The Galleries Association of Korea announced that it will present the special exhibition “Kiaf onSITE: Invisible Transitions” at Kiaf SEOUL 2024, which will be held for five days from September 4 to 8. “Kiaf onSITE” is a special exhibition showcasing the most noteworthy and innovative works of the year, curated by Seungah Lee, a director of Uartlab Seoul, and featuring seven teams of emerging and established artists from Korea and abroad who are active in the contemporary art scene.
 
Under the theme of ‘Invisible Transitions’, this year's exhibition will examine the relationship between human nature and technology, and how we navigate our relationships and lives at the new turning point between rapidly changing technology and the collapse of the old world, through artists' multi-disciplinary perspectives and 'futuristic alternatives'. The works on display span a variety of genres, including media art, installation, performance, AI wearable technology, and VR.
 
“Kiaf Onsite” is organized into three sections: ‘Changes in Technology,’ ‘Changes in Experience,’ and ‘Changes in Space.’ Section 1: Changes in Technology explores the nature of human beings as technology advances, issues of migration and new coexistence under globalization, and identity, and introduces installations that call for a new awareness of the center and periphery. Minha Yang (Media Installation) presents Closed-loop life system 2409, which examines the re-awareness of the human essence due to technological changes and the relationship with non-humans that has been transformed from an anthropocentric mindset. Wonjung Choi (installation) examines multiculturalism and heterogeneity with Roots II, inspired by her own migration experience.

Section 2: Changes in Experience showcases boundary-breaking and experimental performance through visual communication. Kat Austen collaborates with AI-enhanced wearable technology and fashion designers to create a cyborg traveler who interacts with the audience in a performance. JIN Dallae & PARK Woohyuk draw attention to the subtle shifts between the visible and invisible worlds through rules and repetition. The two performances will expand the genre boundaries of Kiaf SEOUL beyond traditional visual art genres and present a new way of pairing through innovation in space utilization.
 
Performance Dates & Locations
JIN Dallae & PARK Woohyuk: September 4 at 1pm, September 7 at 2pm (The SwingSpace between A & B Halls)
Kat Austen: September 4 at 2pm, September 7 at 3pm (mobile performance, starting in the Performance Zone in the SwingSpace between A & B Halls)
 
Section 3: Changes in Space proposes to create a virtual reality (VR) space, The WONDER, to microscopically observe the diverse life forms coexisting in an ecosystem, and to reflect on future “symbiotic relationships” within hyper-connected virtual spaces. Winslow Porter & Elie Zananiri use time-lapse photography and photogrammetry to create a more multisensory and immersive experience of the life cycle of a mushroom. Marlene Bart places artifacts in a virtual space to provoke different artistic discourses and reveal uncomfortable truths about the universal order we have come to believe in. Bosul Kim creates a near-future environment shaped by the climate crisis in virtual space.

References

• 키아프 서울 (Kiaf SEOUL)