Sculptures made from broken ceramic similar to proliferate body organs, photo collages as paradisical rooms of wishes, still lifes and masks cross-cutting material and thoughts, and extraordinary conceptions of history: an extremely diverse art scene has been set into motion in faraway South Korea for some time now – some of those works can be seen at Osthaushaus Museum Hagen!
The exhibition “Transfer: Korea-NRW” opened a new chapter of today’s interaction with aesthetic engagement. Four Korean and four German artists entered a transcultural dialogue: Seoung Won Won, YeeSookyung, Na Hyun and Kira Kim for the Korean side and Luka Fineisen, Erika Hock, Seb Koberstädt and Juergen Staack für the German side. They presented contributions especially created for this exhibition: installations, space-models influenced by architecture, abstract sculptures and space sculptures stand opposite to the artworks from Korea.
The dialogue of cultures of the world is programmatic for the Osthaus Museum Hagen and belongs to its tradition. Because the conveyance of contemporary art in the context of international trends is being continued in the sense of its founder Karl Ernst Osthaus. When the museum opened in 1902 as Folkwang Museum Hagen – today’s Osthaus Museum is its successor institute – it was the first museum for contemporary art worldwide.
The project “TRANSER: KOREA-NRW” organized by the Kultursekretariat Wuppertal fits exactly in this tradition without any question. Because of one of the core tasks of the Osthaus Museum today is to extend and maintain an international network and thereby initiating projects using inter-cultural competence.
It is the 9th transfer since 1990 during which an exchange between artists from South Korea and NRW took place during the period from 2011 to 2013 with working stays in their respective host countries. However, it is the first transfer with a non-European country and therefore reveals particularly exciting contrasts and correspondence.
The insight into Korea’s contemporary art offers the opportunity to take a close look at partly unfamiliar, partly familiar aesthetic. Korea is not as unknown to us in a globalized world as one might think on the first thought about the country. Technical products like mobile phones and cars have for several years a deeply rooted place in our social life. And in art there is an informal reference to South Korea as well: Nam June Paik, the probably best-known representative in video-art, who was very present in NRW from 1979 as a professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.
Contact and information:
Dr. Tayfun Belgin
02331 207-3130
0160 - 905 898 79
tayfun.belgin@stadt-hagen.de
ARTISTS:
1. SOOKYUNG YEE (*1963, lives and works in Seoul, Korea)
Works on porcelain sculptures from broken ceramic with gold-plated adhesive joints, which remind of bodily organs an adenoids.
2. SEOUNG WON WON (*1972, lives and works in Seoul, Korea)
Creates her paradisiacal rooms by means of photo collages and computer technology, in which mankind’s old longing for paradisical harmony with nature revives.
3. KIRA KIM (*1974, lives and works in Seoul, Korea)
Kim’s works appeal to all the sense, connect sound with installation and painting with film. He does not constrain himself to one art form but he connects and uses everything available to him as a medium for his thoughts, his social criticism.
4. NA HYUN (*1970, lives and works in Seoul, Korea)
works on artistic projects which are often long-term and similar to scientific studies. He approaches urban problems and questions of coexistence with historic, socio-logical or ecological methodology, but is interested for people, places or events which were forgotten by formal historiography. His works are installations and pictures, partly drawn in water.
5. SEB KOBERSTÄDT (*1977, lives and works in Düsseldorf)
Seb Koberstädt works with a gut feeling without rough drawing or preliminary sketch. He builds abstract sculptures. Elements of work which will be exhibited in Hagen are beer bottles and pieces of wood which are used to build a logo.
6. JUERGEN STAACK (*1978, lives and works in Düsseldorf)
shows his work “Script”, a performance/installation. Thereby individual situations in the museum are put into words in five different languages and are also visually displayed. The role of museum visitors is crucial and determining. Realty and perception within the museum are change in an exciting way.
7. ERIKA HOCK (*1981, lives and works in Düsseldorf)
Erika Hock shows objects which remind of folded, spatially based architectural models. These are foldings with reference to architectural themes. The material is copper and leather.
8. LUKA FINEISEN (*1974, lives and works in Cologne and Leipzig)
Her art changes the surroundings through installations – poetically, quietly and profoundly. Luka Fineisen works with antagonisms and moves on a narrow but extremely exciting line between massive and light, transparent and closed, static and vivid.
A catalogue will be published for the exhibition available at the Museum Shop for 20 Euros.
OSTHAUS MUSEUM HAGEN
MUSEUMSPLATZ 1
58095 HAGEN
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Thursday 1 to 8 pm
Saturday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.
ADMISSION
Combination ticket for the Kunstquartier
(includes admission to both museums):
Adults 6 Euros
Family Ticket 12 Euros
Children under 7 free
Visitors from 6 to 18 years,
students, trainees, 2 Euros
School classes:
1,50 Euros per person
Group admission (12 or more persons):
4 Euros per person
WWW.OSTHAUSMUSEUM.DE