Jinnie Seo: Wave

Exhibition dates: 6.22.2012 – 9.28.2012 (Opening: Thu, 6.28 6-8PM)
Location: AAIPS (Art at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies)
                1-176 Shinmunro 2-Ga, Jongro-Gu, Seoul, Korea.
Hours: 10:30-18:30, open daily
Contact: +82 (0)2.3701.7323 / art@dodooba.com
            www.dodooba.com/jinnieseo
Exhibition produced by Dodooba

Art at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies (AAIPS) is pleased to announce an exhibition by Jinnie Seo. For this exhibition, the artist presents the site-specific installation Wave, transforming the free-form atrium of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies into the inner world of the ocean.

Wave is Seo’s most ambitious vinyl installation to date. Previous works such as Shadow of Line (2006) and Storm (2008) dealt with the two-dimensional plane; Wave for AAIPS is the first time to completely wrap a three-dimensional space of this scale and configuration. The 14 meters high curvilinear glass and steel atrium is entirely covered with 572.5m2 of vinyl film sheets in 15 different colors. Hand-drawn motifs, based on the shell of the turtle and the ocean currents, were laser-cut into nearly 800 pieces of vinyl. Each piece was then applied onto the atrium walls. These giant curvilinear and swirling shapes of vinyl transform a structure designed to be transparent into a bold new sculpture.

Visitors entering the Asan Institute feel the sensation of being submerged in the bottom of the ocean. Taking the glass elevator to the upper floors and walking along the footbridges bisecting the atrium, visitors feel as if they are slowly rising up towards the surface of the water. The unique architectural elements of the building become a seamless part of the artwork, providing new ways of seeing. Knowingly or unknowingly, people move in and out, around and through a work of art.

Wave is truly a collaboration between experts in multiple fields. Seo’s installation plans—laid out to the last millimeter—are developed over the course of months based on discussions and analysis with a team of graphic designers, fabricators, and installers. Using architectural study models, hundreds of hours of on-site research is dedicated to understanding the space, its function, and people’s movements. The result is a new skin of images that seem original to the building.

For this work, the Asan Institute has made it possible for Seo to bring art outside of its traditional boundaries and into the public realm. Wave leaves the ‘gallery space’ to enter the public spaces and private offices of a think tank. The work engages a wide audience—from those who are well versed in art to those whose expertise lies in such diverse fields as nuclear energy, foreign policy, and human rights. With Wave, Seo redefines what public art is in relation to the changing nature of contemporary art.

Seo lives and works in Seoul, Korea. Her works have been presented at the Mongin Art Center (Seoul), National Museum of Singapore, The Hermes Gallery (Singapore), Seoul Museum of Art, and Leeum Samsung Museum (Seoul). She has received numerous grants and fellowships including those at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in California and The MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire.