By Kwon Mee-yoo
From nearly extinct female-only theater and the imaginary International Date Line to science fiction animation from the 1960s and the reason for being of a community, the four nominees of the Korea Artist Prize 2018 explore social issues in aesthetic and political ways.
The annual award, established in 2012, is co-organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) and SBS Foundation.
Artist Jung Eun-young, also stylized as siren eun young jung, has spent about a decade researching "yeoseong gukgeuk," a type of female-only theater that was most popular in the 1950s. Her latest work analyzes the sociopolitical background of the forgotten theatrical practice.
The exhibit begins with a hallway of archival photos, videos and newspaper clippings about yeoseong gukgeuk. Due to its all-female nature, female performers played the male roles like Japan's famous all-female troupe Takarazuka Revue.
"I picked yeoseong gukgeuk as my theme because I wanted to start a discourse on gender issues," the 44-year-old artist said. "Yeoseong gukgeuk was established in 1948 soon after the independence of Korea by female entertainers and became very popular immediately, performing even during the 1950-53 Korean War. However, it did not survive as a tradition nor modern form of theater in the male-dominated Korean society."
The centerpiece of Jung's works would be "Deferral Theatre," a 35-minute video. "This video is the history of yeoseong gukgeuk and a critical analysis on the genre by me," Jung said. "I tried to trace the life and experience behind the image, not the truth of the image itself."
Gu Min-ja questioned what happens when civilization intervenes in nature through an interesting performance on the International Date Line (IDL).
The idea began from a simple question ― "can one live one day twice?" ― and Gu looked into the artificial notion of time despite the irreversibility of time's passage.
She staged a performance on Taveuni, Fiji, where the IDL lies, attempting to live the same day twice on either side of the line. The 48-hour performance is condensed to match the museum's opening hours.
"You will encounter a certain time of day when you visit the museum and watch the video. I don't expect visitors to watch the video from beginning to end, but observe the speed of time," Gu said. "The IDL is an arbitrary line, which is halfway around the world from the Greenwich meridian. The line is not actually used in the place, but is an imaginary line to adjust the time difference. There is a sign for the IDL, but it is just for tourist attraction."
Jung Jae-ho's works are related closely to the scientific and technological developments of the 1960s when Korea went through rapid growth.
He recreated modern buildings in central Seoul around Euljiro and Jongno with acrylic paint on hanji (traditional Korean paper), conveying the mixture of the East and West in Korean culture.
"These buildings were built from the 1960s to 1970s. I'm not much interested in the era, but more about what's happening around us now. As I searched for clues, that era provided me an answer as the mentality shaped along with the rapid economic growth is still prevalent now. I think it might give us a hint predicting the future as well," the artist said.
Another piece is a rocket inspired by a sci-fi comic book "Yocheol Balmyeongwang" (junk inventors).
"In this 1970s comic book, the protagonist is an elementary school student inventor. He is a genius, but his creations do not always work properly considering his level of knowledge. In one episode, he invents a rocket for a trip to the moon, but the rocket falls into a stream instead of flying off to the space. The installation is my imagined version of the rocket landing successfully on the moon," Jung Jae-ho said.
Last but not least, the Okin Collective was founded in 2009 by members including Kim Hwa-yong, Yi Joung-min and Jin Shi-u. The artist group was initiated to address the eviction of the historic Okin Apartment complex in central Seoul. Since then, they have been exploring social issues through various media such as videos, performances and podcasts.
The trio researched why people create communities and how the communities are maintained in three cities ― Seoul, Incheon and Jeju ― for this exhibition.
"In Search of How to Revolve, or Its Contrary" documents discussions among a group of artists based in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul. Their conversation might seem trivial, but they point out what it is like living as an artist outside Seoul, in a country where so many things are centered around the capital.
Jury members include MMCA director Bartomeu Mari, Mudam Luxembourg director Suzanne Cotter, Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum, China vice president Chunchen Wang, 2018 Shanghai Biennale chief curator Cuauhtemoc Medina and Asia Culture Center artistic director Kim Sung-won.
"These artists work in a variety of media and genres from traditional to avant-garde and showcase the distinctiveness and universality of Korean contemporary art," Medina said.
Wang from China said the artists deal with tradition, politics and modernization and give a glimpse into Korean society and its members.
This year's winner will be announced on Sept. 5 and awarded 10 million won and a documentary will be produced on their works.
The exhibit runs until Nov. 25. 2018
For more information, visit mmca.go.kr
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