[비즈한국] The Korea Art Support Project, which began as an initiative solely to support artists, has now continued for 10 years. Keeping our initial commitment, we have supported over 230 artists. This was a unique endeavor, unprecedented by any media outlet, cultural organization, or state institution in the country. We take pride in the fact that this decade of persistence has become a recognized value in the 21st-century Korean art scene. Consequently, it is regarded as having created a "vantage point from which to observe the flow of contemporary Korean art through the 10-year history of the Korea Art Support Project." Now, in Season 11, we aim to pave another path for Korean art.
We live in a world governed by paradoxes. Nothing illustrates this phenomenon better than the assessment of material civilization. While it has enriched humanity, it is not treated with corresponding respect. Everyone criticizes material civilization. In particular, it is considered a prerequisite for the intelligentsia.
Pop art, which built immense power this century by feeding on material civilization, clearly reveals this contradiction. Artists who found success in pop art share a commonality: they achieved wealth and fame through works that criticize material civilization, capitalism, and the American system, which serves as the model for such success.
In art, such contradictions are encapsulated as "postmodernism," as it sublimes contrasting elements into an effective method of expression by binding them together.
In terms of values, it places emphasis on new values that emerge from merging Eastern philosophy with Western logic, or blending tradition with modernity. The same applies to the combination of female and male, or nature and artificiality. In art, this manifests as complexity of expression—such as the combination of complexity and simplicity, primary colors and achromatic colors, or the collaboration of straight and curved lines.
Alis Fabbri, who recently held a solo exhibition in Korea, is also an artist who succeeded by incorporating the values of postmodernism into her work. At 87, she continues to present a new world of art, showcasing these contrasting elements in a single frame to depict lyrical landscapes.
Her self-taught work gained global fame for its highly sentimental seascapes, which began to emerge in her 80s. The delicately shimmering calm ocean waves and geometric interiors, along with intricately tangled forests and simple buildings, blend into one to create a scene that is both dramatic and deeply lyrical.
Han Ah-reum, who is gaining attention for her forest landscapes, also presents work featuring such contrasting elements. The first thing that catches the eye in her compositions is the harmony of disparate elements. First, there is the arrangement of expressive methods. The forest, which occupies most of the canvas, is handled with a very design-oriented technique. In contrast, the animals in the forest, which represent the theme of the work, are rendered with a highly realistic painting style.
From the perspective of traditional painting, this is a combination deemed unnatural and almost taboo. However, in contemporary painting, design-based expressive methods have long been established as a valid new technique.
By combining the opposing elements of design methods and painting techniques to create visually compelling compositions, Han Ah-reum’s art is beautiful while simultaneously conveying a weighty message.
The plants in the forest are tropical, such as eucalyptus or banana trees, and the animals hiding within them like in a game of hide-and-seek are fragile, endangered species. These include the vinous-throated parrotbill (often called the "baepsae"), otters, and owls.
Through these compositions, the artist dreams of a paradise where powerless and trivial beings can live out their happy, everyday lives.