Installation view of 《AMOR EX MACHINA》 © Seoul Museum of Art
The
Seoul Museum of Art is presenting the exhibition 《AMOR
EX MACHINA》 at the Seoul Museum of Art Seosomun Main
Branch through September 6, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the SeMA
Nanji Residency.
Marking
its 20th year, the SeMA Nanji Residency has consistently discovered and
supported more than 600 artists, researchers, and curators through a
process-oriented approach to creative practice.
This
exhibition brings together around 60 works—including photography, installation,
video, and sculpture—by 17 (teams of) former resident artists. It explores how
human nature and artistic creativity persist and transform within a
contemporary environment in which technology has become a defining condition of
life.
Installation view of 《AMOR EX MACHINA》 © Seoul Museum of Art
《AMOR EX
MACHINA》 reconfigures archetypal narratives—repeated across classical
myths, folktales, and theatrical traditions—by bringing them into dialogue with
the contemporary technological environment. Drawing on classical motifs such as
the myth of Prometheus, the River Lethe, and heroic narratives, the exhibition
operates by rewriting these stories within present-day technological
conditions.
At the same
time, it reconsiders human existence through the lens of speculative
imagination and posthuman perspectives, raising questions about forms of affect
and relationality that persist even beyond technology.
The
exhibition is structured around four major narrative strands. “Theft of Fire”
addresses the convergence of technology and the body, as well as the expansion
and transformation of the senses. “River Lethe” explores issues of memory and
data, life and preservation.
“Strange
Return” calls forth beings that exist outside systems, non-normative modes of
life, and the struggles of those who elude systemic capture. Finally, “To the
Origin” reflects on humanity in the age of technology, asking where the affect
of love might reside.
Installation view of 《AMOR EX MACHINA》 © Seoul Museum of Art
The
exhibition extends beyond a fixed mode of viewing, unfolding over time through
a range of programs. These include site-specific performances by Ivetta
Sunyoung Kang, audience-participatory workshops, and a series of talks at the
intersection of art and science organized in collaboration with the Institute
for Basic Science, as well as multidisciplinary lecture programs.
Participating
Artists: Woohyeok Kang, Yesul Kim, Hyunseok Kim, Dew Kim, Minha Park,
Shin Jungkyun, Ji Hye Yeom, Jiyoung Yoon, Ivetta Sunyoung Kang, Eunhee Lee, Hye
Joo Jun, Young Ho Jeong, Jaekyung Jung, Heemin Chung, Jeamin CHA, CHOE
Sooryeon, Felicia Honkasalo & Sam Williams
