The artist-in-residence promotion project implemented by Kanagawa Prefecture is a project in which artists from Japan and abroad stay in the prefecture for a certain period of time, utilize local cultural resources to disseminate culture and art, and in addition to promoting culture and art, It is an effort to connect to the liveliness. In 2019, the art exhibition “the Narrative in their Eyes” being held at the underpass studio Site-A gallery in Koganecho, Naka-ku, Yokohama has been selected.
I experienced the story spun by seven Seoul-based artists in Koganecho.
The Koganecho neighborhood was once lined with illegal sex shops. Efforts are being made to create a creative and distinctive “neighbourhood” through art so that this place will never return to the past.
The creator of this project, Yoo Sung Joon , is a Korean film director who participated in the 2015-2016 Koganecho Artist-in-Residence Program, as well as an artist who creates works in a variety of ways. After returning to Japan, while producing video works, he is also focusing on exchange programs between up-and-coming artists active in Seoul and Koganecho.
“Participating in the residency in Koganecho was the biggest “learning” in my life. Not only was I inspired by the director and my colleagues, but I also walked to the sea while thinking. Researching works in Noge.Kanagawa Prefecture is a very exciting place for artists, with mountains, rivers, and the sea nearby, and cultural facilities such as museums.Returning to Seoul, hometown I would like to share my experiences here with my fellow artists, and continue to interact with Koganecho.”
The exhibition is divided into two parts, "light" and "dark." This is "Ming" that makes use of the white wall. It showcases the work of artists from Seoul gathered through Yoo Sung Joon 's connections in South Korea.
And another central figure is Ahn Jonghyun . After studying photography at university, in parallel with his own creative activities, he runs the gallery "Space 55", which was renovated from an old sewing factory in downtown Seoul.
“I came to Japan for the first time this time when I heard that there was a place where artists could freely express themselves. It's something I made, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the audience at the gallery reacts to it, which is different from Seoul."
This is the "dark" exhibition space. The historic building, which was once an illegal brothel, has been intentionally preserved and used as a gallery. When you enter the first floor, a video work by Yoo Sung Joon is shown first, and when you turn around, you will come across paintings by other artists who appeared in the video. The audience follows the movement of Yoo Sung Joon 's mind and his relationships with other artists as they proceed to the mezzanine and second floors.
“As the title of the exhibition (the Narrative in their Eyes) expresses, everything is connected.
Ahead of the stairs to the second floor is a pigment print photo of Ahn Jonghyun . It is a photograph of the old city of Seoul, most of which has been dismantled, and it is said that it does not exist now.
“Compared to South Korea, I feel that time flows more slowly in Japan. In Japan, towns are being regenerated while leaving old buildings. The history also disappears.In Koganecho, I feel that I can look back on the history of the land slowly by mixing the city and art.” ( Ahn Jonghyun )
“Koganecho has a dark and heavy history, but for artists, it is a stimulus to create. I learned again that art has the power to revitalize the city.” ( Yoo Sung-joon )
We spoke with Junya Utsumi, curator of the Koganecho Area Management Center.
“The feature of Koganecho ’s residencies is that artists and the local community are involved over a long period of time, and the things that are born out of that relationship are exhibited. It's a plan.
After this, in July, we will hold an exhibition of Koganecho artists at Space 55 in Seoul. I would like to connect the power of art to community development, rather than allowing artists to interact with each other for a short period of time.”
the Narrative in their Eyes
2019 International Exchange Program "Golden Mind 55"
A story told by seven Seoul-based artists
[Venue] Underpass Studio Site-A Gallery, Hachibankan
[Exhibition period] Now being held until June 16, 2019 (Sun)
[Time] 11:00-18:30 *Closed on Mondays
free entrance
■ Participating artists
Yoo Sung Jun
An Jong Hyun
Hong Hak Soon
Lee In Kyun
Bang Eun Kyum
Park Hyo Bin Park Hyo Bin
Yoo Jae Yoo Jae Yoon
