Alongside the pandemic, climate change, and ongoing global conflicts, the world constantly faces new turning points of uncertainty for civilization. The Cloud Walkers exhibition turns to the fresh possibilities of exploring climate issues and focuses on expanding one’s perspective beyond countries and regions—specifically through Asian art and society—to foster a framework with the potential to transform civilizations. Displaying modern art forms, the exhibition brings different perspectives on several contemporary issues and arrives at the question of how the world can move toward a more sustainable and liberated future.

Cloud Walkers is showcased at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, which is widely known as one of the leading museums in South Korea that embodies the nation’s beauty and contemporary art. Founded by the Samsung Foundation of Culture in 2004, the name Leeum is a derived term from the words Lee, the family name of the founder of Samsung, and um, from the word “museum” itself. Combined, Leeum is an open museum that contributes to the creation of culture, seeking to communicate with the public on themes that are relevant to the world today.

Following the principles of the Leeum museum, Cloud Walkers explores the theme of consciousness. The “cloud” under the title of the exhibition directly illustrates topics of climate and imagination. It stands as a metaphor for the new socio-cultural environment of the 21st century and serves as a virtual platform for sharing different perspectives across geopolitical boundaries. Coming from a wide range of backgrounds, the artists bring fresh and critical perspectives that explore current issues, inviting viewers into the synthetic world of imagination that intersects between the material and immaterial, the real and virtual.

Architects and the Environment

The exhibition is divided into three broad themes. It first revolves around the notion of accountability for the current state of the planet, as well as the desire to facilitate a sustainable ecosystem. Secondly, it incorporates a theme of limitless imagination across time and space. Lastly, the exhibition presents the intersection of a synthetic world of reality and virtuality. Although Cloud Walkers is divided into parts, the juxtaposition of the three main concepts showcases an experience of connected landscapes that guide audiences along the various architectural projects within the exhibition.

Taking the escalator down to the Ground Gallery, viewers’ attention is drawn to the massive architecture of Paper Dune, an artwork created by Japanese architect Kazuya Katagiri. The work utilizes about 4,000 cylinders of rolled eco-friendly paper, where each of the modules is stacked into alternating layers to create a space that resembles a mountain hill. Although it is grand in size, the paper hill is constructed with no specific adhesives, implying that the mountains in today’s world have become fragile and threatened by the heavy impacts of global warming.

Just above Katagiri’s artwork, a video project by Himali Singh Soin reflects a range of diverse lights on the surfaces of the paper hill. The Himalayan Mountain is displayed in the video and is deemed to be reflecting an image of a damaged landscape. It shows the mountain giving off a mystical light of radiation, highlighting the message of the natural world being damaged due to human greed. As the ongoing war and nuclear threats amplify anxieties around the world, the combined work of different artists reflects a coexistence of humanity and nature.

Alongside the Paper Dune, the Floating House is closely attached to the exhibition’s theme. In this artwork, a large bamboo house is built on one side of the Ground Gallery where it combines traditional and futuristic ideas. Designed by architect Doan Thanh Ha, this bamboo house was built for the citizens of the Mekong River Delta who have faced the threat of losing their homes due to global warming. In preparation to accommodate the increasing sea levels, architect Doan Thanh Ha designed this floating house using bamboo, recyclable straw, and plastic bottles, highly prioritizing economic feasibility. Overall, the construction of the Floating House gives an idea of the impending impacts of climate change.

Toward the end of the exhibition, Cloud Walkers invites viewers into a welfare space of the future. Combining video simulations and sound systems, artist Lawrence Lek shifts the architectural structure of the museum into a spiritual space of virtual healing entitled Nepenthe. The word Nepenthe is known as the “antidote for sorrow” and an “elixir for forgetting,” where the artist tried to emphasize how virtual spaces would become the next well-being of the future.

The Recurring Themes of Cloud Walkers

Roaming through the spaces of the exhibition, the distinctive yet related works of art and architecture guide visitors on a special journey as they grasp the perspectives of several important, global issues. Strongly emphasizing the idea of climate change, the mood and atmosphere of Cloud Walkers seem to constantly send a message of how these Asian artists think about the world’s current state. These days, modern art seems to be inseparable from discourses related to climate change, and each architectural project in the Cloud Walkers guides visitors to a surreal landscape of imaginative works.

For viewers who would want to enjoy further insight and analysis into the works, they may borrow a self-audio guide that offers explanations of each of the architectures inside the gallery. Towards the end, Cloud Walkers deals with problems of society, including concerns about the use of new and sustainable materials that are expected to give valuable insights into the perspectives of different artists that directly talk about future problems.

Exhibition Information
Title: Cloud Walkers
Venue: Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Date: September 2, 2022, to January 8, 2023
Opening Hours: 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Ticket Price: 12,000 KRW