SPACE February 2023 (No. 663)
Jun Hyejoo, Hummer, directional speaker, 2CH sound(4min 39sec), light table(10*800*110cm), collected plants and pollen, ohp film(digital print), 2022
The 22nd SONGEUN Art Award Exhibition opened on Dec. 21, 2022 and is now on display. The SONGEUN Art Award is an award established to discover and support talented contemporary Korean artists, and the organiser SONGEUN Art and Cultural Foundation has expanded the number of artists participating in the final exhibition from 4 to 20 since 2021. A total of 503 artists participated in this competition, and Jun Hyejoo was honoured as the grand prize winner among the 20 artists who made it to the finals. Jun Hyejoo presents Hummer (2022), a collection object that compares energy and the military technology developed for humankind with the natural laws of pollen floating in our atmosphere. Super-directional speakers installed at both ends of the exhibition hall are one of the weapon technologies used to control crowds, and the sound transmitted to the exhibition hall is reconstructed by combining the tones of bees, drones, and unmanned vehicles that are sensed by the body but not easily revealed. Such work, in which sound and images intersect and stimulates the senses, reminds of all kinds of forces operating in the non-visible realm, including technology and energy. In addition to the award-winning works, works that can explore the diversity of contemporary Korean art are being exhibited, encompassing various media such as painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, and sound. From works exploring the medium of painting, to installations inspired by urban architectural spaces and video performances rethinking humanity by retracing the relationship between machines and humans, various perspectives of young artists toward today can be spotted. The exhibition will be open until Feb.18. by Kim Jia