Installation view of 《Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition》 ⓒMMCA
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea
(MMCA), presents 《Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition》 on
view through May 3, at MMCA Seoul.
《Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition》
introduces works that openly reveal their own process of decay, brought
together under the practice of “sak-da,” or decomposing art. In the era of the
Anthropocene—in which human activity exerts a profound impact on the Earth’s
environment—the exhibition examines the ways in which artworks are changing in
the face of a comprehensive global crisis and explores the historical,
aesthetic, and social meanings of these transformations.
Installation view of 《Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition》 ⓒMMCA
This exhibition questions whether the long-held belief that a
great work of art is something that does not change, or must not change,
remains valid in the contemporary era. It presents works that choose to decay
in order to co-live with diverse beings beyond the human.
Just as the native Korean verb “sak-da” simultaneously conveys
the meanings of “to become rotten” and “to ferment and develop flavor,” these
works seek coexistence with nonhuman beings through decomposition and
participation in the cycles of nature.
Installation view of 《Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition》 ⓒMMCA
The exhibition invites visitors to ponder compelling questions,
such as how the future of museums might unfold if they were to embrace the
transformation of such works.
Organized into four sections, “Prologue,” “Act 1: Moments of
Becoming,” “Interlude,” and “Act 2: Sympoietic Landscape,” the exhibition
presents approximately 50 works by 15 domestic and international artists (both
individual and group), including paintings, sculptures, and installations.
Participating
Artists: Gosari,
Kim Bangjoo, Kim Juree, Dan Lie, Delcy Morelos, Rice Brewing Sisters Club, Yuko
Mohri, Future Material×Green Recipe Lab, Cecilia Vicuña, Asad Raza, Edgar
Calel, Yo Daham, Lee Eunkyung, Lee Eunjae
