Up Korea | Korean Painter Kim Hyun Jung Opens Solo Exhibition
On March 15, 2016, Up Korea introduced Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung's solo exhibition 'Naesoong Amusement Park' (Gallery Is, Insadong, Seoul, through April 11). The article conveyed the message of stress relief and self-realization through the figure of 'Naesoong Girl' in translucent hanbok, enjoying claw machines, snacks, Instagram and other everyday amusements, along with participatory programs such as a docent app, lectures and 3D printing experiences, and the record-breaking success of the 2014 'Naesoong Olympics' exhibition.
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Adults, too, might relieve stress and worries at an actual amusement park, but it likely wouldn't match the joy of childhood — lying awake with anticipation the night before, even the wait to ride a single roller coaster being enjoyable. What she shows in this exhibition is the girl in translucent hanbok, hiding something within the folds of her skirt — her trademark — not only enjoying amusement park rides, but also indulging in slightly special hobbies like horseback riding and motorcycling, along with everyday amusement parks that include claw machines, snack shopping, and Instagram.
The artist said, "Anything that can relieve stress, anything enjoyable, is an amusement park to me. Isn't a moment when you don't have to worry about others' gaze the truest amusement park? And a moment of connection between myself and another — that, too, can turn any place into an amusement park," adding of this exhibition, "I wanted to turn the exhibition hall into an amusement-park-like experience space through the exhibited works."
To further concretize and develop, in a participatory way, the perspective of 'self-realization through play or hobby,' the artist shows, through the exhibition hall itself, that beyond its function as 'a place to view artwork,' the hobby itself is self-realization, and that any place can become an amusement park once that is fulfilled.
For visitors, the artist offers docent commentary via the Guide On app (the 'Naesoong Guide'), lectures to help build basic understanding and appreciation of Korean painting, a coloring book program to relieve stress ('Naesoong Charging Station'), a photo event at the Naesoong Amusement Park installation zone ('Naesoong Photo Studio'), and, more meaningfully for visitors with young children, a program using 3D printing to make teaching aids from children's imaginations, experienced with magic sand ('3D Imagination Plus'). Events and participatory spaces will be arranged so that visitors can enjoy nostalgic memories together with their parents.
Kim Hyun Jung's previous solo exhibition 'Naesoong Olympics,' held over about 10 days from June 19 to June 30, 2014, at the first-floor main exhibition hall of Gana Insa Art Center in Insadong, drew a single-day peak of 3,733 visitors and a cumulative total of 23,887 over the run, successively setting new records for the most visitors since the center's opening, and concluded to great success. Given the track record of the previous 'Naesoong Olympics' exhibition, this 'Naesoong Amusement Park' exhibition is likewise expected to draw great success. This exhibition will present flat Korean paintings as three-dimensional sculptural works and video, and will also showcase a new attempt to transform works into three-dimensional pieces using cutting-edge 3D printing technology.
Up Korea citizen reporter Kwon Jeung-hyun, kwon9041@naver.com