Korea Artist Prize finalists shows at MMCA explore contemporary issues

Four Korean promising artists unveiled their works at the exhibition “Korea Artist Prize 2021” at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in Seoul.

The final winner of the exhibition -- to be chosen by a jury -- will be announced early next year.

The four artists– Kim Sang-jin, Bang Jeong-a, Oh Min and Choi Chan-sook -- are showing works that were newly commissioned for the exhibition, and reveal their concerns as artists.

Choi Chan-sook has focused on land which has become privatized and turned into an object of investment. 

In the film work “qbit to adam,” Choi explores the stories of people who were pushed out of their land, asking when land began to be privatized. The four-channel video installation and the bronze-color floor bring an immersive experience to the viewers at the exhibition space.

Installation artist Kim Sang-jin sheds light on the impact of the fast-developing virtual reality world evolved by metaverse, cryptocurrency and social media. Stepping into the exhibition hall, one may feel as if standing on the boundary between the real and virtual worlds. The work “Lamp in video game uses real electricity” consists of video and sound installation works. 

Oh Min’s “Heterophony” refers to multiple individuals simultaneously performing a single melody to create melodic variations. The installation work involves five monitors posing a fundamental question about time, “No moment is ever stationary,” the artist said while showing her work on Tuesday. Oh was the winner of the 17th Hermes Foundation Missulsang in 2017.

Busan-based painter Bang Jeong-a is showcasing an exhibition titled “Heumul-heumul,” addressing social issues through paintings. Her works at the exhibition are rooted in the feminist art and Minjung art, an anti-authoritarian socio-political art movement that flourished in Korea in the 1980s. 

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)