MMCA
About the Exhibition
Archive of Mind, Kimsooja’s MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2016, was an immersive participatory presentation where visitors were invited to form balls of clay that were then left on a large wooden table in the gallery. An acoustic sound performance, “Unfolding Sphere,” simultaneously played throughout the space, creating a meditative and multi-sensory experience that continued Kimsooja’s commitment to non-doing and non-making as part of her artistic practice. Archive of Mind was inspired by Kimsooja’s earlier work with Bottari, traditional Korean cloth bundles that are used to transport everyday objects and that similarly require a tactile intimacy to create.
Also on view as part of Archive of Mind was Kimsooja’s “Deductive Object,” a large ovoid sculpture set atop a mirrored plinth. Inspired by the Indian stone Brahmanda or “cosmic egg,” which signifies the birth of totality, “Deductive Object” was wrapped in a band of the five traditional colors of Korea, known as an Obangsaek.
About the Artist
Over the course of her 30-year career, Kimsooja (b. 1957, Daegu, Korea, South Korea) has explored existential ideas of self and other via site-specific installations, performance, video, photography, sound, light, and everyday objects. She continually revisits and recontextualizes materials as a means of addressing social issues such as migration, exile, and violence. Kimsooja’s work is included in museum collections including Seoul Museum of Art and the Musée d’art Contemporain, Lyon. She has had recent solo exhibitions at ARKO Art Centre, Seoul (2021); Centro Galego de Arte Contemporanea, Santiago de Compostelle, Spain (2021); Boghossian Foundation, Brussels (2020); and Peabody Essex Museum (2019).
About the Program
MMCA Hyundai Motor Series
The MMCA Hyundai Motor Series is a pivotal part of the decade-long partnership between MMCA and Hyundai Motor, which aims to expand the field of Korean contemporary art and its role in the broader global dialogue. Each year, MMCA Seoul presents a major solo exhibition featuring new works by a Korean artist or collective. Accompanied by seminars and publications, this platform offers audiences an immersive encounter with the prevailing currents and vibrancy of Korean art today. The series began in 2014 with a groundbreaking exhibition by Lee Bul, followed by Ahn Kyuchul, Kimsooja, IM Heung-soon, CHOIJEONGHWA, Park Chan-kyong, Haegue Yang, MOON Kyungwon & JEON Joonho, and Choe U-Ram, and culminates in 2023-4 with Jung Yeondoo.
