| The "Diversity in Form and Thought" exhibition offers a glimpse of the stream of contemporary Korean art since the 80s. The tendency of Korean art in this era shows respect for creative individuality and multifarious visual perceptions, breaking away from any ideologies in a culturally diverse, multiple world. This kind of art, due to its diversity, seems different from the mainstream of 60s and 70s Korean art, which followed either a traditional (conventional) pattern or an experimental (avant-garde) spirit, respectively. |  |
Diversity in Form and Thought – Cho Kwan-Young
The "Diversity in Form and Thought" exhibition offers a glimpse of the stream of contemporary Korean art since the 80s. The tendency of Korean art in this era shows respect for creative individuality and multifarious visual perceptions, breaking away from any ideologies in a culturally diverse, multiple world.
This kind of art, due to its diversity, seems different from the mainstream of 60s and 70s Korean art, which followed either a traditional (conventional) pattern or an experimental (avant-garde) spirit, respectively. Its angle also differs from the art forms of the 80s, which sought to establish individual identity through the reinforcement of reality perception and critical awareness from the grass roots’ point of view.
As pointed out in the "History of Contemporary Korean Art" by the art critic Oh Kwang-soo, this type of art takes on the character and structure of critical commentary on rampant materialism, spiritual decadence and moral depravity in a post-industrial society.
The solution to these issues seems to be found in the discourses of contemporary Western theoreticians but, in closely investigating them, we come to sense that the mental disorientation of the 80s, in which even the spiritual became materialized by the logic of rapid industrial development, is beyond all debate.
Such mental disorder, on the one hand, might cause serious schizophrenia, but, on the other hand, this could also become a catalyst spurring an organic interchange between soul and matter—namely a communion between the two, as psychologists like Dean Radin and biologists like Rupert Sheldrake try to recover the true nature of man in pre-Decartian philosophy.
In terms of logos, this artistic act is perhaps seen as a world of disorder and fantastic mythos, and this very much has something to do with our life as well as a collective ideology. In other words, the spirit derived from each individual’s life experience is of great significance. The objective of such an artistic deed is to communicate a myriad of life meanings and to pursue harmony in the landscape of multifarious cultures throughout the world.
Any artistic expression, on the basis of such thoughts, shifts its focus from the ideological to the practical, and quite naturally takes on the process of embracing the elements of place, time and situation. By exploring installation and performance art—such artistic representations break from the stereotypes of the more conventional art forms—and moving beyond two-dimensional or three-dimensional artworks, this process, above all, seeks out the true nature of art.
In contemporary Korean art from the 80s to the present, artists no longer seek an autonomous world and instead work in a variety of media such as video, hologram and computer, thus enlarging the sphere of the genres. As many of the artists today strive to discover the spirit of art in an organic process between soul and matter, the themes of diversity of today emerge even in two-dimensional work.
As explained in the "History of Contemporary Korean Art,” some of the participating artists have presented both linear compositions and compositional depth in this show. These artists are also the ones who have been portraying the inward scenes of post-industrial society since the early 80s. Other artists participating in the exhibition were one step ahead of the rest during the 70s when they helped establish the status of Korean art through an in-depth study of art’s two-dimensional forms, which began to appear on the scene at the end of 60s.
Among 100 participating artists, most of them are currently in their late 20s or early 30s and, with this exhibition, one can clearly sense the creative flow linking them with the other group of the artists in their 40s. Moreover, as shown by realistic life, surrealistic colors, space, optical illusion, visionary imagery and the inexplicably diverse themes, although most of the works on display are two-dimensional paintings, we see these paintings work in harmony with this pluralistic society through non-identical and diverse perspectives.
This exhibition, to be held in China, offers a good opportunity for Chinese artists and art lovers alike to appreciate the works of Korean artists full of creativity and freedom.
