Installation view of 《MMCA Gwacheon 40th Anniversary: Imaginations in Light》 ⓒ MMCA
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA)
presents the exhibition 《MMCA Gwacheon, 40th Anniversary: Imaginations
in Light》, on view through October 31, in commemoration
of the 40th anniversary of MMCA Gwacheon.
Located at the intersection of Seoul’s urban vitality and
Gwacheon’s natural environment, MMCA Gwacheon opened its doors in 1986 with a
design by architect Tai Soo Kim.
As an institution that has both collected and researched key
currents in Korean contemporary art and played an active role in writing its
history, MMCA Gwacheon continues to this day to shape new discourse and
artistic practice as a crucial base for research on Korean art history, in
addition to the exhibition and study of its own collections.
Installation view of 《MMCA Gwacheon 40th Anniversary: Imaginations in Light》 ⓒ MMCA
This year, MMCA Gwacheon is commemorating its 40th anniversary
by organizing diverse events that reinterpret the role and experience of the
art museum in fresh ways while taking advantage of the venue’s spatial
characteristics as a setting in which nature, architecture, and art coexist.
The Gwacheon 40th Anniversary Project organically weaves
together exhibitions, education, design, and public programs, reflecting on the
past 40 years of MMCA Gwacheon and associated experiences and places from a
contemporary perspective while simultaneously exploring new avenues for the
future.
《MMCA Gwacheon, 40th Anniversary: Imaginations in Light》 consists of three linked exhibitions, each of which has been
designed to generate organic connections between artworks and visitors’ spatial
experiences by making active use of MMCA Gwacheon’s architectural
characteristics and natural environment. In the title, “imaginations in light”
reflects the project’s view of light as a medium through which to connect
spaces, artworks, and viewers.
Installation view of 《MMCA Gwacheon 40th Anniversary: Imaginations in Light》 ⓒ MMCA
Here, light is both a physical element that reveals MMCA
Gwacheon’s architecture and natural environment and a medium that generates
sensory and emotional interactions between viewers and the works in the
museum’s collection. The project posits the museum as a relational setting in
which spaces, bodies, memories, and experiences reflect and respond to one
another.
Starting in the museum’s Outdoor Sculpture Park and moving
through its lobby, common areas, and galleries, visitors experience the unique
landscapes formed by nature, art, light, and space. In the
process, they rediscover the spatiality and time that MMCA Gwacheon holds.
Participating Artists:
Ayoung Kim, Philippe Parreno, James TURRELL, Iván NAVARRO, Kim Haneul, Bang
Hyobeen, Im Jungjoo, Ha Jihoon, Hwang Hyungshin
