Chaotic Harmony, a photography exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, expresses the evolution of South Korean reactions to the prevalence of Western influences.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the MFAH and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Anne Tucker, the Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography at the MFAH, said in a news release that the rise of democracy in South Korea inspired ‘a burst of creative energy and freedom of expression’ in artists.
The exhibition is comprised of photographs from 40 different artists that serve as windows into the layering of Eastern and Western values, and into the internal identity conflicts troubling young adults.
Tucker also asserted that the changes the South Koreans experienced are also seen in other cultures and have universal categories of reactions, such as emotional connection defined by physical touch and the trade-offs of practicality and lofty aspirations.
The piece that expresses one of the healthiest responses to the ever-changing South Korean environment is Sanggil Kim’s ‘off-line_Burberry internet community.’
The photograph depicts 10 people who created their clothes proudly wearing the British Burberry trademark tan, black and red plaid.
Each person is gently reaching for the arm or shoulder of the person next to them, as though looking for reassurance and connection.
‘I let them stay hand-in-hand or physically touching each other to show somewhat their emotional bond, which would show their common interest and identity,’ Kim said in a translated interview Oct. 16.
Hindu statues frame the clustered group, possibly as a visual reminder of the coexistence of Western products with an Eastern religion.
Given the global economic situation, many young people are settling for jobs that pay the rent instead of pursuing their dreams. Artist Yeondoo Jung addresses this issue of dissonance between dreams and reality in his ‘Bewitched #2’ photographs.
The photographs show two scenarios with a young woman facing the viewer and holding a long stick that cuts across the frame from the upper left to the lower right corner.
The viewer meets her in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop, donning the signature bubble gum pink apron and hat as she mops the floor.
The second image differs significantly from the first due to the transition between the reality of the job she has and the job she wants.
Here the viewer sees her as a strong, aggressive arctic warrior or explorer with a long spear instead of a mop. Her expression is hearty and stern, as though it had been made tough and tight by the freezing wind and falling snow.
In an interview in Jung’s ‘Dreams Come True Almost,’ the girl in the photographs explains that her irritated countenance is the result of a perceived judgment where the viewer and customers see her only as a ‘na’iuml;ve, normal girl.’
Chaotic Harmony will be on display at the MFAH through Jan. 3.
