Details

Category: Gallery Talks

Internationally-acclaimed exhibition Korean Eye: Energy and Matter,sponsored by Standard Chartered, shines a spotlight on new work by contemporary Korean artists. The exhibition, which brings together 21 emerging and established Korean artists working in photography, painting, video, and mixed media, will be on view at MAD from November 1, 2011 through February 19, 2012. The Museum of Arts and Design, working in collaboration with Parallel Contemporary Art (founded by David and Serenella Ciclitira), is pleased to be the inaugural venue for the exhibition, which will tour internationally after its premiere. A previous iteration of Korean Eye: Energy and Matter, presented by Standard Chartered, was shown at the Saatchi Gallery, London and in Seoul and Singapore.

Korean Eye: Energy and Matter reflects a new era of diversity in Korean life, politics, and culture, and offers a unique opportunity for education and appreciation of Korea's rapidly developing art scene, which until recently has seen little global exposure. Korean Eye: Energy and Matter extends MAD's focus on materials and process in contemporary art and design by showcasing works of art in an astonishing range of materials, reflecting the ways in which Korean artists today are exploring techniques both traditional and innovative. Korean Eye: Energy and Matter offers an illuminating commentary on the philosophical and aesthetic conditions of modern Korean culture, from virtual reality and the pervasive influence of fantasy and pop culture to the dehumanization inherent in a post-industrial society. By turns ironic, satirical, and metaphorical, the exhibition includes photo-sculptures by Seung Hyo Jang; embroidery and acrylic paintings by Young In Hong; a large, imposing shark fabricated from reclaimed and repurposed automobile tires by Yong Ho Ji; and Meekyoung Shin's astonishing "antique" porcelain vases, rendered in soap.

Korean Eye: Energy and Matter is accompanied by a 389-page book. The book, edited by Serenella Ciclitira and published by SKIRA, showcases a collection of work by seventy-five contemporary Korean artists and features artist' biographies and statements. In conjunction with the exhibition, MAD will offer a range of educational programs, including lectures, docent tours, and a related film program to be held in the Museum theatre.

Korean Eye: Energy and Matter is organized by Korean Eye and is presented by Standard Chartered, Lead Sponsor of the whole Korean Eye project. Korean Eye was founded in 2009 by David and Serenella Ciclitira in partnership with Standard Chartered and the Saatchi Gallery to support emerging and more established Korean artists with the aim to bring Korean contemporary art world-wide. The exhibition is curated by Johnson Chang, Serenella Ciclitira and Nigel Hurst and by the Museum of Arts and Design: Holly Hotchner Nanette L. Laitman Director, David Revere McFadden Chief Curator and Vice President Exhibitions and Collections and Lowery Stokes Sims Charles Bronfman International Curator.

Korean Eye: Energy and Matter, in association with Standard Chartered, is also made possible by Dr. Young Yang Chung and the Seol Won Foundation.

For more information, visit MAD’s Web site.

Korean Eye: Energy and Matter

November 1, 2011 - February 19, 2012
at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD)
Jerome and Simona CHazen Building
2 Columbus Circle, NYC

---