Brain Factory
6.March – 23.March 2008
’The P-generation’ is a nickname for people in their twenties and thirties in Korea. They are leading a whole society out of old customs and ideas by replacing them with a freer and more creative consciousness. The three artists in Crawling Landscape belong to this generation. They are young, unrestrained and fun. Like the name of the group, they crawl every nook and corner of society and describe openly what they see.
Though the exhibition ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’ looks informal and liberal, it consists three distinctive. The first section describes a co-residential place from different aspects. Its first part is shaped as and old-fashioned shopping center, cut out of cardboard boxes. Inside they have painted residential housing structures, juxtaposing the images in a constructivist way. The display mirrors an unbalance in society between the privileged and the unprivileged.
The second part is about corporate culture and uses the logos of global conglomerates. The economic crisis of 1997 genuinely deepened the gap between the haves’ and the have-nots’ in Korea. A few privileged companies became the main instruments of national economy. Just like in the image in the middle of this structure, Korea is witnessing a crisis between two invisible classes.
The third part is a portrait of ourselves. Many faces are drawn on paper, displayed as fragments having nothing to do with each other. This is how Crawling Landscape questions how much we actually respect each others’ diversities.
These three structures are relatively well organized in a small space. Each theme and construction is individual but is harmonized like one single piece of work.
Their occasionally a bit too simple drawings and messages are mixed and dissembled, bringing an interesting vagueness to their work. The fragile structures pictures our society as unstable and confused.
The exhibition shows their flexibility and openness, but it would be more effective if they used their material more diversely and daringly.
As ‘Crawling Landscape’ say, our so called P-generation has not gone through violent changes as the previous generations have. We have very little interests in social issues or politics. Crawling Landscape is addressing this reality and tries to involve it in their work. Hopefully, this will stimulate other young artists.
As they exchange ideas and works through their collaborative method, it also leaves the exhibition open to the ideas and interpretations of the public. This is a form of synergy that looks promising for the future.
PARK Sun-Min
