[Gallery Walk] 3D Flowers Have Bloomed

Exhibitions of Natural Material Media Art Continue... Lian Gallery & Liman Muffin 'Stein Camp' Exhibition
Waves Crashing in the Sea at International Gallery Exhibition Hall... An Opportunity to Feel the Vibrant Life of Nature

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Media art exhibitions featuring nature as their subject are continuously emerging. At International Gallery, Lian Gallery, and Liman Muffin located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, media art works created using 3D programs to depict waves, trees, and more are on display. The reality of using artificial computer technology to recreate nature that 'is so by itself' gives a peculiar feeling. It is too similar to the actual substance of nature to simply dismiss it as an illusion created by computer technology, blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination, art and technology.

Lian Gallery and Liman Muffin are jointly hosting an exhibition titled "Souls," showcasing works by American video media installation artist Jennifer Steinkamp (62) until the 31st of next month. The exhibition title "Souls" was chosen by Steinkamp herself. It is a word inspired by the space where the exhibition is held, "Seoul," and it also signifies a work containing the souls of many people. Steinkamp is an exclusive artist of Liman Muffin. Lian Gallery has previously planned joint exhibitions with Liman Muffin, and this is the third time for Steinkamp's exhibition following those in 2010 and 2014.

Steinkamp initially dreamed of becoming a graphic designer and a film special effects expert and enrolled at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. While studying as an exchange student at the California Institute of Technology, she changed her career path. Through a video art class at Caltech, she developed an interest in 3D and became an artist presenting videos using 3D animation with nature as the subject.

Steinkamp's representative work is the "Judy Crook" series. The title is taken from the name of a professor she respected who taught color theory.

The series captures the changes of the four seasons through trees. The lush green leaves and fruits, the falling leaves, and the bare branches remaining in winter are all realized in short 2-3 minute computer videos. Attention to detail is evident in the changing colors of the leaves and the movement of branches swaying in the wind. Hong Serim, curator at Lian Gallery, said, "Steinkamp places great importance on representing the colors of nature reflected by light in her videos."

From the left, Judy Crook 12 (2019) by Jennifer Steinkamp, Still Life 4, Blind Eye 4 [Rian Gallery, Lehmann Maupin provided]

Five works can be appreciated, including "Retinal," created between 2018 and 2019, and the new piece "Still Life" made this year. "Retinal" visually expresses the retinal veins inside the eye. It resembles a dynamically moving, colorful abstract painting. In "Still Life," brightly colored fruits and petals float in an unreal space. Curator Hong introduced it as "a modern reinterpretation of still life using 21st-century digital technology," adding that it "embodies the joy and ecstasy of life."

At Liman Muffin, three other works by Steinkamp can be viewed. The 2019 piece "Blind Eye 4" was inspired by the natural environment around the Clark Art Institute (located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA), where Steinkamp held a solo exhibition in 2018. It depicts a dense birch forest, with "blind eye" referring to the black dots embedded in the white bark of birch trees. Visitors can also see the artist's 2020 new work titled "Primordial 1," an underwater animation installation depicting the early stages of life on Earth. Small creatures and plants descend from above, oxygen bubbles rise, and a vibrant imaginary underwater ecosystem full of life is portrayed.

International Gallery is exhibiting "Starry Beach" by the media artist unit a'strict until the 27th.

This work uses 3D technology to recreate a wave-filled sea. The exhibition space is darkened with minimal lighting. However, just a few steps inside reveal a vast blue ocean. Waves create white foam, invading beneath the viewers' feet and then retreating, repeatedly rising along a 6-meter-high wall. Visitors feel as if they have instantly moved from the heart of Seoul to a stormy seaside. The adjacent wall is mirrored, enhancing the sense of an endlessly stretching ocean. The finely tuned sound of waves matching the video adds realism. The blue waves climbing the wall resemble blue flames. The dark space evokes not only coolness but also a chilling coldness. Although the video lasts only three minutes, it is so realistic that it does not feel repetitive.

Astrix's 'Starry Beach' [Provided by International Gallery]

The members of a'strict are creators affiliated with the design company District. District is a for-profit design company with about 70 creators.

District CEO Seongho Lee explained, "We created a new brand called a'strict to support the unique creative activities that our affiliated creators wish to pursue." A'strict is essentially a brand established to realize the artistic desires of creators separately from commercial activities.

The wave video "Wave," currently displayed on a large LED screen at COEX in Gangnam-gu, was also created by District's creators. "Starry Beach" is the first gallery work presented by a'strict, produced by about 10 creators from District over four months. Of course, the creators who made "Wave" and those who made "Starry Beach" are different.

CEO Lee said, "In the future, we plan to showcase installation art and public media art under the brand 'a'strict' by diversely organizing our 70 creators. We will present very intuitive works using media and technology, not works that are difficult to express with the artist's subjective philosophy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.