To commemorate the 2024–25 Korea–Canada Year of Cultural Exchanges, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) will host the Convergence Art Program ‘Spectrum of Humanity’ in Montreal, Canada, from August 18 to 23.
 
This event is co-organized by MMCA and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, Cinéma du Musée at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and MUTEK, Montreal’s world-renowned media art festival.

This program was developed as an extension of the exhibition 《Transport to Another World》, held at MMCA Seoul from October 2023 to February 2025. Centered around the theme “Art in the Age of AI,” the event features three main components: Korean video art screenings and artist talks, a conference, and virtual reality (VR) screenings.
 
The conference will take place in Montreal on Monday, August 18, followed by an opening ceremony and VR screenings in the evening. Screenings of contemporary art and experimental films will be held on Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23 at Cinéma du Musée, located within the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

During the conference and VR screening sessions, Yoo Taekyung (Professor at Chung-Ang University) and Haru Ji (Media Artist and Professor at OCAD University in Canada) will engage in a discussion on video creation in the age of AI with Canadian experts, including Nelly-Eve Rajotte, Professor at UQAM. The sessions will be moderated by Soojung Lee, curator at the MMCA, and Louis-Richard Tremblay, Director of the Innovation Lab at the National Film Board of Canada, who will lead a joint discussion with participating artists from both countries.
 
Notably, at the opening ceremony on the evening of August 18, held at the National Film Board of Canada, three Korean VR works will be presented: 489 Years by Hayoun Kwon (part of the MMCA collection), VR trilogy on US military comfort women by Gina Kim, and Cinematic Screening: There Is No Poverty at the End of Labor by Taekyung Yoo.

The Korean Video Art Screenings and Artist Talks will take place on August 22 and 23 at Cinéma du Musée, located within the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The screenings will feature seven works by leading Korean contemporary visual artists, including IM Heung-soon, Ji Hye Yeom, PARKing CHANce (artist duo consisting of PARK Chan-kyong and PARK Chan-wook), and Ayoung Kim.
 
Among the works presented are IM Heung-soon’s Factory Complex—winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale and part of the MMCA collection—and three short films by Ji Hye Yeom: AI Octopus, Black Sun X: Casper, Witch, and Handstanderus, and The Last Night. Both artists will participate in post-screening talks to share the artistic context and creative visions behind their works.
 
The duo PARKing CHANce will present Night Fishing and Believe or Not, followed by a live video conversation with PARK Chan-kyong. Ayoung Kim’s Delivery Dancer’s Sphere will also be screened for the first time in Canada as part of the program.

Kim Sung-hee, Director of the MMCA, stated, “To commemorate the Year of Korea-Canada Cultural Exchanges, following the successful 《Transport to Another World》 exhibition held last year at MMCA Seoul, this event offers a special opportunity to showcase the appeal and excellence of Korean contemporary artists’ VR and video works in Canada.” She added, “Furthermore, through active discussions and exchanges between artists from both countries on the meaning of art and humanity in the age of artificial intelligence, we hope to foster a broader international consensus.”

References

• 국립현대미술관 보도자료 (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) Press Release)