Episode 138: Venice Biennale
As soon as Kang Lim and Seoyeon arrived in Venice, they headed straight to Castello Park.
Flyers promoting the Biennale were posted all over the city.
Handing over a guide, Seoyeon said:
“The exhibition halls of the Biennale are mainly divided into Arsenale and Giardini. The Arsenale is where the Biennale organizers select artists to create the main exhibition, while the Giardini houses the national pavilions.”
The national pavilions independently appoint curators to plan their exhibitions.
In the United States, public art institutions like the Guggenheim handle it, while in the UK, it’s directly managed by the national cultural board.
“Our country selects a Biennale operating team every two years. This year, the directing of the Korean Pavilion is handled by Commissioner An Seungjae. He’s the one who approved your recruitment. He’s also the head of the planning team.”
Seoyeon indicated the general location.
Looking at the map showing the location of the national pavilions, Korea was at the very end.
“There’s a national pavilion in Arsenale as well. Is this a temporary setup due to a lack of space in Giardini?”
“Yes. Only the pavilions in Giardini can be used permanently. The countries here take pride in their cultural arts.”
Seoyeon took a wide smile as she photographed Kang Lim.
With over 300,000 followers on SNS, she suggested that they might as well start a YouTube channel.
This was because the number of users had significantly increased as internet broadcasters moved to YouTube recently.
“You enjoy communicating with the audience, so you’ll probably use media a lot in your work. Let’s occasionally shoot and upload clips.”
“Sure. If we upload videos, tens of thousands of people might watch. It feels surreal…”
Kang Lim still looked bewildered.
Although his domestic popularity had increased as Korean fans translated foreign articles, he never imagined that his followers would increase so much in just one day, despite not being a celebrity.
“Young geniuses are popular in any country. And you… well, you’re pretty good-looking too.”
Seoyeon mumbled, looking elsewhere.
Kang Lim burst into laughter at the unexpected compliment.
“Ha ha, thank you. But can I take some pictures of you too?”
“Huh? Why would you take pictures of me?”
“Just because. The photos I have are all black and white daguerreotypes. Well, they’re funny, which is nice, but I want a new one.”
“……”
Seoyeon moved without a word.
It seemed she wasn’t too fond of those photos.
The Korean Pavilion was isolated on a low hill.
Hidden in the shadow of dense trees, it appeared much smaller and shabbier.
However, its shape was unique. It was a building where a round exhibition hall and a rectangular exhibition hall were connected.
“Wow, look who it is. It’s a celebrity!”
Ryu Junhee, who had arrived earlier, greeted Kang Lim.
“You’re more popular than me now. It’ll be crazy when you return to Korea, don’t you think?”
“Yes, I’m still not quite used to it. I heard you weren’t at the residency, but here in Italy?”
“Of course. I have a dedicated curator here, named Hong Aram.”
Kang Lim turned his eyes to the entrance of the exhibition hall where Ryu Junhee pointed.
A woman in a navy suit stood there.
“Hello! I’m Hong Aram. I’m not Ryu Junhee’s dedicated curator but an assistant working under Team Leader An Seungjae.”
Kang Lim shook hands with her, recalling Hong Yungi, who used to pick up trash at Hongdae.
There was a sense of presence in how she casually corrected Ryu Junhee’s words.
Her sharply cut bobbed hair and keen eyes… she was entirely different from the clumsy Hong Yungi.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Yungi hyung’s cousin, right? You’re as impressive as I’ve heard.”
“Oh, not at all. It’s an honor to meet you. I was amazed by your recent work.”
“Thank you.”
Following Hong Aram, Kang Lim entered the exhibition hall.
There were works by three artists, including Ryu Junhee.
They were paintings and sculptures fitting the Korean Pavilion’s theme of ‘peace.’
‘Wow. Junhee hyung’s paintings have improved a lot. It’s my first time seeing works by Nam Yoon and Kim Soeun in person, and they’re great. How did they make such sculptures?’
The rectangular exhibition hall housed sculptures by artists Nam Yoon and Kim Soeun, while Ryu Junhee’s paintings were displayed in the corridor connecting the exhibition halls.
The small space was efficiently allocated to the three artists, except for the last piece.
“Uh…”
Kang Lim looked at his work placed in the center of the circular exhibition hall.
Perhaps because it had traveled all the way here after hard work, he felt a strange pang in his heart.
Fifteen pieces of paintings floating in the air, the white heart he hadn’t seen in a while felt unfamiliar.
He stood in silence for a long time before speaking.
“The Biennale planning team is indeed impressive… The display is much more wonderful than I expected. Thank you for treating it so preciously.”
“Team Leader An Seungjae set it up himself. When people who participated in your work write answers and put them in <That Woman’s Bag>, we will continue to take out the notes and stick them on the round glass window.”
“So, the exhibition will gradually be obscured from the outside.”
“Yes. That’s the truth of the world. Is there anything you’d like to change?”
Hong Aram thought of An Seungjae.
He was more serious and careful than ever while moving the artwork… as if handling a national museum treasure.
After Go Haeyoung introduced Kang Lim to him, he completely let go of his prejudice against young new artists.
Rather, he said, ‘Once this work is completed, there will surely be good results.’
“No, I’m satisfied. I feel a bit guilty for taking up an entire exhibition hall…”
Kang Lim looked around. He felt somewhat sorry for Ryu Junhee, who had his paintings displayed in the corridor.
Sensing Kang Lim’s feelings, Ryu Junhee chuckled.
“Hey, idiot. My paintings look best there. An Seungjae must have known that well. He wouldn’t be a national representative curator otherwise, right?”
“Well… Your paintings connecting the two divided exhibition halls, yes, that’s good.”
“Right. Now you’re making sense.”
Seoyeon smiled faintly, watching Ryu Junhee and Kang Lim.
If excellent artists continue to emerge, there will be opportunities for their juniors as well.
Hong Aram, sharing Seoyeon’s thoughts, spoke up.
“The Korean Pavilion was constructed after Nam June Paik won the Golden Lion at the German Pavilion in 1993. Nam June Paik was invited to the Biennale every time it was held as he was a world-renowned artist, but he felt bitter as he didn’t have his own national pavilion.”
Nam June Paik directly wrote to the Mayor of Venice, persuading him to establish a Korean Pavilion.
Unfortunately, the mayor, not wanting to construct more buildings on the culturally rich island, declined.
However, Paik did not give up, sending paintings and works until he changed the minds of the Biennale organizers.
“Thanks to Nam June Paik’s relentless efforts, we secured the most secluded spot, which was originally a restroom. The condition was to demolish it by 1998, and we were only given a short construction time. But, being a proud nation, we built it in just three days. And as you can see, the view is excellent, so it became a permanent installation.”
Kang Lim looked up at the building.
Being the last constructed among the national pavilions, the Korean Pavilion has a modern structure.
The round exhibition hall is still innovative.
“Thanks to the efforts of past artists, juniors can now advance onto the global stage. Kang Lim, with your continued excellent activities, you will tour national museums of various countries, right? Please pave the way for more. Even now, you’re standing in a completely different position than a year ago.”
Ryu Junhee nodded at Hong Aram’s words.
He laughed playfully and said:
“After reunification, Germany invited Nam June Paik to their national pavilion. His media art promoting global unity symbolized peace. But the theme of this Korean Pavilion is also peace, right? Doesn’t this feel like we might win an award?”
At Ryu Junhee’s words, the three burst into laughter.
The warm sunlight shining into the exhibition hall bathed them in light.
It was a day with a good omen.
A few days later, the Venice Biennale preview exhibition opened.
Although only the opening ceremony was not held, the visitors had already started the festival.
People crowded in front of the various national pavilions.
The queue for the large exhibition halls in prime locations was the longest. It would take at least two hours to get in.
‘I should start by visiting less crowded places.’
Naomi Ranjit, a judge at the Venice Biennale, walked towards the Korean Pavilion.
She was the most respected among the four judges appointed this time.
‘The Korean Pavilion is a small exhibition hall in a remote location, so it’s easy to overlook if you’re not careful.’
There were more people in front of the pavilion than she had expected.
They seemed to have gathered out of curiosity about the emerging new artist.
As Naomi entered the entrance, Hong Aram stood up abruptly.
Naomi, who had spent ten years as the chief curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and returned to her homeland Austria to become the director of the National Museum, was a dreamlike figure.
Hong Aram had grown up studying Naomi’s curation.
“Welcome. Do you need a docent?”
Hong Aram’s voice was filled with tension.
Naomi smiled kindly at the trembling question.
“No, I’d like to look around quietly by myself.”
“Okay. Please enter this way.”
Naomi slowly entered.
Engraving the exhibition theme of peace written in the leaflet into her heart…
‘It’s a simple layout. View the rectangular exhibition hall first, then enter the circular exhibition hall. That’s it.’
She looked at the circular exhibition hall on the other side.
The square notes sporadically stuck on the glass window caught her eye.
She was curious about what kind of work was hiding the exterior.
‘Exhibitions also have a structure, so let’s start with the first artwork. The overall display of the national pavilion is important.’
There were two large sculptures in the first exhibition room.
The titles were <Mother’s Mother’s Mother> and
‘The materials are unique. I understand why the exhibition theme is peace.’
<Mother’s Mother’s Mother> was made by joining old washboards and rotten wood.
The wood had not been treated at all, preserving its rough grain.
As if a wound had caused a splinter, it looked sensitive.
The woman sculpted in relief was painted in low-saturation pastel colors.
The soft colors were absorbed into the wood, representing a beautiful hanbok.
‘Because of the many ridges on the washboards, her expression looks more wrinkled. It conveys the sorrow of time.’
The woman stretched out her long arms as if to grasp something in the sky. No, it seemed like she was asking for help.
There was no peace, only anxiety.
From her faint fingertips and sad eyes, Naomi read the history of Korea.
‘Following the direction of her hands, my gaze moves to
In Korea, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a place where both sides refrain from military activity.
Naomi observed the hands clasped together in prayer.
The delicate skin expression made it hard to believe it was metal. The only strange thing was the absence of the pinky fingers.
‘The missing pinkies, which symbolize promises, convey the fragility of peace…’
What must we give up to maintain peace?
What sacrifices are you willing to endure?
Naomi asked herself these questions as she moved on.
‘This work also connects to the next…’
Naomi found herself in the corridor leading to the circular exhibition hall.
Both sides of the hallway were covered with a long painting.
The title was
It was a large panoramic painting.
‘It reminds me of Germany’s Grünes Band. I didn’t expect Ryu Junhee to tackle such a theme.’
Ryu Junhee, who had been active mainly in the U.S., had a connection with Naomi.
He used to pursue cheerful and flashy forms rather than embedding deep meanings.
‘He’s completely different from a few years ago. It’s almost unrecognizable. Has he started thinking more deeply?’
With a pleased expression, she wandered through the landscape.
It was a painting depicting the DMZ, untouched by human feet.
Unknown flowers and animals roamed the natural environment.
A transparent yet powerful oil painting.
He used paint as if handling traditional Korean materials.
The rough brushstrokes conveyed strong vitality, while the gentle absorption soothed the heart.
‘They say Korea’s DMZ has become the largest primitive temperate forest in the world.’
Over 6,000 species of wildlife, including 101 endangered species, enjoy peace here.
There’s a saying that humans are the most harmful animals on earth.
Looking at this place, one can feel that selfishness.
‘Various issues arise from the theme of peace. The planning is excellent. The works are interconnected, like a chain…’
Naomi was moved by the well-organized Korean Pavilion.
If the conclusion was well-done, it would be a perfect exhibition.
‘The final work must address the issues of human society. Why can’t we be peaceful? Where is love? Such questions should be raised.’
But how can one create such a work?
Naomi worried about the curator as she cautiously walked.
She feared the exhibition’s end might disappoint her after the buildup.
‘It’s easy to reveal one meaning, but covering all themes is difficult. However, a national pavilion shouldn’t be fixated only on its country. It should start with questions about its homeland and pose more fundamental questions to the world.’
The Venice Biennale is the center of contemporary art. It shows the world’s trends through living history spanning three centuries.
The most crucial factor in judging is whether the work can draw out necessary discussions for humanity. That’s the key.
‘People are gathered here.’
Naomi entered the much-anticipated circular exhibition hall.
People who hadn’t left were holding pencils, looking serious.
What could they be pondering?
She made her way through the crowd to the center.
‘…….’
Her eyes met a heart split in two.
From the sky, stories meticulously inscribed like laws descended.
