Shining between forests of grey apartments, the newly built Buk Seoul Museum of Art hosts its inaugural exhibition #2_NEW SCENES. Seemingly hidden in a green park, the museum has only recently opened its doors. Through this exhibition, the new-born museum hopes to attract visitors and make them feel as if visiting the exhibition is like taking a walk in their own backyard.

NEW SCENES is an exhibition held in the Buk Seoul Museum of Art from December 20, 2013 to March 23, 2014. A sequel to exhibition SCENES vs SCENES, the Buk Seoul Museum of Art has chosen #2_NEW SCENES to highlight the future of Korean contemporary art.

The Buk Seoul Museum of Art is an environmentally friendly museum in which people, nature and art all meet in one place. The museum is situated right in the middle of Reed Hill Park of Nowon-gu. A peculiar feature of the museum is that it preserved the original walk path of Reed Hill Park over the top of its roof to make the building appear as one with the hill. The museum is thus easily accessible to local people and visitors. Indeed, the museum has a very natural and familiar atmosphere that draws visitors in.

The collection of artworks represents the essence of the museum and points out the direction the museum is aiming towards. The Buk Seoul Museum of Art aims to bring out the relational communicative aspects that artworks have with people.

The Buk Seoul Museum of Art which displays Korean contemporary artworks collected by the museum for over 25 years, chose #2_NEW SCENES for its inaugural exhibition. The artworks are displayed in order from past to present. This is because the exhibition focuses on looking through the stream of Korean contemporary art and finding meaning in it. On top of this, the exhibition aims to give visitors an outlook on the possible futures of Korean contemporary Art.

   
▲ The Buk Seoul Museum of Art in sky view between hills. Provided by Buk Seoul Musem.

Contemporary art introduced in the exhibition is not a familiar concept because there is not an exact definition for it. The art form is referred to as art that has been created since the end of the 20th century. Its vague definition has been the culprit of its unfamiliarity with regular people. The exhibition #2_NEW SCENES strives to bridge this gap between contemporary art and people.

To achieve this, much of the artwork in the Buk Seoul Museum of Art is actually made up of familiar materials. For instance items such as a television, exit signs and origami are integrated into the exhibition. This pulls in the audience as they see objects of familiarity.

A memorable artwork called Bang InwangJaesaekdo by Hwang In Kee is a large painting that appears as the first art piece in the exhibition. At first sight, the three meter high artwork seems like a traditional Korean painting of great mountain tops. However on a closer inspection, the whole painting is actually comprised of thousands of individual glistening beads stuck onto a black canvas.

The artwork signals a splendid start for #_2 NEW SCENES. The glistening beads reflect light beautifully which makes the image of mountains twinkle like thousands of individual stars. The sight itself was enough to stop footsteps that were hurrying into the exhibition. It sheds a dynamic light to traditional Korean paintings.

   
▲ Bang InwangJaesaekdo by Hwang In Kee. Photographed by Yoo Seung Joo

 

   
▲ A close up of Bang InwangJaesaekdo by Hwang In Kee. Photographed by Yoo Seung Joo
 Another memorable and important artwork is Translated Vase by Lee Soo Kyung. The artwork is a grotesque statue made up of broken pottery shards stuck together. What is special about the pottery is that it came from works that were soon discarded after their creation because of imperfections. Artist Lee Soo Kyung had no intentions of making this piece. She got her motivation on her way home from a tedious day when she saw these unwanted shards of pottery that reflected her feelings and mood at that moment.

 

Translated Vase connects to the audience by extending a comforting hand towards those who are hurt inside. Even unwanted shards of broken B-grade pottery can be put together to produce an artwork. This appealed to viewers who had a long day and needed comfort. Such consolidation is why Translated Vase has gained the spotlight from critics worldwide.

   
▲ Translated Vase by Lee Soo Kyung. Photographed by Yoo Seung Joo

In a similar way, numerous artworks are comprised of familiar materials. Art is not limited only to white canvas. The exhibition emphasizes that real art can be found in people’s everyday lives. Some visitors might shake their head at the displayed artworks and mutter “Even I could make that!” However, their attitude will change after realizing the hidden meaning the artist conveys through art.

Thus in #2_NEW SCENES there is no need to fear that art exhibitions are for the selected few aristocrats who understand sophisticated art. The overall atmosphere of the exhibition is very comfortable. It is recommended that visitors enter early, when the museum is not yet crowded.

Other exhibitions are held at the same period as #2_NEW SCENES because of the large size of the museum. Diverse experiences such as the exhibition Beyond Korean Painting and the children’s exhibition I Love Seoul are open to anyone who enters the museum.

Walking through the exhibition allows viewers to feel the flow of contemporary Korean artwork. It is possible to fully connect with the exhibition since there are numerous artworks that require viewers to feel not just with their eyes, but also with their ears and hands. Visit the Buk Seoul Museum of Art for its inaugural exhibition. NEW SCENES is a perfect first step in enjoying a walk of art in its finest form.

저작권자 © The Granite Tower 무단전재 및 재배포 금지