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Viewing the Front Page Artwork of the Newsletter (6) 'Industrial Complex : Cheong ju Industrial Complex Ochang/Osong', by artist Hong-Goo Kang

2016-06-20 l Hit 1131

 
Viewing the Front Page Artwork of the Newsletter
 
(6) 'Industrial Complex : Cheong ju Industrial Complex Ochang/Osong', by artist Hong-Goo Kang
 

nc6-1.jpg
Hong-Goo Kang, 'Industrial Complex : Cheong ju Industrial Complex Ochang/Osong', 2014, pigment print, 220 x 90cm
 
 
 
This spring, hazy, fine particles covered the Korean Peninsula. Checking the air condition before outdoor activities becomes a common thing to do. We have been taught that Korea consists of ‘beautiful, picturesque rivers and mountains’, so the situation today is sorrowful, since now we even have to worry about drawing our breath. Is it due to the news articles about particle pollution we hear about constantly these days? I was able to sense the acrid dust through《Industrial Complex : Cheong ju Industrial Complex Ochang/Osong》, the work of Hong-Goo Kang, who is a fourth-year member of the Korean Artist Project.
 
The artist responded to my review described above by saying, “I didn’t intend to mention the issue (air pollution) while I was working. But if you felt that way, that is also fine by me!”
 
Hong-Goo Kang is an artist who has been capturing gloomy landscapes, such as districts that are disappearing due to redevelopment, which people have no interest in. His work《Green Belt》and《Han River Citizen Park》first started by depicting Seoul and its suburban redeveloping areas. The artist has been expanding his areas of interest to the following regions;《Ohsoelee Landscape》is the work that shows the noise-polluted area at Kimpo Airport,《Mickey House》depicts the redeveloping area in Bulgwang-dong,《Vanish Away》describes Eunpyeong Newtown, and《House of Human Being》contains images of a mountain village in Busan. The work《Industrial Complex : Cheong ju Industrial Complex Ochang/Osong》introduced this time is one of a series《Cheong ju-City of Seven Villages》, which depicts the Cheong ju region.
 
The series《Cheong ju-City of Seven Villages》originally began under the suggestion of Woomin Art Center in Cheong ju. Woomin Art Center opened in 2011. It introduced local artists and held various special exhibitions to introduce Cheong ju and to publically contribute to local culture and the arts. This time, the art center wants to rediscover the Cheong ju region through the eyes of an artist who has no connection to Cheong ju.
 
The artist has been documenting Cheong ju for three years, from 2013 up until recently. In his artist statement, he revealed the following: “I was not sure of the proper view point to have in order to understand Cheong ju. So I experienced the city with my camera first. And I concluded that Cheong ju cannot be understood by observing one dimension of it.” The artist added, “The work process was structured in a way to show how the city, Cheong ju, was constructed. The work was like a ‘study’, since it was an unfamiliar city to me. From the total countryside, to an old section of the city, to the recent cutting-edge industrial complex, I selected 7 representative places according to my own standards. ‘Seongan gil’, ‘Markets’, ‘Musim cheon’, ‘Osong and Ochang, which includes the old and new Cheong ju industrial complex’, ‘Micheon ri and Dumo ri’, ‘Suamgol’, and ‘Sangdang sanseong and the nearby amusement park’ are the seven places.”
 
 
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A scene of the exhibition ‘Cheong ju- City of Seven Villages’ by artist Hong-Goo Kang, which includes ‘Cheong ju Industrial Complex 7’ at Woomin Art Center.
 
 
The landscape in《Industrial complex : Cheng ju industrial complex Ochang/Osong》depicts an old industrial complex site constructed in the 1960s. The industrial complex in the area moved to a new location and the site was redeveloped into a residential district. In the work, there are super high-rise apartments that stand like folding screens, unfinished landscaping sites, department stores and shopping districts seen from a distance, and the hazy sky at sunset. It is one of the provincial cities, but its appearance is not so different from Seoul. Therefore, whether you know the area or not, you can feel a strange familiarity and unfamiliarity at the same time through the work.
 
Meanwhile, the work will be displayed in the exhibition《Cheong ju-City of Seven Villages》at Woomin Art Center in Cheong ju until this coming July 2nd.
After the exhibition, the work will be shown continuously at Space 22, located in Seoul, starting in October. (Photographed by Woomin Art Center)
 
 

2016. 6. 24 ⓒKorean Artist Project
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