Artistic Directors of the Korean Biennales in the International Art Scene.. and more
Sook-kyung Lee of the Gwangju Biennale and Haeju Kim of the Busan Biennale Are Also Actively Engaged in the International Art Scene
Sook-kyung Lee, who served as the artistic director of the Gwangju Biennale 2023 and previously worked as the senior curator of international art at Tate Modern in the UK, has been appointed as the new director of the Whitworth Art Gallery at the University of Manchester in the UK.
Furthermore, Lee will be serving as the curator of the Japan Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, which will take place from April 20 to November 24, 2024. At the Japan Pavilion, she will introduce video and installation artist Yuko Mohri.
Since late 2012, Lee has been actively involved in researching non-Western artistic narratives as the curator at Tate Research Centre: Asia-Pacific. She achieved worldwide recognition as the artistic director of the Korean Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale and as the organizer of Nam June Paik’s retrospective exhibition at Tate Modern in 2019.
Haeju Kim, who was the artistic director of the 2022 Busan Biennale, has been selected as the curator of the Singapore Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. She will present works by the artist Robert Zhao Renhui. As a result of her experience as the director of the Busan Biennale, Kim joined the Singapore Art Museum earlier this year as a senior curator.
She has also been involved in exhibition planning at the Nam June Paik Art Center, the Gwangju Asia Culture Center, and the Seoul Museum of Art, and previously served as the deputy director of the Art Sonje Center.
Stephen Friedman Gallery Represents Korean Artist Yooyun Yang
The Stephen Friedman Gallery in the UK now represents Korean artist Yooyun Yang (b. 1985, Korea), who is based in Korea. The artist creates paintings by layering diluted acrylic on traditional Korean paper (hanji) to control the intensity of colors. Yang’s works, featuring photographic-like compositions and repetitive motifs such as blinds, curtains, and railings, transcend reality and imagination. Her solo exhibition was held at the Stephen Friedman Gallery from June 1 to July 22, 2023.
Yang has had solo exhibitions at various venues, including Chapter II (2022), Amado Art Space/Lab (2019), and the OCI Museum of Art (2014). She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, such as Tina Kim Gallery in New York (2022); Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2022); Space K, Seoul (2020); National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju (2019); and Doosan Gallery, Seoul (2018).
Media Artist Kim Ayoung Wins the Golden Nica of the Prix Ars Electronica
Kim Ayoung’s artwork titled Delivery Dancer’s Sphere earned the top prize, the Golden Nica, in the category of New Animation Art at Austria’s Prix Ars Electronica on June 12, the world’s longest-running media art competition. The piece, chosen among 1,116 works from around the globe, had previously been featured in a solo exhibition at the Gallery Hyundai in August 2022.
Delivery Dancer’s Sphere is a 25-minute video work featuring a female delivery rider as the protagonist. The character is trapped in a never-ending navigation maze of delivery app updates. The story revolves around the top performer, the “Ghost Dancer,” of the delivery platform “Delivery Dancer,” revealing encounters with individuals perfectly resembling themselves in alternate realities. The piece offers a poignant look at the gig economy and provides a glimpse into the challenges faced by delivery workers.
The jury found that “Ayoung Kim’s combination of philosophy, topology, and classical physics with excellent visual storytelling creates a highly successful portrayal of the emerging multi-layered and uncontrollable world we inhabit.”
Kim will participate in the 2023 Ars Electronica Festival to be held in Linz, Austria, from September 6 to 10, where she will take part in exhibitions, screenings, award ceremonies, and artist talks.
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