쌈지 싸이트-스페시픽: 만남의 접점에서
“쌈지 싸이트-스페시픽: 만남의 접점에서” (“SSamzie Site-Specific: Crossing Parallels Between Korean and American Artists 2001″) 전은 서울 쌈지스페이스 스튜디오 작가 (2001년 3회 작가) 8인과 뉴욕 랜스 펑 갤러리가 선정한 7인의 작가가 협업으로 전시하는 국제교류전입니다.
완성된 작품을 한 자리에 모으는 일반적인 국제 그룹전과는 달리, 이번 전시는 양측의 작가들이 일정 기간동안 함께 체류하면서 얻게 되는 새로운 경험과 우정을 바탕으로 공동작을 제작, 발표합니다. 2001년 7월에는 뉴욕 작가들이 내한하고, 8월에는 서울 작가들이 뉴욕을 방문하여 팀웍으로 작업하면서 “지금/여기”의 현장미학을 실천합니다.
“쌈지 싸이트-스페시픽”이라는 전시 제목이 시사하듯이, 이번 전시는 쌈지 스페이스 갤러리 내․외부 공간과 랜스 펑 갤러리에서 “장소특정적” (site-specific) 작업을 선보입니다. 특히 가방, 구두, 스포츠웨어, 선글라스, 악세사리 등 쌈지 회사 재고품이나 관련 폐품, 그리고 가죽, 천 등 원자재를 “발견물”(found object)로 사용하여 장소적 특성 뿐 아니라 대중적 친화력을 높이고자 하는 의도를 담고 있습니다.
“만남의 접점”이라는 부제는 서로 문화적 배경이 다른 동서 작가들간의 교감 뿐 아니라, 예술과 팻션, 예술과 디자인, 예술과 산업의 경계를 허무는 탈매체, 탈장르, 탈영역의 복수적 교차를 의미합니다. 이는 아방가르드, 언더그라운드 정신으로 대안적 복합문화를 추구하는 쌈지의 지향점이기도 하며, 미술사적으로는 예술과 일상, 고급과 저급의 소통을 시도하는 플럭서스 이념의 전승이기도 합니다.
실제로 이번 교류전의 발상적 배경은 바로 플럭서스였습니다. 1993년 3월 딕 히긴스, 알리슨 놀스, 벤쟈민 패터슨, 에멋 윌리엄즈, 제프리 헨드릭스, 필립 코너 등 전세계의 플럭서스 대가 15인을 초청하여 <서울 플럭서스 페스티벌>을 개최한 이래, 제가 오랫동안 생각해온 아이디어는 플럭서스 정신을 공유하고 있는 젊은 작가들로 국제적인 “청년 플럭서스”(Young Fluxus)전을 열겠다는 것이었습니다. 플럭서스와 관계를 맺고있는 대부분의 젊은 작가들이 뉴욕에 거주, 활동하고 있기 때문에 그것은 자연히 서울-뉴욕 교류전의 형태를 띌 것이었습니다.
이미 백남준 선생께서 이와 유사한 플럭서스 발상에서 1994년과 1997년 서울과 뉴욕의 아방가르드를 한데 모은 <서울/니멕스> (Seoul NYmAX)전을 기획하셨습니다. 2회 모두 한국 측 큐레이터로 참여했던 저는 그 후속전의 부재를 아쉬워하며, 다른 한편으로는 “청년 플럭서스”전을 염두에 두고 쌈지 스페이스 스튜디오 작가들의 뉴욕전을 모색하게 되었습니다. 마침 소호에서 랜스 펑 갤러리를 운영하며 국제 큐레이터로 활동하고 있던 랜스와 뜻이 맞아 서울-뉴욕전을 제의했고, 이제 쌈지 스튜디오 작가와 랜스 펑 갤러리 전속작가로 구체화된 그 결과물을 발표하게 되었습니다.
이번 전시가 물론 플럭서스 이벤트는 아니지만, 팻션 상품과 일상 발견물을 주소재로 장소특성적인 협업을 하며, 그 결과물이 마지막 순간에야 모습을 드러낸다는 점에서 플럭서스적이라고 말할 수 있습니다. 그러나 개개 작가들의 작업은 플럭서스와 무관하게 진행됩니다. 상품이나 발견물 대신에 자신이 선호하는 예술적 재료를 사용하기도 하며 사이트스페시픽한 세팅속에서도 자신의 양식을 고수하기도 합니다. 개별 작가들의 개성과 성향에 따라, 그리고 양측 작가의 팀웍의 양상에 따라 제각기 다른 다양한 작품들이 산출될 것이라는 열린 기대에서, 그 개방성에서 이번 전시의 특성을 발견할 수 있을 것입니다.
서울과 뉴욕의 작가들이 실제로 만나 공간을 공유하고 미학을 교류하는 직접적 소통의 경험을 통해 진정한 의미의 문화적 교류를 성취할 수 있으리라 기대합니다. 이번 교류전은 서울의 작가들에게는 세계 무대에 진입할 수 있는 또 하나의 될 것이며, 뉴욕의 작가들에게는 서울 전시를 시발로 아시아권역으로 진출할 수 있는 계기가 될 것입니다.
프로젝트 디렉터 김홍희(쌈지스페이스 관장)
Crossing Parallels, New York 2001
After many years of working with the impressive Korean Art World as Nam June Paik’s dealer at the Holly Solomon Gallery, I thought it would be interesting to create a show in Seoul and New York City with emerging artists. As a New York gallery owner and independent curator I thought of suggesting Crossing Parallels to the Ssamzie Space. Their reputation of supporting and developing emerging Korean artists is so respected that I knew director Kim Hong-Hee would be interested in learning about the exhibition. The idea was to create a situation forcing the East and West to merge through site-specific installations.
Even with the globalization of the world, communication and information of the separate Korean and New York art scenes is still quite limited. And certainly direct communication between emerging artists is almost non-existent. By creating a link between both cultures through their artists I am hoping to extend each artist’s community to the other side of the world. In Crossing Parallels, seven emerging artists were selected from both countries based on their installation vision. Prior to the physical meeting and actual collaboration of installation making, the artists will communicate weekly by telephone, fax, and email. A true exchange of ideas both of personal and artistic nature is the goal.
As curator, the main emphasis of Crossing Parallels is to challenge each of the participating artists to learn new things, a common goal that develops with their work and careers. However, I am hoping that in addition to learning and articulating their own artistic goals the artists will also expand their growth process by learning about different, cultures, religious ideology, philosophical beliefs, etc. through their counterpart. Also, to experience a new culture through the eyes of a native resident will naturally change their perception of the East and West exploring their similarities as well as differences. With all of the cultural and intellectual exchanges taking place through the communication process between the Korean and American artists, I hope that a larger understanding of the “self” will develop.
This underlying factor is quite important to Crossing Parallels as the goal of extending one’s understanding of life and art is one of the primary goals of the show. As the artists familiarize themselves with their counterparts, I hope that a natural bonding will occur between members of both groups. A true effort by all artists to understand each other is vital for a successful and enjoyable experience. The participating artists will have already discussed conceptual and formal issues and will then have the opportunity to realize their ideas. Even though the process of art making is very intellectual, there is no reason why the artists cannot have fun. I hope they will not eliminate these experiences from the process! I feel that on a curatorial level, it is my role to set up a unique situation allowing the artists to face new and exciting challenges. There will be no boundaries in what may be realized for this exhibition and that will foster great art creating.
Certainly as a curator, an exhibition must emerge in the end. Similar to a research laboratory, Crossing Parallels will allow the artists to learn from one another and to experiment. This is the main focus of the exhibition. The by-product of the artists’ shared experience will naturally result in good art installations. However, the experience of developing the ideas and actual works as well as working together will be the true art that is made. The pressure from making good “product” will be minimized through curatorial leadership. The artists’ natural ability and knowledge of site-specificity will assist them in creating didactic, powerful, and intelligent works of art. In the end, curator, artist, and viewer will all learn something new through Crossing Parallels.
Crossing Parallels, Seoul 2001
Despite technical globalization, Korean and New York art cultures remain alien. Close communication between these distanced artists is almost non-existent. By creating a link between both cultures through our chosen artists I hope to extend cultural communities to remote regions of the globe.
In Crossing Parallels, seven artists are selected from Seoul and seven artists are selected from New York City to conceive, collaborate and fabricate completely new works for each of two exhibits. The fourteen artists are cross grouped by nationality in pairs as teams. They will be collaborating on new works for two exhibitions in locales where they are all physically present for the openings. Prior to meeting and fabrication,
the artists communicate weekly by telephone, fax and email from their studios. A clean exchange of ideas both of personal and specialized nature is a goal. By flying seven artists from New York City to SSamzie Space in Seoul and then seven artists from Seoul to Lance Fung Gallery in New York City, physical meetings and production cycles are experienced against crossed contexts. The clash of cultures leaves these teams with uneven values across global space. The first exhibit of Crossing Parallels opens in Seoul and the second exhibit opens in New York City. Our result is evaluated when the second term of the project finalizes at the New York City opening. One must have access to both shows to read Crossing Parallels.
My curatorial role is to intensify a micro-culture where each of the participating artists experiences new challenges, common goals naturally emerge as production outstrips cultural habits and unites our participants through practice. The special paradigm of foreigner/native adds a dimension that cuts to the core of issues in global expansion. I hope to expose the protocols of both roles through Crossing Parallels. Perhaps the project will re-organize each artist’s culturally codified sense of self. This underlying paradigm is primary to Crossing Parallels as the goal of repositioning an appreciation of life and art is a premise of the entire undertaking. The natural bonding that can occur when common targets are scoped within non-homogenous collaborations is a background goal on a curatorial level as well.
With all this said as curator, I now take the risk that an exhibition must emerge in the end. However, an equally challenging paradigm shift is posed for myself – my own cultural growth being thereby fed – the project/result set is rejected in favor of an indeterminate outcome. This allows a very different model to what standard curatorial protocol usually yields as product. A value-space is my location within the exhibition. The cliche evaluation of “good” product, that hangs from the lips of culturally hypnotized art participants must be minimized through the solidarity of parallelism in curatorial practice. Curating this particular value-space, I parallel the artist’s hightened awareness and knowledge of site-specificity, unleashing dynamic, powerful, and intelligent artists through a linked approach. Inevitably, curator, artist, and viewer all experience something unexpected and wonderful in Crossing Parallels.
Guest Curator Lance Fung(Lance fung gallery director)
Crossing Parallels between, Ssamziespace in Seoul and Lance Fung Gallery in New York, 2001
