Event overview
This talk will explore the works of pioneer South Korean artist Kim Ku-Lim, whose art practice resonates with political significance from the 1960s till today.
The talk serves as a platform to question how we can trace the genealogy of artistic practices and what the artists do in a socially and politically turbulent time, beyond the traditional historiography of the Western canon. What has changed in artistic practice between the 1960s and now? And what were the means utilized by artists outside of the global North in responds to extreme conditions?
Spearheaded by Kim and his colleagues, the Korean avant-garde art movement emerged during the 1960s post-war period under the heavy opposition of the authoritarian military regime. Kim developed radical forms of expressions that cut across the genres, from performances to land art. These works were often rebellious and metaphorically nuanced, adept at posing urgent political and social questions to the public. Kim continued his practice and established collectives in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including A.G and The Fourth Group. These presented varieties of Happenings and performances that criticised the present system and set a point of departure in the Korean art scene. Within the confines of the political climate of the time that arrested and tortured the artists who responded critically to the government, Kim sought different modes of agency for artistic actions that were foundational and generative in times of uncertainty.
Against the backdrop of the extreme polarity of political conditions of today, the talk reconstructs Kim’s practice and explore how his polyvocal, off-grid, and collaborative resistance to violence and neoliberal collusion might offer different modalities for the ways we regard our world today.
Kim Ku Lim김구림 (b. 1936, Sangju, South Korea) has worked in film, light, performance, and land art, often stretching the limits of a given medium. Primarily self-taught, he moved to New York after he dropped out of college and became involved with the Art Students League of New York, participating in a numerous group exhibitions. Back in Korea, he held his first solo exhibition in 1958 at Daegu Information Center, and soon expanded his artistic practice beyond painting. In the 1960s Kim began to emphasize the materiality of painting in a radical way. For his artistic “deconstructions” he often used burned plastics, vinyl, and metal bits alongside oil paint. He incorporated ready-made objects in his painted canvases, created installation art, and staged performances. A major retrospective was held at Seoul Museum of art in 2013, and most recently he has participated in a group exhibition at “Institute of Asian Performance Art” with the David Roberts Foundation in London, 2018.
All are welcome, no booking necessary.
This event is organised by Hae Ryung Ha, MA Culture Industry 2017-18.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Nov 2018 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm |
Accessibility
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