Geumhyung
Jeong, Toy Prototype, Robotic Sculpture, Installation, 2022,
Mixed media, Variable dimensions ⓒKiaf SEOULOpening on September 3, Kiaf SEOUL 2025 presents the special
exhibition 《Reverse Cabinet》 in celebration of the 60th
anniversary of Korea–Japan diplomatic relations. At this significant moment,
curators and artists from both countries come together to offer new
perspectives on the fundamental artistic practices of ‘collecting’ and
‘displaying.’
Now in its 24th edition, Kiaf SEOUL serves as a dynamic platform
where the value systems of contemporary art intersect and collide with
structures of capital. Here, art is not merely an object of contemplation or
appreciation, but is continuously evaluated and reconfigured through
interactions encompassing creation, ownership, interpretation, and circulation.
Reflecting this unique nature of the art fair, 《Reverse Cabinet》 highlights ‘collecting’ and ‘displaying’ as both artistic
methodologies and formal approaches.
Don Sunpil,
Portrait Fist No.17, 2020, ABS, resin, acrylic, figure,
polyurethane foam, 40 x 45 x 55cm ⓒKiaf SEOULThis exhibition is co-curated by Yuli Yoon, a Korean curator
known for her insightful perspectives on key discourses in contemporary art and
currently Chief Curator at Ilmin Museum of Art, and Tomoya Iwata, a Japanese
curator and Director of The 5th Floor, whose exhibitions explore the conditions
of human existence.
The participating artists include six figures from Korea and
Japan: Don Sunpil, Geumhyung Jeong, Ji Hye Yeom, and Kai Oh from Korea; and Kei
Takemura and Sen Takahashi from Japan.
Curator Yuli Yoon remarked, “Art history can be understood as a
history of collecting, and exhibitions as the form of display. In that sense,
collecting and displaying are closely tied to the most fundamental nature of
art. Kiaf SEOUL brings together diverse participants in the art world who,
through different perspectives, shape the value of art. Within this context,
everyone functions as a kind of collaborator or co-conspirator, and with this
exhibition, we aim to reconfigure the traditional triangular structure of
artist–collector–audience.”
Ji Hye Yeom,
A Night with a Pink Dolphin, 2015, Moving Image, 21min 37sec
ⓒKiaf SEOULCurator Tomoya Iwata stated, “At first glance, Korea and Japan
may seem very different, but I believe the two countries share certain cultural
roots. The six artists featured in this exhibition are not those one would
easily encounter at a typical art fair; the primary criterion for their
selection was the way each reveals their worldview through the act of
“collecting.” I hope audiences will pay close attention to how these artists
interpret and express their own cultural contexts through the shared language
of “collecting and displaying,” and that this exhibition will offer a glimpse
into new possibilities for contemporary artistic creation.”
Participating
Artists: Don
Sunpil, Geumhyung Jeong, Ji Hye Yeom, Kai Oh, Kei Takemura, Sen Takahashi
