디자인플러스 = Creative

The End of the Beginning: Toward the New Phase

One of most debatable issues of current cultural phenomena is “post-identity,” or “disidentification,” a notion that transcends national or ethnic boundaries and moves toward a global contextual conception of self. This comes at a time when many critics and commentators have declared race and ethnic identification as “irrelevant.” Although academic fields and politics interrogate the idea of “transcending” or moving beyond identity, issues of race and ethnicity continue to dominate the public forum and the actual art production. The Korean American artists participating in this exhibition have experienced these conflicts and friction, and have also surpassed the lacuna that exists between their Korean identification and post-identity globalization.

The title of the exhibition, “Seeding,” suggests the artists’ flexible location in culture and identity, and also anticipates their potential artistic possibilities beyond this rigid demarcation and toward a full bloom in a new era. The cultural environment has shifted dramatically due to the internet, media, and frequent traveling between continents. Newcomers to this country don’t experience the same degree of cultural shock as previous generations thanks to globalization: they have been more exposed to American and other cultures. On the other hand, the artists who reside and work in America are nonetheless able to draw freely from Korean cultural sources. The fluency and blurring of boundaries between nations and cultures, as well as the rejection of distinct classifications are undeniable post-modern symptoms that influence the artists in this show.

Therefore, labeling these artists Korean American doesn’t mean that they are univocally making one sound derived from their motherland. Instead, they are orchestrating the harmony with their different media, styles, and expressions. It is hard to deny, though, the fact that their ethnic or nationalistic additions to modern and postmodern artistic vocabularies are prevalent in this show: the appropriation of Korean traditional media or techniques such as calligraphy, the allusion to conventional color scheme recalling a traditional vase, the association with Korean motifs, and the sensation of matiere. Some of the artists use more Korean motifs and media and others use less. The difference of degree in which they connect to Korean culture makes for a powerful group exhibition because it shows how the artists individually, critically, and creatively interpret their inherited cultural reservoir.

The first seed of Korean art was planted 36 years ago in Washington D.C. by a few Korean artists and now its first few sprouts have emerged for us to experience in this exhibition. Their ethnic origin or cultural diversity was no longer an obstacle in this century. Instead, this abundant, flexible, and overflowing power became an immeasurable treasure chest from which they can endlessly benefit. I celebrate their achievement and look forward to future artistic challenges and exploration in bolder ways.

Jung-Sil Lee, PhD
Art Historian & Art Critic
Adjunct Professor,
Corcoran College of Art &
University of Maryland