The Force Majeure Entropy of the Inherent towards the Absolute Standard, 2012, Installation, Mixed media, Dimensions variable, LEE Wan

The SNU Museum of Art (MoA) is holding a special exhibition titled “Questioning Sustainability” to commemorate its tenth and the university’s 70th anniversary. Recognizing that an operation period of ten years is quite short considering its role of collecting and permanently preserving works of art, MoA explores the theme of sustainability, thinking ahead toward its future longevity, with many more anniversaries to come.

In today's era, sustainable development has become an important issue that will greatly affect the future existence of humanity and of the planet. MoA believes that artists, as visionaries, can provide us with an answer to how we can prepare ourselves for the future. Thus, the current exhibition introduces pieces from artists who explore in their work the theme of sustainability, be it with respect to various domains such as the environment, art, academics and knowledge.

The function of reason, 2008, LEE Jeong Min

A total of eight artists are participating in the special exhibition consisting of approximately 80 pieces, including paintings, photography, installations and multimedia. CHO Hye Jin's structural art, located in front of the Museum building, is made of construction debris from urban redevelopment sites. Area PARK's photography of Futaba District in Fukushima, Japan depicts powerful images of a town severely damaged by radioactive pollution due to the earthquake in March 2011. Rough touches on JEONG Zik Seong's paintings reflect the artist's concerns about algal blooms in Korea's major rivers that are purported to have been caused by the government's Four Major Rivers Restoration Project. LEE Wan's display of various everyday objects, collected in Seoul, impresses on the viewer the sheer volume of products that humans consume and immediately turn into garbage. With deep, broad ultramarine strokes, KIM Tschoon-Su seems to suggest that faith in an eternal invariability is the only condition for sustainability. The exhibition also featured works of artists LEE Inhyeon, YI Joungmin and Thomas STRUTH.

The second section of the exhibition is a retrospective of the past ten years of operation, and includes an archive of architectural models of its own building as well as posters and videos of previous exhibitions and educational programs. The architectural style of MoA corresponds well with the theme of sustainability, as the building was designed to connect the university campus and the local community. The architectural motto of Rem Koolhaas, designer of MoA, is"reservation of judgment," conveying the architect's pursuit of diverse possibilities and open-ended resolutions. As a result, spaces in the MoA building are all interconnected, and no space is reserved for a specific purpose. Also, MoA was constructed to fit in with harmony amidst the surrounding topography, thereby enabling a peaceful coexistence of man and nature.

Ultra-Marine, 2010, KIM Tschoon-Su'

"We aimed to create this structure as a space that people necessarily need to pass by. We wanted the building to be utilized by not only the museum staff, but also by everyday passersby," explained Rem Koolhaas, in a quote displayed on one of the museum walls.

The 10th Anniversary Project will be on display until July 24, 2016. SNU Museum of Art is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The admission fee for the general public is 3,000 won, and admission is free for SNU students, staff and faculty members.

Written by YOON Jiwon, SNU English Editor, jiwonyoon@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, tlsmith@snu.ac.kr