results. With more than half of the lots sold above high estimate, both day sales created a total of 40 world artist records and in a grand finale to the day, Arie Smit’s (B.1916) ‘Pura’ achieved a record price for the artist.” said Eric Chang, International Director of Christie’s Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art Department.”

Tschang Yeul Kim (b. 1929) oil on canvas 55 x 46 cm. (21 5/8 x 18 1/8 in.) Painted in 1980 

One of the most well-known Korean modern painters, Tsang Yeul Kim, was part of Christie’s record breaking sale of Asian 20th Century & Contemporary Art this past May. 

the british-accent narration.. is a little off-putting but here’s a short video on korean experimental art! enjoy the jazzy background music.