KCCUK – Korean Cultural Centre UK announces the
visual arts programme for the Korea/UK season 2017-2018

Korean Cultural Centre UK
UK London
‘Rehearsals from the Korean Avant-Garde Performance Archive’
Opening Night private view :
26 June 2017 | 6 – 8 pm
Opening Hours
Monday-Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 11am to 5pm
Exhibition: 27 June – 19 August 2017
Korean Cultural Centre UK
1-3 Strand, London, WC2N 5BW
https://www.kccuk.org.uk
http://london.korean-culture.org/en/welcome

The Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) is proud to announce the visual arts programme for the Korea/UK season, running from July 2017 – July 2018. Twenty institutions including organisations in London, Bristol, Gateshead, Liverpool and Sheffield will host exhibitions, performances, public installations, workshops and residencies from leading and emerging contemporary Korean artists and producers. Across retrospective exhibitions – exploring seminal moments in contemporary Korean art – and brand new commissions, the season sees Korean creatives working alongside their UK peers, in order to survey some of the most influential and foremost Korean art to date.

Initiated with KCCUK’s forthcoming exhibition Rehearsals from the Korean Avant-Garde Performance Archive, performance art plays a significant role throughout the season’s programme. In September, the internationally acclaimed Scottish artist Douglas Gordon will premiere THIN AIR, a video and performance work commissioned by Locus+. Featuring two Korean figures undergoing the intensely physical and intimate process of being tattooed, the work explores the notion of the body as a territory. With musical accompaniments by Korean composers and musicians, THIN AIR will subsequently be presented in galleries and theatres in various locations across the UK, Korea and internationally.

KCCUK’s annual Artist of the Year exhibition in September will be presented in collaboration with Spike Island, Bristol; both institutions will join forces to showcase two complementary exhibitions of work by Kim Yong-Ik. Referred to as a post-Dansaekhwa generation artist, Kim’s work holds a special place in Korean modern art history, and has been cited by critics as heralding “the beginning of contemporary Korean art”.

Alongside running an in-house programme dedicated to the season, KCCUK will also support and co-produce external projects. This includes a new public sculpture by leading South Korean artist Do Ho Suh, as part of the UK’s annual Art Night festival. Known for his architecturally scaled works, Do Ho Suh’s installation responds to the rich and layered history of immigration within London’s East End. Located in the City of London, the commission will be unveiled later in the season and will remain onsite for up to eleven months.

Further highlights of the Korea/UK season programme include:

1. Studio Bursary Award at SPACE Studios, London and KCCUK, London
September 2017 – August 2018 (Exhibition at KCCUK)

2. Geumhyung Jeong at Delfina Foundation, London
11 September 2017 (Performance at KCCUK)
28 September – 11 November 2017 (Exhibition at Delfina Foundation)

3. Frieze Project with Moon Kyungwon & Jeon Joonho at Frieze London
2 – 8 October 2017

4. Korea-UK Ceramics Residency at V&A, London
19 May 2017 – 11 February 2018 (Exhibition at V&A)

5. Jewyo Rhii & Jihyun Jung at The Showroom, London
5 December 2017 – 22 January 2018

6. Young In Hong at Spacex, Exeter, Exeter Phoenix and KCCUK, London
20 November – 22 December 2017 (Exhibition at KCCUK)
23 February – 21 April 2018 (Exhibition at Exeter Phoenix)

7. Suki Seokyeong Kang new commission and artist residencies for Liverpool Biennial 2018
14 July – 28 October 2018

8. Minja Gu at Gasworks, London
Exhibition TBC

9. Artist Residencies at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester; Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT), Liverpool; Grizedale Arts, Cumbria; New Art Exchange, Nottingham; Site Gallery, Sheffield; Spike Island, Bristol; Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire
2017 – 2018

10. Midlands Korea Season at New Art Exchange, Nottingham and Eastside Projects, Birmingham
November – December 2017

11. Yunchul Kim, new commission and artist residencies at FACT, Liverpool and CERN, Geneva
2017 – 2018

An information booklet will accompany the Korea/UK Season, and will be available at all participating institutions as well as via kccuk.org.uk.

The Korea/UK season runs parallel to the UK/Korea season which takes place in Korea, and is supported by the British Council. Both seasons endeavour to strengthen the relationship between the two countries and form new cultural and creative partnerships.

Please click here to download the pdf press release.

About KCCUK

KCCUK is a leading institution devoted to promoting Korea’s vibrant cultural scene to UK audiences. Holding exhibitions across the visual arts, dance, music and design fields, KCCUK also runs an education programme which seeks to develop knowledge of Korean heritage, history and culture. In recent years, KCCUK’s visual arts department has worked in an increasingly collaborative way to present exhibitions in conjunction with other UK institutions such as Ikon, Whitechapel Gallery, Art Night London, fig-2 and the ICA. By acting as a platform for collaboration, KCCUK aims to exhibit and introduce pioneering Korean artists to regional and London-based audiences.

Korean Cultural Centre UK, Grand Buildings,

1 – 3 Strand, London, WC2N 5BW (Entrance on Northumberland Ave)

www.kccuk.org.uk

Twitter: @KCCUK
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