Installation view of 《Collection, Scenes of an Era》 © ARKO Art Center
ARKO Art Center presents 《Collection, Scenes of an Era》, a special exhibition on view through December
6. Featuring 70 works by 60 artists, including Kim Kulim, Lee Kun-Yong, Sung
Neung Kyung, Shin Hakchul, and Yun Suknam, the exhibition traces the diverse
trends and transformations in Korean contemporary art from the 1970s to the
2000s through works collected by the institution since its opening in 1974.
The exhibition reexamines the role ARKO Art Center has played over
the past five decades and the significance of the collection accumulated
throughout its history. Originally opened in 1974 as the Art Center, the
institution has contributed to the development of Korea’s contemporary art
scene through its exhibitions and collection.
Looking back on the center’s history and distinctive role through
its collection and exhibition records, the exhibition also seeks to explore new
possibilities for researching and activating the collection. Drawing on the
results of a comprehensive inventory conducted in recent years, it aims to
reconsider collection management and acquisition practices while expanding
public access to the cultural and artistic resources accumulated by ARKO Art
Center.
Installation view of 《Collection, Scenes of an Era》 © ARKO Art Center
Organized by decade according to the dates of the works, the
exhibition spans the 1970s through the 2000s. Each section brings together
artists’ exhibition histories, their involvement in artist collectives, and
records of major exhibitions held at ARKO Art Center, offering a multifaceted
view of the relationships among artworks, their historical contexts, and the
institution.
The exhibition also highlights the museum’s role in expanding
research into and the use of its collection. Six research fellows selected in
conjunction with the exhibition examine the characteristics of individual works
and the artists’ practices within their historical contexts, presenting their
findings in a dedicated archive section.
This initiative broadens the art-historical significance embedded
in individual works and demonstrates the potential for the collection to serve
as a resource for research and documentation beyond the exhibition space.
Installation view of 《Collection, Scenes of an Era》 © ARKO Art Center
In the exhibition title 《Collection, Scenes of an Era》, “scenes”
refers to the realities artists encountered in different periods and
circumstances, as well as the diverse artistic practices through which they
responded to them. The works embody not only the artistic experiments and
social changes of their time, but also the relationships between the artists
and ARKO Art Center and the passage of time, layered within the collection.
Rather than viewing the collection simply as the outcome of
acquisitions, the exhibition approaches it as a means of examining both the
history of Korean contemporary art and the role of ARKO Art Center. Through
this perspective, it seeks to reveal the multiple scenes of Korean contemporary
art shaped by the intersections of different eras and memories, institutions,
and artistic practices.
Participating Artists: Kang Kyung Kyu, Kang
Dong-Suk, Kang Seunghee, Kang Airan, Kwon Youngwoo, Kim Kulim, Kim Subeom, Kim
Youngjoo, Kim Eull, Kim Chongha, Kim Hodeuk, Min Bokjin, Min Joungki, Park
Kiwon, Park Kiho, Park Saengkwang, Park Suk-won, Park Sookhee, Park Seungkyu, Park
Youngha, Park Il Yong, Park Hyesung, Bae Jong Heon, Sung Neungkyung, Song
Sanghee, Shin Bumseung, Shin Jangsik, Shin Hakchul, Yang Mankee, Yang Juhae, Um
Taijung, Yoo Young-Yul, Yun Suknam, Lee Kun-yong, Rhee Kibong, Lee Mansoo, Lee
Shinja, Lee Jungja, Lee Hangsung, Lim Geunwoo, Rim Dongsik, Lim Minouk, Leem
Jongdoo, Lim Chulsoon, Chon Naesik, Chon Byunghyun, Chung Suejin, Jung
Jungyeob, Cho Hwan, Cha Daeyoung, Choi Minhwa, Choi Youngrim, Choi Jongtae,
Choi Gene Uk, Han Bongduk, Ham Yangah, Hong Myung-seop, Hong Soonjoo, Hong Jongmyoung,
Hwang Yongyop
