Art Knowledge News
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to host Chaotic Harmony ~ Contemporary Korean Photography |
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| Written by Bertha Glisson |
| Monday, 19 October 2009 02:20 |
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"As South Korea has exploded onto the international trade scene, South Korean artists have also emerged onto the global stage, which the recent high auction prices for Korean artwork attest to. Despite this fact, Korean art is still rarely presented in the United States, and the specific field of Korean photography is even less explored here," said MFAH director Peter C. Marzio. "Following the MFAH´s tradition of presenting pioneering photography exhibitions, we are pleased to exhibit this brilliant survey of contemporary South Korean photography, which can be seen in the enhanced context of Your Bright Future and the museum´s Arts of Korea gallery." Within the exhibition, two distinct generations of Korean artists are represented: those born in the mid-1950s and1960s, during a succession of military dictatorships when the country was still largely agrarian, and those born in the 1970s, predominantly in urban areas and who came into maturity in the new democratic era which began in 1987. With two exceptions, one work by each artist is included. Through recent works by both generations of photographers, Chaotic Harmony explores Korea through five thematic sections: land and sea; urbanization and globalization; family, friends, and memory; identity: cultural and personal; and anxiety.  Urbanization and
Globalization An ancient civilization, South Korea has recently transformed into one of the world´s major global economies. Three-fourths of the population is categorized as urban, with half living in the country´s six major cities. Seoul is the world´s fourth largest metropolitan area. This section of the exhibition responds to the shift of the population from rural to city living, and the entrance of Korea on to the world stage. Family, Friends, and Memory "Family, Friends, and Memory" reflects the tensions in shifting societal values and practices as Korea continues its rapid growth. Traditionally, families followed Confucian norms: the father was the respected head of household and made decisions for his wife and children, financially supporting the family and arranging schooling and marriages. Social values have changed with increasing awareness of Western cultures through travel and the importation of Western products and media. Also with dramatic urban growth, came shifts from homes to crowded high rises, the entrance of women into the workforce, and other changes. Identity: Cultural and Personal Between 1910 to 1945, Japan annexed Korea and systematically attempted to eradicate Korean culture and identity, for example, by banning Korean literature and language from schools. Only six years after World War II, Korea was devasted by the Korean War. This section of Chaotic Harmony investigates what it means to be Korean today after this disruptive history. Some artists, such as Bohnchang KOO, seek to reclaim past cultural history, by photographing treasured and uniquely Korean items such as Celadon—the main type of ceramic produced in ancient Korea and generally exalted as Korea´s most significant artistic legacy. Jungjin Lee in tern photographs native crafts from Korean folk culture. Exploring more personal aspects of identity is Yeondoo JUNG´s Bewitched #2, a diptych juxtaposing images of the same teenager, mopping the floor of a Baskin Robbins in her day job and exploring the Artic regions in her dream job; and Hyo Jin IN´s Violet # 01 from the High School Lovers series (2007), which portrays an openly lesbian couple. Anxiety The "Anxiety" section of Chaotic Harmony investigates the constant tension provoked by strained relations and the potential of a violent outbreak between North and South Korea. Jung LEE´s Bordering North Korea, #2 (2005), from her 2005-2008 series of the same title, offers a view of North Korea seen from China and them superimposes over it an accompanying text chosen from the set phrases that North Koreans are allowed to say to the few foreigners who gain access to the country, such as "Our country is the paradise of the people,". She wants the viewer to experience both the beauty of the land and the palpable repression evident in the political slogans. Seung Woo Back references the subliminal fear of an attack from North Korea by staging "invasions" of toy soldiers that march across a family´s yard and up their wall to the kitchen window ledge, presumably unbeknownst to the person whose silhouette is visible though the window. Visit The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) at : http://www.mfah.org/ Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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