Under the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf there’s a busy shopping centre. In amongst the arcades there are window displays which advertise some of the shops. But there are also art and design displays which are open daily and showcase up-and-coming artists, designers and craftspeople. Soo Ji Shin is exhibiting her chandeliers and lighting designs in the Lightbox Gallery during January and February.

Date: 5 Jan – 24 Feb 2012
Venue: Lightbox Gallery, Canada Walk, Canada Place
http://www.canarywharf.com/visitus/Public–Art/Events/
www.soojis.com

Soo Ji’s designs are fresh and unusual. She strives to bring movement to ordinarily motionless lighting. Chandeliers look as if they are sea creatures that gather when people feed them. Soo Ji’s designs are all bespoke, made by her own hand sewing.

Soo Ji Shin: 'Sails' floor lamp

Soo Ji Shin: 'Sails' floor lamp

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The Society of Designer Craftsmen has an annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries. Among the exhibitors this year is SDC Ceramics Licentiate and KAA member Myung-nam AN:

Designer Crafts at the Mall 2012

At The Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1
Friday 6th to Sunday 15th January 2012

This winter craft exhibition, presented by the Society of Designer Craftsmen, is recognised as a leading platform for the best talent in ceramics, furniture, jewellery, glass and textiles. Celebrated and experienced makers are shown alongside recent graduates, which makes for a stimulating and exciting exhibition. All work is for sale and ‘The Shop within the Show’ returns, offering a range of handmade crafts.

Eyes, by Myung Nam An

Statement by Myung-nam AN:

Art is a lifestyle for me. Everything that surrounds and excites me is automatically processed and transformed into the final result: an artwork. It is fascinating to watch the transitions from life to art. The essence of my work is the human being and their everyday life. I find ceramic to be the most versatile material and it is suited to express my ideas. Working in clay is really deep and has much to interest me: philosophy, technique – so much.

In my work, I like to tell stories using symbols which are universal, when you look at my work you could tell your own story, and would interpret what you see in your own way and each work in the series is created to evoke a different moods and emotions. I am exploring abstract appropriated images from our culture and translating these onto the surface of my work. I feel that they address or allude to specific ideals that interest me. It has always been my goal as an artist to make work that speaks to the viewer on a deeper level.

My works are a step in my ongoing growth toward a personal and unique approach to clay. It is my hope that these images will provoke thought in the viewer. The characteristics and limitations of the materials is a fundamental issue for me. I make use of a working process which is based on analysis and experience. I approach my work in a formal and aesthetic way. That does not mean that emotionality and sensuality are set aside – on the contrary, I go for a cool expression with sensitive undertones and thereby join an abstract, new formalistic movement in contemporary art.

Links:

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Photos of the artworks and visitors to KAA’s recent exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre UK. All photos by Miso Park ©misofactory.

KAA Artists

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Delayed Sojourn exhibition view

Ambassador Choo Kyu Ho with Soon Yul Kang

Ambassador Choo at Yonghyun Lim's work

Ambassador Choo Kyu Ho and Bada Song

Counsellor Kim, Bada Song, Soon Yul kang, Ambassador Choo, Hyun Jun Kim, Director Won Younggi

Hyun Jun Kim, Soon Yul Kang, Ambassador Choo Kyu Ho , Bada Song and Counsellor Kim Changjin

Minister & DHM Chong-Weon SHIN, Soon Yul Kang, Consular Hwang Myung Hee, Unmi Li, Bada Song

Minister & DHM Choung-Weon SHIN

People at the private view

People at the private view

People at the private view

People at the private view

People at the private view

People at the private view

People at the private view

People at the private view

People at the private view

People at the private view

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It was good to see the KCC so busy last Saturday afternoon. The attraction was the Korean Artists Association’s one-week exhibition: Delayed Sojourn – London, home away from home. And while there was plenty to enjoy inside, it was an unusual exhibit in the window that was drawing people in: 48 small glass bowls, each containing a small goldfish.

Hyun Jun Kim and Taeyoung Kim: Swarm With Me

Hyun Jun Kim and Taeyoung Kim: Swarm With Me - attracting attention outside the KCC

Entering the exhibition space was a calming experience: Soon Yul Kang’s hand woven tapestry Blue Moon (2011) welcomed you on the side wall,

Soon Yul Kang: Blue Moon (2011). Hand Woven tapestry, diameter 67.5cm

Soon Yul Kang: Blue Moon (2011). Hand Woven tapestry, diameter 67.5cm

while beyond were works by Joo-hee Chun (her abstract work built up with layers of acrylic) and Kitty Jun-im McLaughlin (her muted paintings based on hanji and calligraphy); and further on was an installation by Bada Song:

R to L: work by Kitty Jun-im McLaughlin, Joohee Chun and Bada Song

R to L: work by Kitty Jun-im McLaughlin, Joohee Chun and Bada Song

Song’s work was a tribute to Richard Serra’s Verb List Compilation: Actions to Relate to Oneself (1967-1968)

Bada Song - Korean verb list

Bada Song - Korean verb list

But her work was also in part an attempt to explore the Korean language – for Korean does not have words which are the direct equivalent of some on Serra’s list, for example “entropy”.

In the opposite corner of the space was something more down-to-earth:

Jean Kim: Naked Journey - tempo di minuetto (2011). Oil on linen, 140 x 185cm

Jean Kim: Naked Journey - tempo di minuetto (2011). Oil on linen, 140 x 185cm

Jean Kim’s Naked Journey is accompanied by a verse:

    Long and winding roads
    Off she goes
    Naked as she is
    Dancing to the city rhythms
    Oh, here she comes
    Naked as she is

In the multi-purpose space was a video projection and sculpture by Jung-gyun Chae:

Chae Jung-gyun: Maitreya (2011)

Chae Jung-gyun: Maitreya (2011)

The video contained interviews with members of the public about the nature of beauty and divinity. Chae himself gave an impromptu performance at the exhibition opening, holding up a protest placard containing the words 주먹이 운다 – in homage to Ryu Seung-wan’s Crying Fist – postcards of which line the reception of the KCC since the recent retrospective at the LKFF.

Hyunseok Lee: Spiritual Journey (2010). Print on canvas, 100 x 38 cm

Hyunseok Lee: Spiritual Journey (2010). Print on canvas, 100 x 38 cm

Hyeonseok Lee’s digital animations of Buddhist temple construction lined the video wall facing the street. Lee has just exhibited at the exhibition at Haeinsa celebrating 1,000 years of the Tripitaka Koreana.

Joon Hwan Lim: Cultural Flows (2011). Printed paper, dimensions variable

Joon Hwan Lim: Cultural Flows (2011). Printed paper, dimensions variable

At the end of the wall of video screens Joon Hwan Lim’s origami boats were pinned to the wall: an attempt to encapsulate the cultural diversity you find in London as an armada of tiny ships intermingling with each other.

Miso Park: Untitled. Photography and C-print, 62 x 84cm

Miso Park: Untitled. Photography and C-print, 62 x 84cm

Miso Park’s creative photographs took a more pessimistic view of the foreigner’s life in London, focusing on solitude, anonymity and the difficulty of managing their new life. In one work, a bewildered girl holds a duvet while waist-high in water, with the London skyline in the distance.

Shera Hyunim Park: Memory of Richmond Park (2010). Mixed media print on canvas, 65 x 65cm

Shera Hyunim Park: Memory of Richmond Park (2010). Mixed media print on canvas, 65 x 65cm

Shera Hyunyim Park gave a more naive, pastel-coloured view of London in her Memory of Richmond Park…

Unmi Lee: Fulham (2010) Mixed media

Unmi Lee: Fulham (2010) Mixed media

…while Unmi Lee’s collages of fabric and found objects presented a lively impression of West London.

In the final room the emphasis was on the crafts.

Myung Nam An’s Eyes dominated one of the walls…

Myung Nam An: Eyes (2011). Porcelain, 200 x 200cm

Myung Nam An: Eyes (2011). Porcelain, 200 x 200cm

…a selection of colourful porcelain items with shiny glaze – sea anenomes, artichokes and other delicately made circular objects.

Sun Kim’s ceramics were arranged against another wall, with delicately muted colours and matte surface…

Ceramics by Sun Kim

Ceramics by Sun Kim

… some of the items looked as if they could almost have been made out of carefully folded paper.

In the same room was a chandelier by Soo Ji Shin…

Soo Ji Shin: A Cluster. Polypropylene paper, 70 x 80 x 80cm

Soo Ji Shin: A Cluster. Polypropylene paper, 70 x 80 x 80cm

… with wisps of polypropylene paper sewn together like sails.

Returning back to the entrance along the video wall you were faced with Yonghyun Lim’s Oak Barrel inside which kaleidoscopic designs were projected, somewhat reminiscent of the Dr Who opening title sequence.

Yonghyun Lim: Oak Barrel (2011). Video Projection on oak wood, 69 x 69 x 100cmYonghyun Lim: video projection in Oak Barrel (2011)

Yonghyun Lim: Oak Barrel (2011). Video Projection on oak wood, 69 x 69 x 100cm

It was the end of the afternoon, and the 48 goldfish needed to be put to bed for the night. Young children were intrigued as Hyun Jun Kim carefully netted each fish one by one, putting them in a large bucket whence they could be safely deposited in a decent sized tank overnight to get some properly oxygenated water. The installation, entitled Swarm with Me by Hyun Jun Kim and Taeyoung Kim, represents the “personal journey of finding a home in London through the repetitive process of relocation.”

Putting the fish to bed for the night

Putting the fish to bed for the night

Delayed Sojourn – London, home away from home only lasted for a week, until 8th December. It’s a shame it couldn’t last longer, because it contains more of interest than many of the KCC’s longer-running shows. But maybe the fish will need a rest from being constantly on show.

This review was first published on London Korean Links.

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Delayed Sojourn – London, home away from home

29 November 2011 KAA official events news

An annual exhibition by Korean Artists Association UK Korean Cultural Centre UK 2nd – 8th December 2011 (Private view: Friday 02. 12. 2011, 6.30 – 8.30 pm) RSVP to koreanartuk@gmail.com Delayed Sojourn – London, home away from home represents 16 artists who have various background and diverse media, such as sculpture, painting, photography, film, design, [...]

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Hyunseok Lee (이현석) at Haein Art Project

25 October 2011 Member events and news

Haeinsa Temple is hosting its first contemporary art exhibition, involving 34 artists from 10 countries, to commemorate the millennial anniversary of the Tripitaka Koreana, which UNESCO has designated one of the “most important and most complete corpus of Buddhist doctrinal texts in the world.” Among the 34 international artist in the exhibition is Hyunseok Lee, [...]

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KAYA in concert at the KCC

17 October 2011 Member events and news

KAYA Concert: ‘Bridge’ Harmony of Korean traditional harp ‘kayagum’ and guitar Korean Cultural Centre UK: Multi Purpose Hall Friday 21st October 2011 7pm – 8:30pm Register via info@kccuk.org.uk | 020 7004 2600 The team name ‘KAYA’ derives from the Korean traditional instrument ‘kayagum’. Ji Eun Jung plays the modern 25 string kayagum with Sung Min [...]

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Francesca Cho: “This is not just a picture” at Mayfair Library

12 October 2011 Member events and news

Francesca Cho participated in a group exhibition entitled “Free Words” in the Mayfair Library three years ago. She returns to the same venue with a solo show this month: This is not just a picture Mayfair Library Exhibition Hall 25 South Audley Street London W1K 2PB October 14th – November 5th 11am – 7pm Monday [...]

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Jee Soo Shin in Oze escapade series 1 – 3

4 October 2011 Member events and news

O:Ze is created by two composers who specialise in contemporary music. The primary interest of the group is to embody compositions that contain visual and spacial elements and to give platform for performances of such works, which are mostly ill-fitted in a traditional concert venue. The name O:Ze comes from the french verb oser. The [...]

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Joohee Chun – artist in residence for styrianARTfoundation, Austria

18 September 2011 Member events and news

Joohee Chun has the honour of being the first foreign artist to be appointed Artist in Residence by styrianARTfoundation. “Every thing was new and exotic experience for me to improve my art,” said Joohee of her time in Graz, Austria. The product of the three-week residency was Miracle (shown above). This is the seventh artist [...]

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Curious Tiptoe — Lunacy: stuck in my head!

12 August 2011 Member events and news

KAA member WooJung Kim would like to invite you to a performance as part of the Empty Shop Project (http://emptyshopproject.tumblr.com/) in Dorking. The EMPTY SHOP PROJECT is a six-week dance event filled with workshops, performances, films, photographs and writing about dance. Six teams present their work on Saturday 13th August. WooJung Kim and two choreographers [...]

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Soon Yul Kang at Art in Action

19 July 2011 Member events and news

Soon Yul Kang demonstrates her tapestry weaving techniques and exhibits her hand woven tapestries at Art in Action, 21-24 July 2011. She will be showing her own unique style of weaving which is based on subtlety of colour. Art in Action is a festival of fine art and master craftsmanship staged in the grounds of [...]

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The Beauty of Traditional Korean Furniture at Gallery Han

18 July 2011 Member events and news

Kitty Jun-Im McLaughlin will be appearing in a joint exhibition in New Malden later this week: Gallery Han Summer Exhibition The Beauty of Traditional Korean Furniture 21 – 27 July Korea was generally known as the “Hermit Kingdom” by the West until early twentieth century, and therefore it is quite recent phenomenon that Korean culture [...]

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Francesca Cho in Dolphin Square group show

14 July 2011 Member events and news

Hidden behind the walls of the beautiful 1930s apartments of Dolphin Square in Pimlico lies a hidden gem – the exquisitely kept Moroccan Gardens. To mark the relaunch of the gardens Collective Studios has invited artists from across ACAVA studios together with additional selected guests to show their current work in an inaugural exhibition. In [...]

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Samulnori at the Korean Food Fest

7 July 2011 Member events and news

This Saturday, 9 July, is the annual Korean Food Festival at the Fountain Pub in New Malden (120 Malden Road, New Malden KT3 6DD), from midday until late afternoon. KAA member and samulnori drummer Jeung Hyun Choi will be doing a samulnori performance at around 12:30 with some of her drumming students. If you are [...]

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안명남 – Myung Nam An – Ceramic artist

22 June 2011 Artist Profiles

Myung Nam An’s career as an artist is just beginning, having graduated from Camberwell College of Art in 2009 with a BA (hons) in ceramics. She has since become a member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen, Contemporary Applied Arts and has already exhibited widely both nationally and internationally. In my work, I like to [...]

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