KCC UK Muse Exhibition Review

So, a short while back I applied to the London KCC to take part in their Korean classes. Having been successfully picked, I popped down there last weekend for a placement test. After my exam, I figured I would make use of my trip and check out the (recently finished) art exhibition, the fourth of its kind, held at the KCC. 

The exhibition, titled "Muse London", was, in my opinion, really well set out, making fantastic use of the spacious exhibition area and including works from six different artists; E.E, Eemyun Kang, Seokyeong Kang, Kiwoun Shin, Wonwoo Lee and Sean Roh, who are all Korean artists living and working in London. 


The Director of the KCC UK, Yonggi Won, described the exhibition in the following way "concentrating on the developing genre of media art, Muse London brings together six artists who each specialise in this exciting exciting field. Inspired by their lives int he capital, Muse London celebrates the canvas that London offers each and every day. Specifically dveloped on video and film, the artworks deliver very personal stories, depicting an inner world of each artist. This adds to the attraction and excitement of the exhibition whilst also reflecting the overall picture of Korean artists' practice in London."

According to the Artrabbit.com; the artwork in the exhibition is meant to 'reflect their [the artists] personal experiences of being in London- more specifically dwelling on the "artist' interior world as seen through the lense of a foreign world city".' 

Here are some examples of the pieces in the exhibition;

 

The exhibition predominantly focused on videos (so unfortunately all these pictures don't really do the pieces justice - capturing only one of many slides) however it really was a very interesting presentation that gave of a particularly strong and edgy vibe. 


Despite being the daughter of an art teacher, I am far from being an art connoisseur and I have to admit I am sure many of the more subtle, technical points in the art flew right over my head. That said, I found it a really enjoyable experience and the symbolism was somewhat intriguing - it really started to make you think, even without necessarily knowing what the piece itself was about. 


The art ranged videos of a timed countdown (shown on the red wall of screens above) to interviews (as seen on the left below), focusing on themes from the normal to the utterly bizarre. My personal favourite was a rather peculiar video which followed a wine glass, through what seems to be a night in a bar. The changing light during the evening and variety and transition of colour was subtle but equally stunning and made a fascinating watch. 

 

I was sadly unable to make it but for those who were able to attend the final evening of the exhibit early last week, they were treated to a live performance by one of the artists. EE which can be seen below; 

 EE's art has been described as being " "perhaps the closest thing to clichéd expectations of video art from a technologically advanced place like Korea. But is is stranger than that, themes of life, death, birth and carnival abound, the work is macabre and brutish but very much mirros old rock and pop videos and the graphic imagery that they pioneered to illustrate and describe the modern world.".....exciting! 

I had a little look around the rest of the building before it was time to head home for lunch! 


Thank you to all the artists who participated and I look forwards to the next exhibition at the KCC UK. 

The centre itself~!

Our beloved Korean Cultural Centre~!