MMCA to display works from Korea Artist Prize finalists in special exhibition

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The four finalists for the 2024 Korea Artist Prize pose during a press conference at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in central Seoul on Thursday. From left: Jane Jin Kaisen, Yoon Ji-young, Yang Jung-uk and Kwon Ha-youn [SHIN MIN-HEE]

 
The 12th batch of finalists for the Korea Artist Prize were announced Thursday. This year’s shortlist is Kwon Ha-youn, Yang Jung-uk, Yoon Ji-young and Jane Jin Kaisen.
 
The annual award, co-organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) and the SBS Foundation, is dedicated to supporting and promoting young artists that explore contemporary social themes in their works.
 

″The Guardians of Jade Mountain″ by Kwon Ha-youn [MMCA]

 
An exhibition showcasing the works of each artist kicks off at MMCA in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Friday. As always, sections are divided according to each artist, and the exhibition is arranged to make it seem like four separate shows.
 
This year, however, MMCA curator Lee Joo-yeon emphasized that she found connections between the artists’ approaches and use of mediums. For example, Yoon and Yang’s medium of choice is sculpture, and Kwon and Kaisen’s is video.
 
As for their approach, both Kwon and Yang deal with fact and fiction. Kwon aims to narrate historical incidents through virtual reality (VR), while Yang bases his installations on real-life experiences but builds on them with elements of his “imagination.”
 
The exhibition begins with Yoon’s latest sculpture, “There was a time when, not knowing how to live, I took out my entrails to make a net.” Like its title, the piece is a net-like curtain that appears to have been made from intestines. Curator Lee explains the piece as a gateway to entering the artist’s innermost thoughts.
 

″Just, You, One, Face″ by Yoon Ji-young [MMCA]

 
Yoon’s interest in intimacy is furthermore reflected in “Just, You, One, Face,” another new installation that shows a wax-carved face. It was made by melting wax cylinders and in the process, Yoon had four friends record their voices “into” the piece expressing sympathy toward one another.
 
Kwon includes unheard stories of Korea’s demilitarized zone, or DMZ, and those of the Indigenous Bunun people of Taiwan in her VR works. This includes her latest work, “The Guardians of Jade Mountain.” These stories weren’t previously recorded in text nor were accessible to the general public.
 

″Someone I Know, in His Garden I’ve Never Seen″ by Yang Jung-uk [MMCA]

 
Yang’s “Someone I Know, in His Garden I’ve Never Seen” is a wooden, motorized installation comprised of gear-like parts that are all precisely arranged to move in different ways. There are knickknacks attached to each part, like bottles of water or toilet roll tubes bobbing up and down. Yang was inspired by his wife, who recently started gardening in a small, allocated garden plot and tended to numerous plants.
 
“After a while, whenever I passed by the garden spot, I would immediately start picturing my wife,” Yang told reporters during a press conference at MMCA on Thursday. “It felt like that plot of land became filled with traces of my wife’s gardening endeavors.”
 

″Ieodo (Island Beyond the Sea)″ by Jane Jin Kaisen [MMCA]

 
Kaisen, who was born in Jeju but was adopted and grew up in Denmark, is a filmmaker who researches the history and culture behind the island. The subjects in her videos include haenyeo (female sea divers) and lava rocks, which are shown close up.
 
The 2024 Korea Artist Prize exhibition continues until March 23 next year. The winner will be announced sometime in February. MMCA is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, with hours extending to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. General admission is 2,000 won ($1.40).

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]