Nayoungim and Gregory Maass in Korean Art: The Power of Now
“Producing individual methods and ideas ever again coherent, and the most likely adaptations of the least beautiful subjects in the least likely situation in the least likely way.”
“Producing individual methods and ideas ever again coherent, and the most likely adaptations of the least beautiful subjects in the least likely situation in the least likely way.”
“개별적 방식과 아이디어들을 끝없이 가장 덜 아름다운 주제들에 대해 가장 덜 그럴싸한 방법으로 가장 덜 기대되는 상황에서 연속성 있고 가장 그럴법한 해석으로 생산하기.”
Nayoungim speaks for her art through one art critic's review: “The installations consist
mostly of widening gaps between the constituent parts. They form a seismic
zone, riddled with ravines and fissures, eminently unstable cityscapes of found
objects, catchy remarks, dumb puns, cartoons, gleefully deliberate ugliness,
blunt parody” (Sytze Steenstra). Although this description
might sound vague, it captures the core elements and attitudes comprising
Nayoungim’s works. The key point is that she is more
interested in tremors and instability than in the beauty of imaginary harmony.
The quote also refers to the fact that she identifies and materializes such
existential conditions and sensory aspects from devalued objects, which are
commonly considered to be “marginal”
or “non-creative” by the existing
standards of aesthetics and art. But her works do not stop there.
Since 2004, Nayoungim has worked closely with the
German artist Gregory Maass. But these two artists do not simply cooperate by
sharing their ideas and labor; instead, they are joined in a symbiotic
relationship in which one artist develops the other’s
idea, or else they put their heads together to help each other realize a
successful project which could have been impossible if they had worked
separately. Her more recent works have evolved to adopt positive aesthetics and
rich meanings which extend beyond an attitude of anti-aesthetics or kitsch, and
this symbiotic relationship seems to be at the heart of that evolution.
Busan Snowman (2010) is a
public art work which Nayoungim and Gregory Maass executed in Busan, a major
city on the southern coast of Korea, known for its international port. Busan
has a warm climate, so snow is rare, even in winter. Considering these weather
conditions, the artists designed this work as a “gift” to the people of Busan. They installed the work on the rooftop
of a makeshift building on “Sanbok Road,” a low-middle class neighborhood
in Busan. Using iron and chrome, they created a form reminiscent of a snowman
that had been chiseled out of an iceberg. The large size and glittering
exterior of the piece maximize its existence, such that it literally becomes a “public” art work, which anyone can see and
enjoy from anywhere in the city. Therefore, like a gift, Busan Snowman interrupts the urban landscape which harbors negative
images associated with a big city, such as the isolation of individuals,
impoverishment of emotions, and lack of solidarity and sympathy. Busan Snowman promotes a small but
significant shift in the city landscape, showing how symbiotic art can move a
city a little bit closer to utopia.
김나영은 자신의 미술을 한 평론가의 말로 대변한다. “작품은 구성요소들 간의 넓은 간극으로 구성되어 있다. 그것들은 협곡과 틈으로 벌집이 되어서, 발견된 물건들, 기억하기 쉬운 문구, 바보 같은 말장난, 만화, 신이 나게 고의적인 추함, 뭉툭한 패러디들로 이루어진 대단히 불안정한 도시 풍경의 지진대를 구성한다” (싯쩌 스틴스트라Sytze
Steenstra). 다소 의미가 모호하게 읽히지만, 우리는 이 비평에서 김나영의 작업을 이루는 핵심 요소들과 태도를 발견할 수 있다. 그것은 이 작가가 가상적 조화의 미보다는 간극과 틈, 그리고 불안정성과 진동에 주목한다는 사실이다. 또한 그러한 존재 상태나 감각적 양상을 기성의 미학과 예술이 ‘마이너리티’나 ‘비창조성’으로 평가 절하한 대상들로부터 찾아내고, 자신의 작품 속에서 구체화한다는 사실이다. 그러나 김나영의 작업은 여기서 멈추지 않는다.
김나영은 2004년부터 독일출신의 작가 그레고리 마스(Gregory Maass)와 공동 작업을 하고 있다. 이 두 현대 미술가는 단순히 서로의 아이디어와 노동력을 나누는 협업관계가 아니라, 공생관계 속에서 한 작가의 아이디어를 다른 작가가 발전시키기도 하고, 각자라면 불가능할 작업을 둘이 머리를 맞대고 힘을 합쳐 성공시킨다. 김나영의 최근작들이 반(反)미학적 태도나 키치 취향 너머의 어떤 긍정적인 미학과 풍요로운 의미들을 담는 식으로 발전할 수 있었던 중요한 계기가 그 공생관계에 있었던 것으로 보인다.
강수미 Sumi Kang
Nov. 2011
Seoul
Korean Art: The Power of Now
co-published by TransGlobe Publishing and Thames & Hudson
London
April 2013
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