Re-reading Korean Contemporary Art I
A Critical Re-examination of the Small-Group Movement of the 1980s (2000)
Issue
Korean contemporary art has long been constructed through dominant narratives shaped by institutional alliances and ideological blocs. In this process, alternative practices—particularly small-group movements—have been largely excluded from art historical recognition.
Key Argument
This project reveals how the small-group movement of the 1980s actively dismantled both institutional and ideological power structures, and through an ethics of self-dissolution, fundamentally transformed the conditions of Korean contemporary art.
Method
Rather than following established grand narratives or group-centered accounts, the project re-examines past contexts from the present, tracing relationships among artworks, artists, movements, and criticism.
Archival Significance
Re-reading I establishes the conceptual and methodological foundation of the entire project, setting the critical coordinates for subsequent phases.
Re-reading Contemporary Korean Art I Seminar, October 7, 2000