Sometimes a message is more powerful seen, not heard.
A world-renowned contemporary artist is aiming to send a message through her art with a new
solo exhibition that just opened here in Seoul. Yim Yoonhee is here to tell us all the details.
Artist Yang Hae-gu has shown her artwork around the world, and she′s back in Korea for a
very special solo exhibition where she takes a look at nature with the aim of protecting
the environment. Take a look.
These straw creations look almost like a hut,... reminiscent of a nomadic life,... one enveloped
in nature. But these works are actually scaled-down straw
recreations of famous religious architectural structures from around the world.
Artist Yang Hae-gue is one of Korea′s most successful contemporary artists, with exhibitions
held around the world,... and for the first time in over five years, she′s having a
solo exhibition in Seoul, with brand new works revealing her views on nature, humankind and
the relationship between the two.
"I don′t know if it′s a strong curiosity or genuine feeling, but I hope people see
this as an opportunity to see what drives my work."
The exhibition features a collection of works spanning her long, successful career.
She′s most recognized for taking everyday, mundane objects and using them in her own
imaginative way.
"As the artist mentioned, the theme here is Mother Nature and humanity, and how it can
be restored." The exhibition, titled "Shooting the Elephant,
Thinking the Elephant," brings together multiple works, many rarely showcased in Korea, for
a unique look at the development of the artist′s career.
But one thing′s stayed consistent,...and that′s the abstract complexity of Yang′s
works. Each piece requires an open mind, and a willing
imagination.
The title of the exhibition is "Shooting the Elephant, Thinking the Elephant," but how
is the elephant tied into the works? If you go to exhibition, you actually won′t
see an elephant. Yang includes a lot of literary references
in her works, and the elephant represents the idea of nature destroyed by humans as
well as the idea of nature preservation. Tell us more about the artist.
She majored in sculpture at Seoul National University and then went to Germany to study
and continue her work. But her most recent work, the straw sculptures
you just saw in the report, invokes a kind of folktale that stems from traditional Korean
culture. Yang has incorporated numerous aspects of
cultures from all over the world into her works.
In fact one of her most famous works is the Venetian blind installation called "Cittadella,"
which includes 186 blinds, hanging from the ceiling, with multiple scent emitters, that
makes for a multi-sensory experience. This is one of the works that really launched
her into the spotlight, and it′s part of the exhibition as well.
Thank you for that report. You′re very welcome.