1 September– 2 October 2011
Opening:
Thursday, 1 September 2011, 6PM
Artist talk:
Thursday, 1 September 2011, 5PM
Gallery Hyundai
80 Sagan-dong, Jongno-gu
Seoul 110–190, Korea
T 82. (0)2. 2287. 3500
F 82. (0)2. 2287. 3580
Gallery hours: Tues–Sun 10am–6pm
GALLERY HYUNDAI is pleased to announce the group exhibition titled Epic of Units. The exhibition presents four women artists, whose main body of works is based on the creation of new meaning and visual impact through the repetitions of small units of image or everyday object. Their works, whether they are formed from units of behavior, of material, or of thought, create (deliver) new meanings within continuous and constant repetitions. The completed works composed of these ‘units’ formulate a different visual impact, much exceeding the innate implications of the original.
Yayoi Kusama’s (b.1929-) obsession and hallucination about the repetition and expansion of infinite polka dots have gone beyond her psychological treatment, which has been supporting her life, and it finally situated in the center of the contemporary art today. Kusama’s work that is only possible in her imagination guides us to the infinite world of fascination. Yayoi Kusama now stands as the greatest Japanese artist alive, and started to shed new light on her artistic values through major retrospective exhibitions in the U.S. and Japan including at the Museum of Modern Art (1998–99). Currently, as the first Asian woman artist she is on tour of retrospective museum exhibition (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid – 2011.5-9, Centre Pomoidou, Paris – 2011.10-2012.1, Tate Modern, London – 2012.2-5, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York – 2012.6-9) and became a center of the central figure in contemporary art today.
In Yeesookyung’s (b.1963) Translated Vase series, in which the pieces of broken pottery are mended with epoxy and 24K gilts. The process, where she takes broken pottery pieces to form a whole new form is itself an alleviation, and thus (also) a creation through appropriation and repetition. The works from the Translated Vases series possess themselves their own, unique aesthetically features from the fact that they were built into the new form from broken, abandoned pieces. She has participated in various art festivals like Liverpool Biennale in UK, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Japan, Busan Biennale and Gwangju Biennale in Korea and will show her works in Sydney biennale in 2012.
Jean Shin (b.1971) is Korean-American who is based in New York City. She is well-known for her monumental installations that transform everyday objects into visually alluring conceptual explorations. Often through donations from individuals in a participating community, thousands of left and abandoned everyday items turn into conceptually rich sculptures, videos and site-specific installations. Distinguished by her meticulous, labor-intensive process, and her engagement of community, Shin’s arresting installations reflect individuals’ personal lives as well as collective issues that we face as a society. Her work has been widely exhibited in major national and international museums, including in solo exhibitions at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona (2010), Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC (2009), and Projects at The Museum of Modern Art in New York (2004).
Using naphthalenes, a core ingredient in mothballs, Aiko Miyanaga (b.1974) is an artist who produces her works by proposing new perspectives that defies existing prejudices on artworks’ ‘eternity’ and ‘possession’ through experiences of the ephemeral. She utilizes the naphthalene’s volatility into her artworks, which are usually familiar everyday objects such as clocks (watches), glasses, shoes, dolls, or anything that could be interpreted as somewhat ‘personal’. Sublimation of the naphthalenes occurs throughout the exhibition, as the object vaporizes within the clear box, randomly attaching its naphthalene crystals on the walls of the box, Each naphthalene represents the forgotten or engraved memories, visualizing the existence and the elapse of time.
For more information about the exhibition: www.galleryhyundai.com
For media inquiries: HK Koh, via hk.koh [at] galleryhyundai.com
For sales inquiries: Yunice Kim, via yunice.kim [at] galleryhyundai.com
For artists inquiries: Hee Jin Kim, via hj.kim [at] galleryhyundai.com