스킵네비게이션

On June 7, the Busan Biennale Organizing Committee confirmed the invitation of 15 artists from 7 countries for the Sea Art Festival 2013.

With 100 days remaining until the opening of the Sea Art Festival 2013, the Organizing Committee called for a meeting and finalized on the 15 invitational artists proposed by the Artistic Director Tae-Won Park. The Committee will now begin the preparation of the event, discussing the production and installation of the works with the artists. Of the 15 artists, 9 are from Korea, and one each from China, Taiwan, India, Australia, the United States, and Italy. This group is composed of mid-career artists who are capable of creating pieces that are aligned with the curatorial direction of the event and are suitable for marine environment and outdoor display. The works will not only highlight the characteristics of the Sea Art Festival, but also spatial aspect of the Songdo Beach, marking its 100th anniversary. In order to encourage semi-permanent installations and emphasize site-specificity, whether the artist would be able to visit the site was one of the main criteria for selecting international artists along with their experience in creating outdoor works that are feasible.

Two representative artists at the Sea Art Festival 2013 include Tallur L.N., (born in India, 1971) and Craig Costello (born in the United States, 1971).

Tallur L.N. is an artist currently represented by the Arario Gallery. It is difficult to trace the orientation of his style; we cannot guess whether his influences are from Europe, Asia, or Africa. Tallur’s radical and exotic looking works uproot the Western-created notion of orientalism, and suggest humor and futility in how the reshuffling of world power due to globalism has permeated into our everyday life. He also has exhibited in the Contemporary Art Exhibition, Busan Biennale 2004 is expected to attract the eyes of the audience with his work that is visually distinctive and highly conceptual.

Craig Costello, a street artist from the United States, also known as ‘Krink’ or ‘KR,’ does installations on the walls, buildings, statues, and vehicles. Costello redefines objects by dripping paint on their surface and raises graffiti to the realm of high art, which symbolizes an evolvement of his urban roots and expressions.

Among the Korean representative artists are Jun-Seop Sim (born in Korea, 1965), Man-Young Jeong (born in Korea, 1971), and Dong-Hoon Seong (born in Korea, 1967).

Jun-Seop Sim, also known as the ‘Pipe Artist,’ primarily focuses on expressing the healing process of pathologies found in modern society, utilizing unique characteristics of sound art and interactive art. His piece, ‘Circulation of Sound, ‘was showcased in the Contemporary Art Exhibition, Busan Biennale 2006.

Man-Young Jeong is a mid-career artist who is a close acquaintance to the Busan Biennale; he has exhibited in the Contemporary Art Exhibition, Busan Biennale 2006 and also was the Installation Team Director of the Busan Biennale 2010. He states sound is the nature’s message and is the life that connects all living things. Currently, he is working on a project where he collects sounds of Busan to create a map of sound.

Dong-Hoon Seong is a mid-career sculptor who is well known not only in Korea but also internationally, especially in Austria and Taiwan. He places ceramic bells on tree shaped objects, and using sound played by wind, his works generate visual and auditory pleasure.

With the final decision of the artists, the Organizing Committee will focus not only on the production and installation of the artworks but also on various events and programs for the visitors.

The Sea Art Festival 2013 is the second edition as an independent exhibition since its separation from the Busan Biennale’s main exhibitions in 2011. In order to raise the quality of the exhibition and comprehensiveness of the artworks, the Sea Art Festival appointed its first Artistic Director, and to emphasize public and open participation, various events and programs for the visitors including the Sea Art Fun Zone, a mobile website, and artwork description (text and audio) are also under preparation. The Organizing Committee will be collaborating with various cultural organizations in the Busan area to plan a variety of performances and programs in the Sea Art Fun Zone, which will provide rich experience to the audience.

The Sea Art Festival 2013, which will serve as a springboard for the event to grow as representative cultural brand of Busan, will be held at Songdo Beach with the theme of ‘With Songdo: Remembrance·Marks·People’ from September 14 through October 13. It will showcase a total of 35 domestic and international artworks, including 20 works selected through an International Competition and 15 works of invited artists, and various festivities and events will be offered.