Brilliant Ideas Episode #25: Ahn Kyuchul

Applying criticism of the reality on the formal structure of artworks in the 1980s, Ahn Kyuchul received a spotlight early on; not only the degree of completion of the works was high, but also the concepts he established gained sympathy of people who admire art. His constant and diligent way of creating has always drawn attention. While his early works were descriptively represented as in a satire of political events, his recent works treat same subjects in a different manner. The works presented in his solo exhibition in MMCA reveal the changed manner of the artist, which are quite different from his past works in a way of not representing anything but inducing the viewers to make something happen. The interest of the artist is focused not on performing representation, but making representation become an event.

Ahn Kyuchul creates hybrid artworks that embrace art, literature, architecture, music, video, performance, and publication. Asked why he uses such various genres in a complex way, the artist answered, “Contemporary art is not developed by exclusive and inherent logics anymore, but is opened to other things and changes constantly by stimulation and influence from the outside. So, art meeting other things is not special but natural. The important thing is to not only draw other genres and media and deconstruct the existing forms, but also to create a new formal order by arranging such diversity.”

Compared to art specialists who are obsessed with philosophies and contemplation, the public seem to actively understand and participate in the exhibition. Regarding this, he says “The viewers who come to the museum are not just passive bystanders as people say. They want to participate in the process, and to be part of the value being created there.” Ahn is an artist who is interested in lightening heavy things and emptying filled things. He insists also “An artist is who says the same story differently”, and now, the world's contemporary art scene is focusing on his future. ■ with ARTINPOST

Ahn Kyuchul drew a bar of chocolate from which someone took a bite, and wrote letters on each piece: M, O, R, G, E, N. The word, Morgen, which means tomorrow in German, was chosen by the artist, due to an apparent reason: tomorrow seems always sweet like chocolate. The drawing, which shows how the leading conceptual artist was 20 years ago, represents his theory and existence. Ahn Kyuchul is a magician who enriches feelings with solid experiences and firm philosophy.
The artist majored sculpture at the College of Fine Arts of Seoul National University, and worked as an art journalist in major media agencies in Korea for seven years after graduating college. He studied at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design in Germany from 1988 to 1995. In 1992, while studying in Germany, Ahn held his first solo exhibition, Ahn Kyuchul 1990-1992, at Space Saemteo Gallery, debuting as an artist. He has had 10 private exhibitions including Forty-nine Rooms (2004) at the Rodin Gallery, A House of 2.6 Square Meters (2009) at Gallery Space. Having presented artworks that reveal other sides of life inherent in everyday objects and spaces through various exhibitions, the artist wrote <The Man’s Suitcase>, in which he recorded his experiences of Western modern art, and <43 Tables>, a compilation of his thoughts about tables and drawings, along with <Nine Goldfish and Water In the Distance> published by Contemporary Literature. He has been a professor at the School of Visual Arts of the Korea National University of Arts since 1997.