Wonseok Koh (born 1973) was previously Chief Curator of the Seoul Museum of Art, the Busan Museum of Art and Artistic Director of the Artmia Foundation in Beijing. Koh also curated at the Library Park (Asia Culture Center, ACC) in Gwangju and for the Arko Art Center of Arts Council Korea, Gallery Space, and Alternative Space Pool in Seoul. Selected exhibitions include: David Hockney at the SeMA (2019); Lee Bul: Beginning (2021); Rise Up Rim Dong Sik (2021); Kiki Smith: Free Fall (2022); Jean-Michel Othoniel: Treasure Garden (2022); Kwon Jin Kyu Centennial: Angel of Atelier (2022); and Edward Hopper: From City to Coast (2023); with Oksun Kim: The Story of You and Me (2023, Kasteyev State Museum of Arts, Almaty, Kazakhstan).
LUCIJA ŠUTEJ: Could we revisit the South Korean art scene when you joined – through your first role and the then local ecosystem? You mentioned the importance of the two arts hubs – Seoul and Busan.
WONSEOK KOH: I joined the art scene in Korea in the early 2000s when many galleries were around, but only a few met international standards. Numerous galleries were based on rental systems, and their main profit was to rent the space to the artists. And selling was not so for me at the time (laugh). The rise of biennials in Gwangju (1995) and Busan (2002), immensely helped in the international presentation of Korean artists.
The early 2000s had a few public museums in Korea – for example, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) and the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA). SeMA was smaller then and only reopened to the public in 2002 after renovations. Generally, back then, the art market was not as large as today. There were also very influential avant-garde spaces called galleries, which worked as non-profit spaces from the 80s or 90s. They were not categorised as the so-called alternative spaces because, officially, alternative spaces were opened in 1999.
The whole of Korean society was re- capitalised in the 1990s, and there were a lot of post-modern symptoms in many cultural fields at that time. The X generation did not experience the political pressures – of standing on the streets and protesting the dictatorship of the military government. The 1990s saw completely different circumstances, and the later generations experienced different times and situations. It was also when the DNA of K-pop started.
That unique and vibrant atmosphere made “old” museums and galleries conventional, and as a result, the artists became very active and passionate. This so-called “postmodern generation” of the Korean art scene with artists such as (Lee Bul or Choi Jeong Hwa) saw the energy generated directly from the artists, who would also curate their exhibitions.
Seoul had five prominent alternative spaces: Alternative Space Pool, Project Space Sarubia, Insa Art Space, Alternative Space Loop, and Ssamzie Art Space. Despite being small, they were very influential and located primarily on and around Insa-dong – at that time, the cultural district of Seoul or nearby Hong-ik University.
In 2003, I started working as a Curator at Alternative Space Pool, and it was a vital moment when a generation of young artists (such as Im Heung Soon or Song Sang Hee) gathered around these spaces and created a strong art community. Together, they participated in many exhibitions and knew each other from different openings. Essentially, over time, as is usually the case, everyone knew each other (laugh). We would go for drinks or dinners after shows, and debates would grow organically. It was all very pure. We were always tired after shows; thus, we would talk honestly (laugh). I felt fortunate to be a young and emerging curator then.
LŠ: Who created and supported each of the alternative spaces?
WK: Pool’s DNA was based on cooperative management (artists, critics, and curators). Loop was founded by four people initially but was managed by curator Suh Jin Suk very soon. Sarubia was supported by a group of patrons, and Ssamzie was supported by a private company with the same name. Insa was part of the Arts Council Korea.
LŠ: How about alternative spaces in different cities -perhaps Busan?
WK: Yes, for example, an important space called Seom in Busan. It was founded and operated by three local curators – Kim Seong-yeon, Lee Young-joon, and the late Lee Dong-seok. The space later changed its name to Bandi and was managed by curator Seong-yeon. It operated until 2012. Seong-yeon later became the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (MoCA) while Lee Young – joon works for Gimhae Cultural Foundation.
Many founders or curators of that time then took on leading roles in museums. Beck Jee Sook, a curator of Insa then, became the director of the Seoul Museum of Arts, and Suh Jin Suk became the director of the Ulsan Art Museum. The then director of Ssamzie, Kim Hong Hee became the director of Gyeonggi Museum of Art and Seoul Museum of Art.
LŠ: As a curator at Pool – how did you structure the programme?
WK: Even though I was a curator, I only made some of the decisions of the programme as the gallery’s DNA was created and run as a cooperative space. We had a committee to run all the important decisions by. As a space, we were focused primarily on solo exhibitions. We had one or two group shows per year to support young artists or local art graduates – where we staged the annual end-of-the-year exhibition of artists from local art institutions.
There was a trend among alternative spaces to focus on solo shows – to create proper exposure for individual emerging artists and to support the local art community. Many young artists worked in mediums not favored at the time by commercial galleries, such as video or performance – thus, we were a platform for them. Also, as mentioned, many exhibiting artists were returning to Korea from studies abroad, such as in Germany, and for example, one artist duo, Mioon, did a singing project in Pool. It was a new identity for our gallery space, where it was turned into a singing environment with video work displayed and the audience responding through sound – almost karaoke (laugh).
Our specialty as an alternative space was performances, lectures, and even parties. We also had a “summer academy” with various guest academicians each summer, and attending students received a certificate. It was a great model for research and to firmly cross-connect different fields. We hosted, for example, experts who were film critics, philosophers, historians, etc.
Ultimately, we built a so-called alternative spaces network in Korea, which was influential locally for several years.
LŠ: What were some of the challenges back then for the alternative art spaces? I assume funding was one of them?
WK: Definitely. There was a minimal amount of governmental bursaries. Thus, we had to collect funding from the participants – such as from educational institutions or project partners. We received private sponsorship but also sent our voices across to the government numerous times. The big moment in Korea happened in 2003 when the new liberal government decided to support art programs through the Arts Council Korea and open its doors to many experts from creative fields.
It was a challenging time (prior to 2003) because while we were alternative spaces with influence, the expectations from the audience and our peers and artists’ communities skyrocketed. Still, the practical circumstances, like the amount of funding, couldn’t meet the expectations despite our passion and network.
LŠ: When did the funding boom by private companies start in Korea?
WK: Not just companies; presently, a lot of art is mainly sponsored by the Korean government – predominantly for alternative spaces and museums.
LŠ: Your curatorial work was always in close conversations with other visual disciplines such as architecture. From 2008 to 2012 you worked for Space (architectural company) – how did this position impact your curatorial practice? And could we learn more about the story of Space? An influential art gallery that was in its ID a commercial space affiliated with an architectural company.
WK: Correct, Space was owned by an architectural company – the then base and HQ of legendary architect Kim Swoo-geun. Many identify him as the father of Korean contemporary architecture. He built his own company building to experiment with what he wanted to do with the structure – he was very imaginative and an important patron of Korean culture. So, even though it was an office building for his employees, who were mainly architects, there was a small gallery in the basement of the building. Kim Swoo-geun was a good friend of artists such as Nam June Paik. He would offer Space to local emerging and established artists of the time to exhibit in the gallery. Unfortunately, he passed away in the middle of the 1980s from cancer, and following his passing, his company met some difficulties. The gallery closed at the end of the 80s and only reopened when I joined – around 2008.
I insisted to the company that we must reopen this gallery as it has its own history and incredible legacy. Luckily, Space accepted my proposal and provided me with a specific budget. My role was dual – I was a Curator but also worked on the Space International Print Biennial that was taking place under the organization’s umbrella. The Print Biennale was part of Space’s legacy, and it focused on printmaking as it was not considered a typical form of art and is interdisciplinary. Its technical nature and the ability to duplicate appealed to Kim Swoo-geun.
LŠ: Space also published a magazine and as you mentioned had an international print biennale (launched in the 60s). Could we revisit the story of the Print Biennial?
WK: Yes, well, the Print Biennial was always based on an open call system via international art magazines. It feels like a different time now (laugh). We received applications and artwork via post. I remember we hired stadiums to spread all the 500 works on the floor and create selections with invited international jurors.
In the 1980s, when the Biennial first started – there was a sensitivity by the government due to the Cold War. There was a rule of no or limited communication with communities and countries on the other side of the block. I heard that the applications from Yugoslavia or Poland were opened and checked for approval by the government in the 80s. Following my departure, the building was sold to a private institution and will now be the space of Arario Museum and Gallery.
LŠ: You later also worked for Arko Art Centre (part of the Arts Council Korea), Artmia Foundation in Beijing, and Busan Museum of Art – what did you learn from each role?
WK: When I joined Arko Art Centre, I thought I would stay there until retirement. My curatorial work at Arko Art Centre focused on mid-career and established Korean artists and a mix of group shows focusing on Korean and Chinese artists. The contemporary artists from China were creating fantastic work, and I was excited to move to Beijing to take over the role of Artistic Director of Artmia Foundation.
The Artmia Foundation was a young institution at the time, located in the Caochangdi, an area famous for many artists’ studios. I created exhibitions inside the gallery space, but we also took the presentation of art to the scenes outside Beijing. (The arts scene in China then saw two generations – older and younger. The younger generation was more radical and provocative and wanted to express their ideas freely. Due to censorship at that time, they would hide their ideas inside paintings via icons.)
LŠ: When did you come back to Korea?
WK: I returned to Korea at the end of 2014 and joined Library Park of Asia Culture Center as a team manager in Gwangju, Korea, in 2015. I was proud to be a member of the grand opening of such a huge art complex. From 2017, I worked as a chief curator of the Busan Museum of Art.
LŠ: In 2018, you joined as Chief Curator SeMA in Seoul. What changes did you want to install to the programme/ operation?
WK: In Korea, contracts for museum employees via government work in two ways— either a five-year contract or an indefinite one (until retirement). I joined on a fixed- term contract and set to re-organise the exhibition programme. My focus was to have more of a systematic relationship with the exhibitions, and our aim was really to invite more and more of the local public to visit our building. With this in mind, we created a lot of new styles of exhibitions that were active, vibrant, and more contemporary; such as the show by David Hockney. Through the success of large-scale exhibitions such as Hockey, we managed to increase public awareness of the institution.
Fortunately for us, the interest in Korean contemporary art surged around 2020. Not just abroad but also our young people were interested in the local contemporary art. Somehow, contemporary art became a big trend (laugh). And then, Samsung decided to donate more than 23,000 artworks from their private collection to the government. This donation further sparked interest in private art collections.
LŠ: SeMA is also the organizer and the main stage of Seoul Mediacity Biennale. How was the festival founded?
WK: Seoul Mediacity Biennale was launched in 2000 when Korea was strongly overwhelmed by the production of and possibility of new technology as an artistic tool. It did not start as a biennial but as a one-off event. It turned out very successful, and the city decided to turn it into a biennial within the museum. The first editions focused on how technology and art can change the world and how it can change our sensory systems, our emotions, and our understandings.
Following the ten years and editions, the discussions about technology have been reduced and we decided to expand our interest and reach to more broad topics. We looked at moving images, but also at the location of the festival. The metropolitan city of Seoul is the background and is an essential identity of this event. Another keyword is the museum. By taking these words: media, museum, and city, as points of departure, we looked at new identities that arose. Each edition invited a guest curator, such as Yung Ma (currently curating for Hayward Gallery in London), who would take over the festival’s artistic direction.
A biennial such as Seoul Mediacity Biennale, created and run by a museum, has a very stable position, but it is also driven in connection with its institution’s identity. The biennial enables SeMA to work outside its physical space by activating the whole city in a new light and extending the museum’s presence via different venues. So, for example, the leading exhibition is always held in the museum but a lot of satellite exhibitions are opened in various venues in partnership with each edition. We staged shows in shopping malls, coffee shops, and bookshops – to name just a few. We are excited that the public had the chance to explore the city of Seoul. It is an ample opportunity for the museum to expand its influence and the realm of understanding towards the city – our mission is to interact with the city strongly.
