Sneak peek into future of Korean art at 'ArtSpectrum'

Oak Jung-ho's "Standing Bow Pulling Pose" is on exhibit at Leeum's "ArtSpectrum 2012". Oak reverses the idea of yoga by posing it at odd places or time. / Courtesy of Leeum

By Kwon Mee-yoo

From a photo of a man in a ball gown to a watchtower set on the wall of a gallery, the energy and ideas of young Korean artists bursts out at the Leeum in Hannam-dong, Seoul. The exhibition is titled "ArtSpectrum 2012" featuring rising artists and opened Thursday.

"ArtSpectrum" is Leeum's special biennial event shedding light on upcoming artists. Started in 2001, the exhibition provides a gateway to the artists regardless of genre. It was briefly cancelled in 2008 due to a slush fund scandal involving Samsung. The museum is run by the Samsung Foundation of Culture.

This year the series resumes and this time eight artists - Kim A-young,Kim Ji-eun, Bae Chan-hyo, Oak Jung-ho, Jang Bo-yun, Jun So-jung, Choi Ki-chang and Han Kyung-woo - were chosen.

The characteristics of this year's "Artspectrum" are clearer when compared to the permanent collection of modern art at Leeum. Reflecting this generation of artists who grew up with visual media and are used to experimenting with various methods, the exhibition has no paintings with most works being photographs, video art, installations or more than two of the forms combined.

The theme of each work varies from personal identity to historical events. Combined with a diverse use of media, they give a glimpse of the vibrant art scene in Korea.

An Asian man in pale makeup and a bluish dress stares at the camera impassively in "Existing in Costume Cinderella". The man in the photo is artist Bae Chan-hyo who posed for his own photographic artwork.

Bae is based in London and his works reflect the heterogeneous life of an Asian in the West. In his "Fairy Tales" series he turned himself into a princess and later the idea progressed to use historical figures such as Anne Boleyn and Mary Stuart. In "Existing in Costume Anne Boleyn", he captured the moment she married England's King Henry VIII of. Blood dripping from her neck foretells her later fate of execution.

Kim Ji-eunpresents "Some Watchtower" and "Mass of Scaffolding" at this exhibition, expressing her thoughts on urban environment.

The former looks like a photographic work but when examined closely, it is made of wood grain contact paper. The artist "built" the watchtower with wood grain sheets on the wall of the Ground Gallery. "Mass of Scaffolding" was inspired by a construction site in Shanghai and she made the scaffolding out of wooden skewers and twist ties.

In the middle of the exhibition hall stands a white sailboat-shaped structure. It is part of Kim A-young's "PH Express", a two-channel video that reenacts England's occupation of Geomun Island. PH stands for Port Hamilton, another name for the island in Korea's South Sea and British actors perform the roles of the sailors and diplomats.

The artist tries to revive a forgotten slice of history of how Korea was incompetent in the battle between the United Kingdom and Russia. "PH Express" is a story of a Korean island, but it is based on documents from the West and gives a reversed view on Korea's past.

Yoga, an example of self-discipline, becomes comical in Oak's work "Standing Bow Pulling Pose". He wears a black suit and white shirt and performs various yoga moves on a mud flat. Drenched in mud, Oak's effort makes the viewers smile before realizing the piece's meaning. "The Sun Salutations" is another basic yoga pose but the artist pictured holding the pose at around 5 a.m. near Hongik University, Yeouido and his house in a quiet residential area creates an odd feeling.

Jun's three video works focus on a tightrope walker, a machine embroidery designer and a sign painter. Jun regards them as retaining artists' attitudes and finds connecting factors between the people who seek the ideal through their artistry.

Han reverses people's fixed ideas about television and visual art. "White Noise-I" might be a monochrome painting, but it also looks like white noise when seen through a camera lens while "Level Table" is a bent table which looks flat using a magnet in front of a television.

Choi's "Eye Contact" and "Fortune Timer" bring a sense of randomness, while Jang works with photos found in abandoned albums.

"ArtSpectrum 2012" runs through Sept. 16 and admission is 6,000 won. For more information, visitwww.leeum.orgor call (02) 2014-6900.