[Blue Chip K-Art]② "To Prevent Sales from Being the Goal... More Opportunities Should Be Given to Experimental Works"

Interview with Alvin Lee, Tate Modern Adjunct Curator
Art World Once Dominated by the West, Shift in Perspective to Social and Environmental Issues
Development of Korean Art Infrastructure Reaches Level to Host International Art Fairs

Alvin Li, a writer, editor of the UK-based frieze magazine, and adjunct curator at Tate Modern, is a figure who has introduced the works of various Korean artists beyond the Chinese-speaking world to the European art scene, including the UK, through collaborations. Visiting Korea to attend the frieze event held in Seoul this year following last year’s event alongside KIAF, he said he was deeply impressed by the Kim Whanki retrospective exhibition held at the Hoam Art Museum while observing the works of new artists. The following is a Q&A with Alvin Li.

Alvin Lee, Tate Modern Adjunct Curator.
[Photo by Arts Management Support Center]

- I heard this is your first visit to Korea in a while. What changes have you noticed?

▲ When I first visited Korea, I was quite interested in the infrastructure, but after seven years, I felt that internationalization had progressed significantly, with events like frieze being held. I was also able to see various facilities and programs such as small independent art museums. I felt that Korea’s infrastructure has developed enough to host international art fairs.

- How are Korean artists and Korean art receiving attention in major markets including Europe, and what is your outlook?

▲ Based in London, I have traveled extensively across the US, Europe, and Asia. From an overall perspective, it seems that artists are being viewed through a decoloniality lens, focusing less on Western-centric perspectives and more on artists from diverse regions and countries. While Western-centric views have long dominated, nowadays there is great interest in artists who address unique characteristics and socially connected works. Additionally, the art market is showing interest in artists dealing with the climate crisis and environmentally sustainable futures. I see these trends as the current currents in the art world.

- You visited the studios of 12 Korean artists. What impressions did you have?

▲ It was great to meet many next-generation Korean artists and spend time interacting more closely. Usually, I can see artists’ works for my work, but it is difficult to share their artistic worlds in detail. This time, visiting studios and communicating directly allowed for deeper exchanges, making it a meaningful time. The program organized by the Arts Management Support Center was also beneficial. Among the 12 artists, the most impressive was artist Lee Jae-yi. Lee Jae-yi works between Seoul and New York, and her connection between moving images and the body was distinctive and memorable.

Artist Ryu Seong-sil, who used cylinders, also caught my attention. He conducted conceptual work, and there were many interesting aspects to his practice itself. Personally, I participated as a judge for Focus Asia Frieze, and Ryu Seong-sil’s work using cylinders won an award. The way his exhibition was installed at the display, focusing more on showing the artist rather than sales, is something I think is necessary in the art world. In the atmosphere of galleries centered on sales of blue-chip artists, this somewhat experimental approach is interesting, and providing opportunities for such artists and works is what the art world needs nowadays.

Participants of the 2023 Dive into Korean Art: Seoul visiting artist Kim In-bae's studio. These 18 key figures from the international art world visited the studios of 12 artists located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to observe the creative process and explore various strategies for overseas expansion.
[Photo by Arts Management Support Center]

- What do you think Korean artists need to prepare to enter overseas markets?

▲ In Europe, I think international residency experience in cities like London or Paris is necessary. Residencies, where artists from around the world live and work together, allow for sharing ideas and comfortable conversations, so I highly recommend this experience.

Since the early 1990s, Korean artists have remarkably stood out in the international art scene for a while. The next generation also produced artists recognized for their value. I have always seen very experimental Korean artists who continuously strive and show their work, and I believe they play an important role in the history of global art.

- I heard you visited the Hoam Art Museum from early morning despite your busy schedule.

▲ Collections in museums worldwide are progressing based on changes in transnational modernism. As a curator responsible for the Asia-Pacific region, I visited to study Kim Whanki’s works. I have seen his works in various places, but the exhibition at the Hoam Art Museum provided a comprehensive view of the stages of his work’s transformation and how the artist evolved in a transnational context. It was a beautiful exhibition showing his relationship with Korea, different signifiers and how he handled them, and how his language changed.

Alvin Lee participated in the 'Infrastructure, Intimacy, Affective Labor: Artist Talk' event together with artist Imirae, who works between Amsterdam and Seoul, and Leeum Museum curator Choo Seong-ah during the recent KIAF week, engaging in a conversation about the artist's artistic practice.
[Photo by Arts Management Support Center]

- What do you think about the somewhat intentional perspective in the art world to highlight marginalized artists such as women and Black artists?

▲ Structurally speaking, marginalized artists such as women, Black people, or sexual minorities, who have long been excluded from the market, have remarkably emerged over the past five years. However, I think the interest is not because they are ‘women’ artists but because their works are unique in terms of materials or forms. Very interesting works are emerging.

Of course, I acknowledge that this change has provided more opportunities to diverse artists in the male-dominated art world. I also think the art world somewhat intentionally promotes marginalized artists. Because of this focus on identity, some artists who are not yet ready and need further development are simply promoted by galleries as hot issues for sales. I do not think this phenomenon is desirable. Exhibitions by such artists may eventually be forgotten, and people may be left with a negative impression when looking back. I believe this is a structural issue, not an individual artist’s problem, and the art world should balance this rather than focusing on just one aspect.

- What were the impressive artists and works at KIAF and frieze Seoul?

▲ Various programs were held simultaneously at the art fairs, but I remember Gallery Hyundai’s exhibition that gathered works only by deceased Korean women artists. For example, the paintings of artist Lee Seung-ja were impressive. Personally, I think the overall concept of Korean contemporary art is very strong, and I want to continue learning more about it.

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