MMCA
About the Exhibition
For the MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2017: IM Heung-soon - Things that Do Us Part, the artist considered the ways in which division is a subconscious and ubiquitous ideology within Korea. The exhibition was an open project that invited participation from visitors, encouraging them to reflect on each individual's life and history by anchoring key words that emerge in contemporary Korean history, including belief, faith, love, betrayal, hatred, fear and ghost.
For Things that Do Us Part, IM conducted interviews with four women and their close acquaintances, researching their personal archives and keepsakes in order to reconstruct individual histories that traverse different periods of Korean history, and to bring life back to the nameless. IM transformed the exhibition space into film sets, which were categorized by specific periods in contemporary Korean history. The artist then created scenarios of each period along with the interviewees participating in the project, filming the process as part of the exhibition. Visitors could watch the process, as well as participate as performers.
About the Artist
IM Heung-soon (b. 1969, Seoul, South Korea) is a multimedia artist who has spent much of his career exploring the impact of Korea’s modern history on the lives of ordinary people. IM received the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2015 for “Factory Complex,” a feature-length documentary about the lives and sacrifices made by women workers who were pioneers in developing Korea’s economy. IM’s work has been on view at the Carnegie International, Pittsburgh (2018); HKW, Berlin (2017); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2017); Taipei Biennale (2016); and MoMA PS1, New York City (2015).
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.
