Blog 12

 

Contemporary Korean Art 

Korea is a diverse nation with a long tradition of art. I chose Korea because it is a country that I love and am very interested in learning more about. The artists that I chose are contemporary artists because I liked seeing the mix of traditional Korean art with a more modern global style. Each of these artists has their own style and mediums that express the tension between traditional values and modern life. The sculptures especially play with the theme of the intersection between nature and technology.

Cascade Crinoline 2008

Jina Moon is a South Korean contemporary artist born in 1973. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is well known for her vibrant colors and mixed media paintings. Her works focus on themes from Eastern and Western cultures.

This painting stands out for its vibrant colors, which are blue, turquoise, and pink. These colors mixed together give the painting movement. The artist chose these colors, giving it a sense of harmony, as the cool blue and turquoise give it contrast and warmth in the pink tones. The space and depth they create with their colors. In the lighter areas, the colors seem to recede, while in the darker areas, they advance. The textures can be seen in some areas, where more saturated pigments are seen, while in other lighter areas, it creates a visual touch.

The emotions conveyed by this painting are serene, tranquil, and peaceful, in addition to the cool color palette. The presentation appears to be a fluid watercolor, with the colors blending together, and the brushstrokes have that fluid movement, reminiscent of crashing waves. The original painting is located in the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The story behind this painting is unknown.

Arbor Deus Pennatus, 2011

  U-Ram Choe was born in Seoul, Korea in 1970. He is a contemporary artist known for his kinetic sculptures that fuse art with science and technology. U-Ram Choe creates lifelike mechanical creatures. He studied Fine Arts at Chung-Ang University. After graduating, he began experimenting with various materials and technologies.

In this kinetic sculpture, you can see the curved structure, resembling a wing or bones. It is made of metal, giving it a sense of durability and resistance. The type of material the artist used to create this sculpture was polished, matte, and oxidized. This gives the sculpture a more interesting visual impact. The sculpture has a very complex and detailed, intriguing design, creating visual interest for the viewer, allowing them to explore different angles of the sculpture. The sculpture is kinetic, giving it movement as a key element in the work. Movement can be dramatic, adding a touch of visual complexity.

This sculpture conveys mystery. The dark background creates a sense of fragility and supernatural power, as if it were part of a robot. Its presentation is striking, with a dark background highlighting the strange shape of the central metallic figure. His sculptures are found in major museums such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art Korea in Seoul. The story behind this sculpture is based on the interaction between humans on planet Earth and the god of trees, birds, and iron. This makes Chloe's works even more interesting and mysterious due to their technological value.

I loved this work for its interest in technology, since I am curious to know how they do this type of work, but I also find it interesting because of the shape of this sculpture, which makes you see a different vision when you look at it since it makes you think and imagine different things like a wing, a vertebral column or a part of a different robot etc.

GLORY, 1960

Wook-Kyung Choi was a pioneering South Korean artist born in Seoul, Korea, in 1940. She was best known for her abstract expressionist paintings and collages. She spent half of her career in the United States, where it greatly influenced her artistic style. She studied art at Seoul National University. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in the United States. The artist's works explore various themes of modern life through her colors, and she also used various combinations of collage and drawing.

The first visual element of this painting is its color palette. The red background contrasts with other colors such as green, yellow, blue, black, and white; all of these mixed colors give the painting a visual touch. In the painting, you can see a multi-layered texture; it's as if the artist applied the paint very densely, giving it a scuffed, torn texture and creating a collage effect. These different textures add depth to the painting. Finally, this painting has a collage-like arrangement of broken and angular shapes, as if they were ripped or cut. These fragments give the painting a sense of movement.

This painting conveys emotions such as tension, or perhaps a sense of chaos, due to its vibrant colors and moving figures. The presentation seems aggressive due to its striking red background; the elements are torn or cut, creating a college effect. Her works are located in various museums in Korea, one of which is the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Korea. The story behind this painting is unknown.

I find this painting interesting because of its college shape. I think the artist wanted to do something different so that viewers would stay there analyzing the painting.

Drifting Ashen Flake Opaque 2008

Lee Bul is a contemporary South Korean artist born in 1964 in Yeongju. She is well known for her works, including technology, sculptures, and paintings. She studied at Hongik University in Seoul. Her artistic career began with performance pieces in the late 1980s. Her most famous works include "Cyborg", "My Big Recital" etc. 

The main element is a work made of metal or a silver-gray painted material. Its vertical orientation features many protruding elements, creating a negative and positive space. The sculpture is set on a reflective base, creating an interesting visual effect. This mirrored element adds depth to the work. Finally, the wooden box serves as a highly functional aesthetic element. The simple, clean lines and natural color contrast greatly influence the sculpture.

The emotions conveyed in this work are the tension in the silver color, which can suggest sadness or loss. I can also see deconstruction in the shape of each piece. The presentation of the work is possibly medium-sized; the work is made of metal, and the base of the box is made of wood. The work is located in the Guggenheim Museums and the Guggenheim Foundation. The story behind this work, which the artist created, was to represent urban environments in a state of collapse.

I really liked this sculpture because it gives you a glimpse into what destruction and collapse look like in buildings or houses. I loved how the artist captured those details, and I also love the reflection, it gives it a more interesting view.

Works Cited

“Cascade Crinoline: Artwork.” National Museum of Women in the Arts, 20 August 2020, https://nmwa.org/art/collection/cascade-crinoline/. Accessed 23 April 2025.

Jobson, Christopher. “Urban Species: Kinetic Lifeforms Created by U-Ram Choe.” Colossal, 15 July 2013, https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/07/urban-species-kinetic-lifeforms-created-by-u-ram-choe/. Accessed 23 April 2025.

“Lee Bul.” Hauser & Wirth, https://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/lee-bul/. Accessed 23 April 2025.

“Lee Bul: Drifting ashen flake opaque.” The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation, https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/31996. Accessed 23 April 2025.

THORNE, HARRY, and Rhoda Feng. “Wook-Kyung Choi.” Frieze, 27 September 2016, https://www.frieze.com/article/wook-kyung-choi-0. Accessed 23 April 2025.