Installation view of 《Whenever, Wherever, Whatever: Everyday Alchemy》 © Seongbuk Young Art Space
The project W.A.T. special exhibition 《Whenever, Wherever,
Whatever: Everyday Alchemy》 is on view at Seongbuk
Young Art Space through September 23.
Project W.A.T. (Woman × Art × Technology) is a social art project
that reflects on the paradoxical alienation brought about by today’s
ultra-technology and hyper-connectivity, while seeking alternative ways of
living together for individuals and communities.
The project is rooted in a practical inquiry into the intersection
of women and technology, which it has explored continuously for several years.
Building on the questions raised by the Women and Technology Project (NW
Project, 2023), it now seeks to expand its scope and depth by bringing
“feminine values”—care, inclusion, diversity, and ecology—into dialogue with a
broad “technology spectrum” ranging from analog and appropriate technology to
alternative technologies, as well as low- and high-tech.
Here, feminine values are proposed as a methodology for viewing
cold technology through a human perspective, while art serves as both a
function that encompasses the countless intersections between these two realms
and a “firm yet soft” vessel that holds them.
Installation view of 《Whenever, Wherever, Whatever: Everyday Alchemy》 © Seongbuk Young Art Space
The exhibition at Seongbuk Young Art Space, featuring seven
invited artists—MinOhrichar, Dasom Park, Water-culture, Chaewon Lee, Haeryun
Lee, Asaran Jeong, and Monica Tae—unfolds across a broad spectrum, ranging from
traditional Korean ink painting to AI-based video.
Their diverse materials and artistic pursuits can be understood as
forms of artistic solidarity aimed at recovering the humanity that has been
stripped away in an era when only advanced technologies are revered as
“technology.”
In this context, their practices seek to uncover the warmth of
life hidden behind machines and vast amounts of data, while embracing
ecological values that have been eroded by a technology-centered society. The
insignificant, the erroneous, and even individual preferences, paintings, and
sculptures can all be called technology-based art.
Installation view of 《Whenever, Wherever, Whatever: Everyday Alchemy》 © Seongbuk Young Art Space
The
exhibition 《Whenever, Wherever, Whatever: Everyday Alchemy》 is a proposal for a journey toward true liberation. Through this
communicative art platform, which operates meaningfully within everyday life,
we hope to encounter a journey toward true liberation—one that brings
technology back to the side of humanity, or, even if this proves impossible,
one that never allows us to be intimidated by it.
Participating
Artists: MinOhrichar, Dasom Park, Water-culture, Chaewon Lee, Haeryun
Lee, Asaran Jeong, Monica Tae
