Installation view of 《SAUVE QUI PEUT》 ⓒ Gallery Hyundai
Gallery Hyundai presents a group exhibition 《SAUVE QUI PEUT》 on view through July 26. This
exhibition features eight artists who address the complexities of the
contemporary moment through distinct artistic approaches.
Drawing its title from Jean-Luc Godard’s 1979 film, the
exhibition expands on the original meaning “Every Man for Himself” in times of
crisis, as a proposition for those capable of perceiving and articulating the
conditions of their time.
The participating artists have developed independent
sensibilities, rather than following institutional frameworks, trends, or
generational conventions.
The exhibition encompasses a broad spectrum of practices,
including contemporary reinterpretations of East Asian painting traditions,
figurative painting that utilizes artificial intelligence and digital imagery,
abstraction, geometric abstraction, process-based painting, sculpture and
installation, and works grounded in queer identity and lived experience.
Collectively, these diverse practices build on the artistic
legacies and discourses that Gallery Hyundai has cultivated over the past 56
years and provide a platform through which to consider the evolving
possibilities of contemporary Korean art.
As part of its ongoing commitment to identifying and supporting
emerging artistic voices, Gallery Hyundai plans to present this exhibition as a
biennial platform dedicated to exploring new directions in contemporary
practice.
Installation view of 《SAUVE QUI PEUT》 ⓒ Gallery Hyundai
The exhibition responds to a moment in time defined by
exponential growth in social media and digital platforms, rapid technological
advancements such as artificial intelligence, increasingly blurred boundaries
between virtual and physical realities, and escalating political polarization
and geopolitical tensions worldwide. In this context, systems of value and
modes of perception are being fundamentally reconfigured.
《SAUVE QUI PEUT》 begins by asking a simple
yet fundamental question about the nature of art itself. Instead of following
the discourses and keywords set by the media, the art market, or institutions,
the exhibition explores which forms of sensibility and beauty might endure
beyond the current conditions, and which artists and works might offer a
glimpse of an as-yet-unwritten future.
Within this increasingly plural cultural landscape where
multiple voices, perspectives, identities, and experiences coexist, Gallery
Hyundai turns its attention to artists born in the 1980s and 1990s.
Installation view of 《SAUVE QUI PEUT》 ⓒ Gallery Hyundai
The exhibition highlights 8 artists, Ju Young Kim, Min ha Park,
Park Junghae, Hyun Jung Ahn, Hyein Lee, Jung Jinhwa, Leesop Cho, and Sun Woo,
whose practices resist easy categorization within prevailing trends or
generational conventions.
Working across diverse media and methodologies, these artists
share a commitment to sustained aesthetic inquiry and the construction of
unique artistic vocabularies amid the uncertainties and transformations of the
contemporary moment.
Rather than proposing definitive answers or prescribing
temporary solutions, 《SAUVE QUI PEUT》
invites artists, viewers, art professionals, and cultural practitioners alike
to pause and reflect on the seemingly vast yet deeply intimate question of what
art can be today.
Extending beyond the visual arts, Gallery Hyundai has
collaborated with musician Kim Oki, whose singular musical practice also defies
categorization. In conjunction with the exhibition, Kim Oki will release a
full-length album titled SAUVE QUI PEUT on June 24 and will
present a live performance at the opening reception.
Participating Artists: Ju Young Kim, Min ha
Park, Park Junghae, Hyun Jung Ahn, Hyein Lee, Jung Jinhwa, Leesop Cho, Sun Woo
