Participating artists: Yun Choi, Sunpil Don, Dahwan Ghim, Priscilla Jeong, Kang Jungsuck, Heecheon Kim, Muyeong Kim, Jihyun Jung, Kolown, Eunsae Lee, Li Yi-Fan, Soe Yu Nwe, Syeyoung Park, Part-time Suite, Riar Rizaldi, Kornkarn Rungsawang, Hansol Ryu, Sparkling Tap Water, Kamonlak Sukchai, Sundialll, Fuyuhiko Takata, Arlette Quynh-Anh Tran, Bo Wang, Vivien Zhang, He Zike, Stella Zhong
The Leeum Museum of Art proudly presents the Art Spectrum 2024 Dream umbrellawhich brings together works by 26 Asian artists of the millennial and post-millennial generation to navigate this generation’s facilitated perception of the body through the experience of the world through screens. Launched in 2001, Art Spectrum is a biennial program to support emerging Korean artists. This 2024 edition of Art Spectrum continues its support but seeks to create a transition in line with the current global contemporary art scene. In 2024, Art Spectrum invites Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija as Artistic Director to co-curate the exhibition with Hyo Gyoung Jeon (Curator, Leeum Museum of Art) and Jiwon Yu (Guest Curator) to explore the open questions and experimental forms of exhibition in contemporary art. The exhibition brings together 26 artists/teams from 11 countries, including Korea, as well as China, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States and Vietnam, to present 60 artworks – 23 of which are commissioned works that premiere in this exhibition.
In addition, 2024 Art Spectrum Dream umbrella is based on the idea that millennial and post-millennial artists perceive the physical world differently in an era when screen-mediated experiences—the internet, games, movies—are taken for granted. Korea’s first “PC Bang” (the internet cafe) was born in 1998, and around the same time families began purchasing computers for educational purposes. By the 2000s, household computers and the internet had become increasingly commonplace around the world. The generations that grew up in this environment spent increasing amounts of time in front of screens during their formative years, and in doing so experienced the world in markedly different ways than previous generations. Because people are accustomed to seeing themselves on screens, they perceive their own physical and social situations outside of them from different vantage points. For some, the gap between on-screen and off-screen reality has grown uncontrollably; for others, they have more or less merged, making any distinction unnecessary.
In such cases, the perception of space and time is often distorted, and this experience of distortion can be not only disturbing but also frightening. The exhibition Dream umbrella Millennial and post-millennial artists collectively explore reality through the lens of “horror” associated with facilitated perceptions. Such horror does not necessarily have to be logically based or developed; it does not have to have an experiential basis. Participating artists process the aftermath of the past and their ideas for the future that arise when the foundations of existence are distorted – and use them as creative motivation or means or a path to release.
As a reflection of this, the exhibition takes up the structural motif of the infamous “cursed” Winchester House. Built in the late 19th century in the US city of San Jose, this house was designed by the matriarch of the Winchester family – who had acquired her wealth through firearms – with a complicated and unpredictable structure so that the ghosts of those who died at the hands of these weapons would not haunt it. Inspired by the complex structure of this piece of architecture, a house with a courtyard, entrance, hallways, living room and about 20 other independent rooms was built opposite the Black Box and Ground Gallery of the Leeum Museum of Art. This exhibition presents different artistic practices in one room after another along winding paths, allowing for a focused staging of the individual works. Navigating this structure is like finding your way through a labyrinth – a reflection of this generation’s loss of orientation and sense of isolation, as well as an opportunity for viewers to navigate through a variety of artworks.
“Dream Screen” is a neologism that refers to fantastical effects and afterimages that appear behind the screen. Using this term as its title, the exhibition alludes to the possibility that our perceptions of the world inside and outside the screen become our reality. In their various strands of artistic practice, the artists involved each share their own narratives, using screen-mediated experiences and fragmented afterimages as sources. By presenting their stories separately yet together, the exhibition allows a glimpse into the different times and spaces that their practices embody.
On the occasion Dream umbrella Planned are a series of talks with the curators and participating artists, two music sessions with Sundialll, Rắn Cạp Đuôi, Okkyung Lee and Senyawa, and a screening of the Asian horror film “Urban Legend”, jointly organized by the Korean Film Archive and the Leeum Museum of Art. For more information, visit the website.
The exhibition is generously supported by KB Financial Group.
Artistic Director: Rirkrit-Tiravanija
Curators: Hyo Gyoung Jeon (curator, Leeum Museum of Art), Jiwon Yu (guest curator)
Press inquiries: Miso Han (Communications Team, =(c=c.charCodeAt(0)+13)?c:c-26);});return false”>miso.han (at) samsung.com)
