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프린트버튼

Thematic Exhibition of the Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale 2024

• Period : September 6 (Friday) - October 20 (Sunday), 2024
• Venue : Exhibition Halls 2, 3 and lobby of Gyeonggi Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art (Icheon)
• Number of works on display : 75 artworks by 26 individual artists and artist teams from Korea and abroad

• poster

• Exhibition Overview

Explore the essence of cooperation and living together!
The theme of the Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale 2024 main exhibition is TOGETHER_Montaigne’s Cat. This concept stems from a question posed by the 16th-century French philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) where he ponders, “When I am playing with my cat, how do I know that she is not playing with me rather than I with her?” A thoughtful understanding of others fosters healthy relationships and forms ideal communities. This extends beyond human-cat relationships to relationships between people, between individuals and society, and even between humans and the Earth. When we listen wholeheartedly to others rather than considering them from our perspective, the world will achieve a beautiful balance.
In this exhibition, we aim to explore the theme of ‘cooperation’ through ceramic art, which combines the four elements that make up the world: air, water, fire, and earth. The thematic exhibition features 75 artworks by 26 artists from 14 countries. To highlight the importance of ‘togetherness’ amid the complex issues facing our rapidly changing planet, the exhibition is divided into three parts. Part 1 explores ‘a sustainable lifestyle for the Earth’ alongside the world. The environmental and social issues intertwined with our current era are presented in various forms, signaling us through different artworks. Part 2 invites ‘object of friendship’. Through conversations with beings at the margins of society’s ‘mainstream’, we accept each other as we are. Part 3 showcases various landscapes for individuals isolated in the digital transparency society to live together. The exhibition aims to restore relationships and promote harmony through ‘play’ and ‘ritual’. Through ceramic art, which has coexisted with humanity for a long time, we hope this becomes an opportunity for us to empathize with and practice how we will create the ‘foundation of life’.

• Exhibition composition

Part 1. Together With the World: Balancing the Earth
In Part 1, we confront various issues occurring on the Earth that supports us. Current phenomena such as climate change, environmental pollution, endangered species, and ecosystem destruction are coming to the forefront. The artworks sometimes portray themselves as environmental activists, and sometimes depict the future generations who have lost their communities in a fairytale-like manner. You will encounter works that speak of the harmonious coexistence of earth, sea, microorganisms, plants, animals, and humans.

Additionally, we explore the stance we should take towards the invisible yet absurd conditions of social systems. Epidemics, wars, refugee issues, and the chaos of power struggles have long been deeply embedded in human life. The unique properties and language of clay in the artworks confront human desires directly. All modern issues have arisen from the unilateral greed of humanity. These problems eventually return to us with fatal consequences. In the fragile ecosystem where we cannot live alone, we connect the strong ties of cooperation through an understanding of humanity’s essence and consideration.

Part 2 . Living With Others: About Friendship
In Part 2, we invite those who are considered marginalized or on the boundaries due to ideological, ethnic, or physical differences into the exhibition space. Despite their outward differences, they are all protagonists made of the common substance of clay. The exhibition welcomes those deemed social outsiders, such as individuals addressing gender issues, queers, people of color, and immigrants, to freely coexist and form considerate relationships. The artworks boldly reveal the wounds inflicted by prejudice and discrimination, and sometimes approach the audience with humor and wit. Themes of identity confusion arising from multicultural experiences, and issues of alienation and belonging, are embedded in the vibrant artworks. Those who shrink back, thinking of themselves as social outsiders, could be us or our friends. This exhibition aims to blur the boundaries of a world steeped in dichotomy. At this crucial moment where diversity must be respected, we prepare to listen to their stories by shedding our unconscious biases. Through dialogue with the artworks, we are reminded of how to lighten our perceptions of each other’s differences and share the value of consideration.

Part 3. Playing with Myself: Under the Digital World
Thanks to digital technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) brought by the momentum of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our lives have become more convenient. However, ironically, it has also led to the loss of human abilities and jobs. In a hyper-connected society, new issues arise as individuals alienation within the online world or fall behind the currents of the times, experiencing personal isolation. This invisible isolation and violence occur regardless of generation. It’s a time to connect with the world and live together through the methods of ‘play’ and ‘ritual’.

The artworks in Part 3 expand the scope to include ceramic culture. Addressing the chaos brought by societal transitions is not something entirely new or grand. It involves everyday actions that we naturally engage in. Closing our eyes for meditation, listening to music together while sharing tea, or sitting around a table clinking utensils during a meal—these are rituals that reconnect us with ourselves and bind people together. In a society increasingly dominated by individualism, we reflect on the importance of communal activities and play. Through dialogue between the audience, artworks, and artists, we breathe together, discussing recovery and sustainability, moving towards harmony in the new era.

• Exhibition Related Program

During the exhibition, the artists will lead performances and workshops to engage with visitors, extending and reinforcing the Biennale’s theme.

• Performance

- Artist: Shaman Tearoom (Aiwei Foo + Kent Lee)
- Period: 2024. 9. 5.(Thu), 16:00 / 9. 6.(Fri), 18:00 / 9. 7.(Sat), 14:00

Shamen Tearoom, whose performance is documented in a video featured in the thematic exhibition, will present a new iteration of their work specifically for the Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale 2024. This live performance within the exhibition space at the Gyeonggi Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art (GMoCCA) offers Korean audiences a unique opportunity to engage with the artists and their art. The performance unfolds in three parts, each symbolizing a different form of dialogue: monologue, conversation with oneself, and harmonious coexistence with one's environment. Part 1 features a pre-recorded musical composition inspired by the artist's writings and poetry. Part 2 introduces live improvisation, creating a dialogue with the pre-recorded music. Part 3 presents a soundscape that blends ambient sounds with the artist's voice, treated as a musical instrument. The performance culminates in a gesture of hospitality – the offering of tea to the audience.

• Workshop

Food planet_Expanding mutation

- Artist : Hyunsuk Kim
- Period : 2024. 9. 13.(Fri), 9. 27.(Fri), 10. 4.(Fri), 10. 19.(Sat) 11:00~, 14:00~, 16:00~

Hyunsuk Kim will conduct an interactive workshop program with the exhibited works, where visitors can create their own food-shaped artworks. These artworks, transformed into bizarre forms, connect to the exhibition and symbolize the threat of food mutation. The process of keeping a relevant journal of their past, present, and future also provides an opportunity to reflect on the theme and meaning of the work. Workshops are available even on days when the artist is not present; please see the on-site instructions for details.

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