TELL ME TELL ME: Australian and Korean Art 1976-2011
November 10, 2011 ~ February 19, 2012 at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea
SEOUL KOREA November 8, 2011 - The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea is holding a joint exhibition with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Sydney from November 10th, 2011 to February 19th, 2012 at the Gwacheon Main Building under the title ‘Tell Me, Tell Me: Australian and Korea Art 1976-2011’. The exhibition is being jointly sponsored by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the two countries as part of a large cultural project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Korea. As such, it presents a great opportunity to enjoy an overview of the two countries’ contemporary art from the 1970s to the present day. The exhibition was held in Sydney, Australia in June, and is about to be held in Korea on a larger scale.
The exhibition explores international art discourse, particularly environmental art and conceptual art, starting from the 2nd Sydney Biennale 1976, which featured the participation of Korean artists, and artist Paik Nam-jun’s visit to Australia in the same year. It features works by artist Lee U-fan,
as well as the artworks by Shim Moon-seup and Lee Kang-so presented during the Biennale in
1976, and their more recent works. The exhibition also explores the status of artworks outside the museum, the recovery of the function of art itself that unites with life, and the works of contemporary artists who assert that art is an exchange of energy via ‘relations’ and ‘meetings’ with dissimilar things.
The exhibition also consists of representative works of aboriginal art by Australian aboriginal artists Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Nyapanyapa; experimental artworks of the 1970s by Stelarc and John Davis; and the works of a number of contemporary artists thought to epitomize the current trend towards multiculturalism, such as Louise Weaver, Brook Andrew, and Newell Harry. It also features works from the 1970s by Korean artists such as Lee U-fan and Paik Nam-jun, as well as works by Yee Soo-kyung, Kim Beom, Yang Hae-gue, Chung Seo-young, Kim Hong-joo, and Kim Eull. As such, the exhibition offers a tour to a special time and space where Australia and Korea meet and where the years 1976 and 2011 coincide.
Various educational and cultural programs will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition. Under the theme of ‘Travel to Australian Culture’, activity handouts about the appreciation of art will be distributed free of charge to children and youth. A cultural event titled, ‘Jump into the World’ will be held for 3rd-year high school students who have finished their college entrance exams. Free gifts will be provided to students who bring their name tags for the entrance test on November 26 (Sat), and they will receive an opportunity to watch an Australian movie.
For more detailed information, please visit the homepage of the National Museum of
Contemporary Art, Korea (www.moca.go.kr).
For more details you can download the full press release
