2018 Asia Project
April 7–July 8, 2018
2018 Asia Project: HOW LITTLE YOU KNOW ABOUT ME
April 7–July 8, 2018
MMCA Seoul, Galleries 1,2,3,4 and communal spaces
HOW LITTLE YOU KNOW ABOUT ME is the first exhibition in MMCA 2018-2019 Programme initiated with the key word of "Asia." It is a question we ask ourselves (“how do we understand Asia?”) and also one that we inquire about the images portrayed and labeled as Asia throughout history. In this exhibition, “Asia” does not simply refer to a geographical region or identity – it is a multifaceted critical framework that offers an alternative way of looking at the world. Focusing on the role of an artist as a storyteller, the project attempts to elicit personal experiences of artists entangled in geographical locations and contexts. HOW LITTLE YOU KNOW ABOUT ME aims to cast light on individual values and voices of communities often disregarded in mainstream history.
The very moment the exhibition starts to talk about the unseen, it calls forth the conventional notions of nation, national borders, ethnicity, and identity. The exhibition reveals how these aged concepts, mingling themselves with expressions of nationalism and ethnic pride, write a history of winners and losers and isolate individuals with invisible threats of economic stagnation, political uncertainty and surging military tensions. The exhibition further illustrates that contrary to the commonly held belief of a constantly progressing history, these “un-seen” existences keep haunting us even when we do not perceive them, constraining our lives and limiting the boundless creativity and challenge of the individual.
“Intersectional space,” another defining keyword in the exhibition, refers to an intersection of multipleideas and standpoints rather than a simple dualistic concept that distinguishes the inner and the external. It tells a story of where one stands looking at what in order to perceive and make sense of a world, of an object—at the same time, it is also about a complex identity that cannot be encapsulated in a single definition. Looking at the transitions that take place, we are led to discover that events and objects take on different forms depending on our perspectives and are always in the state of constant flux.
In the later phase of the project, we will seek possibilities of extending the discussions that develop during the exhibition beyond the exhibition period by adopting the keyword “relations.” In order to create “relations,” the “platforms” will step out from the conventional gallery spaces into the open square, corridors and communal spaces, where they become the venue that brings the different voices surrounding us to life. With an archive and a library, the study platform offers a new perspective in a world haunted by the "unseen existences," while the play platform serves as an intersectional space bridging isolated individuals through one-day markets, a lemon wine bar, cooking classes and talk programs run by artists.
Participating artists: Timoteus Anggawan Kusno, Yogesh Barve, Zhang Xu Zhan, Tao Hui, Jihye Yeom, Yusuke Kamata, Elia Nurvista, Yuri An, Martha Atienza, Po Chih Huang, Mark Salvatus, Hikaru Fujii, Map Office, Ruangrupa+Serrum, 98B Collboratory (15 artists/groups)
