2023-08-06 17:06
When airports meet contemporary Korean art
| Installation view of the group exhibition, “Direct from Antarctica and the Arctic to Incheon Airport,” at Incheon International Airport / Courtesy of ARKO |
By Park Han-sol
The terminals of Korea’s two major airports ― Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport ― have transformed into unlikely spaces filled with the country’s contemporary art.
Running to coincide with leading art fairs Frieze and Kiaf Seoul, the three concurrent exhibitions sprawled across the airports provide inbound travelers a peek into the diversity of the Korean art scene ― from Nam June Paik’s TV installation to works born from today’s media artists’ trips to the polar regions.
As suggested by its title “Direct from Antarctica and the Arctic to Incheon Airport,” the exhibition, staged in the departure hall of Terminal 2 until Nov. 30, shows seven artists who took part in the annual polar residency program offered by Arts Council Korea (ARKO) and the Korea Polar Research Institute since 2011.
These creatives ― who either stayed at King Sejong Station in Antarctica or traveled to the Arctic Ocean aboard Korea’s first icebreaker Araon ― reimagine the remote, sparsely-inhabited polar regions as eye-catching media pieces and installations.
| Kim Seung-young’s ‘Flag’ (2015) depicts the deserted Antarctic landscape during a white night with a combination of salt, LED lights and a mini flag. Courtesy of ARKO |
Kim Se-jin’s “2048” explores the uncertain geopolitical future that lies ahead of Antarctica, highlighting the expiration year of the Antarctic Treaty, originally signed in 1959 to demilitarize the region and promote peaceful international scientific cooperation.
Son Kwang-ju’s “Phaedo” likens the current state of the Arctic Ocean faced with changing climate to the final words of Socrates, while Cho Kwang-hee’s “A Beautiful Disappearance” captures in a video loop the man-sized icebergs visibly melting away in a matter of days ― along with curious popping noises.
“When organizing this show, we came to realize that airports and polar circles have a lot in common,” said curator Kim Hyo-jeong. “Both are places without a specific nationality. Our perception of time in these places is also incredibly different from the rest. And neither the airport nor the polar regions can be permanently inhabited by someone.”
Another show mounted both digitally and physically at several different locations throughout the airport is “In Sync.”
Running through Oct. 22, the exhibition highlights the works of 11 rising media artists ― Daphne Jiyeon Jang and Cho Young-kak, among others ― working with artificial intelligence (AI), kinematics and gaming tools.
| Nam June Paik’s “I Never Read Wittgenstein” (1998) on display as part of the group show, ‘Be Free,’ at Gimpo International Airport / Courtesy of ARTPARK |
Meanwhile, at Gimpo International Airport, sculptures and installations produced by five veteran artists, including video art visionary Paik (1932-2006), adorn the third-floor departure halls as part of the exhibition “Be Free.”
Paik’s “I Never Read Wittgenstein” (1998) features four cathode ray tube monitors installed against the striped background, the colors of which are inspired by both the classic TV test pattern and “obangsaek” (Korea’s five cardinal colors).
Through the piece, the artist rejects the influential philosophy of logic and language put forth by the 20th-century Austrian thinker Ludwig Wittgenstein and “instead chooses to communicate with the audience via his own tongue,” according to the show’s organizer ARTPARK.
Also on view is media artist Lee Lee Nam’s “Gundam” series, which puts a twist on iconic sculptures like Rodin’s “The Thinker” and Michelangelo’s “David” by turning them into popular children’s robot toys coated with shimmering mother-of-pearl.
“Be Free” runs through Oct. 22.
