Public Lecture By Dr. Jiyeon Kim, Ph.D. Art Historian   

Apgujeong-dong: Utopia/Distopia Exhibition catalogue, Seoul: Hyeonsil munhwa yeongu, 1992
Credit: Hyeonsil Munhwa (photograph image from Yeon Shim Chung eds, Korean Art from 1953: Collision, Innovation, Interaction, London: Phaidon, 2020, p..183.)

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

@ Korean Cultural Center NY Official Youtube Channel

*Free admission

As democratization and globalization transformed Korean society, Korean art scenes underwent critical changes in the late 1980s. Both mainstream artists who mostly worked in “modernist” abstract modes, as well as Minjung artists who criticized their formalist approach, maintaining that art should reflect Korea’s political and social reality, faced challenges in this new era. Although many were defined as individualists, a new generation of artists felt the pressure to keep up with international trends, to break away from the old system, and at the same time find cultural identity and fulfill their social responsibility. This lecture will discuss the Korean art scene in the late 80s and early 90s, focusing on the struggles and aspirations of these young artists, who responded to rapid social, economic, and cultural changes, while dealing with new expectations from the public and the fast-growing art market.   

AHL Foundation Public Lecture Series 2020 In Collaboration with Korean Cultural Center New York

In her role as Assistant Curator, Asian Art at the Guggenheim, Dr. Kyung An is currently on the curatorial team of two upcoming solo presentations on the artists Gego and Sarah Sze. Previously, she provided key support for The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Chinese Art Initiative’s two commission-driven exhibitions, Tales of Our Time (2016) and One Hand Clapping (2018), and the internationally-touring Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World (2017). In addition to exhibitions, Dr. An makes significant contributions to collection growth through her role on Young Collectors Council and is also one of the founding curators of the Asian Art Circle. She also advises on the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi collection. At the Guggenheim, Dr. An is also the curatorial lead on Teaching Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, an initiative supported by the Freeman Foundation that aims to create teaching resources on works by Asian artists in the museum’s collection. Dr. An has authored essays to important publications on Korean artists such as Ha Chong-hyun, Lee Seung-taek, and Meekyoung Shin. She has also contributed to the 58th Venice Biennale catalogue and is a co-author of the book Who’s Afraid of Contemporary Art? (2017), which has been translated into four languages. She received her BA, MA in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, where she also obtained her doctorate in 2015.

AHL Foundation and Korean Cultural Center New York’s collaborative Public Lecture Series aim to provide the general public, as well as the Korean American community, with the opportunity to learn diverse theoretical perspectives on issues related to Korean art and culture and to reflect further on future interactions between Korean art and various worldwide global communities.

Organized by the AHL Foundation in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center New York