Month: December 2014

• Date: 12 December 2014 – 22 February 2015
• Venue: PLAZA del AGUA, Mar del Plata / Argentina

Soon Yul Kang is participating in the fourth edition of the End of the World Biennale (La Bienal del Fin del Mundo) held in Mar del Plata in Argentina. The Biennale invited 140 artists from 35 countries and five continents. The theme of the Biennale, titled “Contrasts & Utopias”, has been organized by the artistic director Massimo Scaringella with curatorial teams of Vittoria Biasi, Ricardo Cadenas, Fortunata Calabrò, Alessandro Demma, Micol Di Veroli, Loredana Manca, Justo Pastor Mellado, Rafael Raddi, Daniel Rangel, Yin Rong. The Biennale exhibitions and other events take place in various locations, Ushuaia in Argentina, the Chilean cities of Valparaíso and Punta Arenas and continue until March 2015.

Soon Yul Kang completed a circular form of diameter 180cm on the white wall creating a meditative atmosphere with her hand writing of the Korean word of 사랑 [sarang] (LOVE) repeatedly. She shows it in conjunction with two panels of paper collage works of the words of AMOR and LOVE and seven small offerings as white prayer.

“My work explores how the concept of white is used as a fundamental and universal symbol of pure love. White is the colour most often associated with innocence, purity, freshness and new beginnings. It is the opposite of black and contrasts light with darkness, day with night and good with evil. White is interpreted similarly in Eastern and Western cultures. Understanding the symbolic meanings of white in the circle of life, whether it is for birth, marriage or death is at the core of understanding pure love. Love is central to living in modern civilised society, love for nature, love of society, love of one’s religion, love between countries and races and love between individual human beings. In the modern world we use all kinds of technology to communicate, but it is still only by using our hand to write the words do we really convey a sense of feeling and intimacy. Concentration on circular form through the hand writing of the word LOVE (사랑 in Korean) repeatedly is a ritual as ZEN meditation practice towards awakening.”

Links:

• http://bienaldelfindelmundo.org/
• http://bienaldelfindelmundo.org/artistas/
• http://bienaldelfindelmundo.org/artistas/al-limite-del-cielo-voglio-posare-le-offerte-del-bianco/soon-yul-kang/

THE4th EDITION OF THE END OF THE WORLD BIENNALE

The 4th End of the World Biennale 2014 / 2015 delves into cultural, environmental and ecological topics for the purpose of generating interdisciplinary spaces for thought, for which it was created in 2007 and further carried forward in the successive 2009 and 2011 editions. This edition, held at venues in Argentina and Chile, will open the section of the Argentine city of Mar del Plata on December 12, 2014 through to February 22, 2015. In addition, an Agreement on Environment and Contemporary Art will be entered into on February 7 in the most southern city in Argentina, Ushuaia. In turn, the section in the Chilean city of Valparaíso will be opened on January 31 and will last until March 31, 2015, while the section of the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas will be opened from February 3 through March 31, 2015.

This fourth edition, titled “Contrasts & Utopias“, pursues and strengthens the inquiries from previous editions into contemporary issues, in order to suggest new contributions to our motto —“thinking, at the end of the world, what other world is possible”—, and is part of the project called “South Pole for Arts, Sciences, Tourism & Ecology”.

The 4th End of the World Biennial will witness the participation of about 140 international artists from 35 countries, with side events and actions promoting culture and tourism, and with Italy as the guest of honor.

President
Alberto Grottesi Errazu
Artistic Director
Massimo Scaringella

Curatorial Committee
Vittoria Biasi, Ricardo Cadenas, Fortunata Calabrò, Alessandro Demma,Micol Di Veroli, Loredana Manca, Justo Pastor Mellado, Rafael Raddi, Daniel Rangel, Yin Rong

Sponsored by
Argentine Presidency
Argentine Ministry of Culture
Argentine Ministry of Social Development
Ministry of Tourism
Municipality of General Pueyrredón – Mar del Plata – Batán
Mar del Plata Department of Culture
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation – “Italia’s Year in Latin America”
Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism
Italian Embassy in Argentina
IGAV – Garuzzo Institute for Contemporary Art
Federculture
Rome Academy of Fine Arts
Supported by
National Music Institute (Argentina)
Obras Sanitarias S.E. MGP and Ceramic School Rogelio Yrurtia (Mar del Plata)
Italian Culture Institute in Buenos Aires – Korean Cultural Center in Buenos Aires
University of Delaware (USA) – Department of Art Office of Undergraduate Research
Arts and humanities research Counsil AHRC (United Kingdom)
Yokohama College of Art & Design and World Art and Culture Exchange (Japan)
Elinn Light and Moto Identity Design Group (Korea) – United Overseas Bank UOB (Thailand)
Bolivarian Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Marta (Colombia)
Prometeo Gallery of Ida Pisani at Milano (Italy)