As part of the year-long celebration to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Korea-Canada diplomatic relations, the Korean Culture & Information Service (KOCIS), the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, and the Korean Cultural Centre Canada (KCC) and INSCAPE co-host ‘2023 Korean Culture Scene: Korean New Media Art Tour to Canada’ in Montreal and Toronto from August 18 to October 7.
After the successful Montreal performance in August, the second program of the tour,<INSCAPE: Perceive>, is co-presented with the A Space Gallery in Toronto from September 8 to October 7.
INSCAPE is an international new media art platform launched in 2021 by Jay Bang, whose professional career spans from technical manager at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and producer and curator at Samsung Creative Lab. Partnering with ELEKTRA Montreal, INSCAPE 2021 was a full-fledged new media art festival with a spectrum of exhibitions, performances, media façade and artist talks that went live with contributions from a constellation of artists around the world. INSCAPE 2023 is working with MUTEK (Montreal) and A Space Gallery (Toronto) to produce transdisciplinary art projects in Canada.
At the A Space Gallery, Kohui's <Perceive> and <Quire from Moments> are introduced. Kohui is an audiovisual artist who focuses on the act of sensing sound and explores various relationships that are or can be connected to sound. Mainly inspired by natural phenomena, forms, and methods, he creates algorithms to design between predictable and unpredictable. By connecting this to sound, he explores ways to sense sound and produces audiovisual, generative art, and sound.
<Perceive> observes nature and modern civilized society to capture rules, forms, phenomena, and relationships thereby connecting them with sound to compose scenes. The scenes reveal that nature and human are separated and intertwine simultaneously which motivates to examine the current relational landscape. Familiar scenes from nature and modern civilized society are featured. The aforementioned constituents that exist in these scenes seem familiar and taken for granted, but they are accentuated and ingrained by their connection to sound. As the components in these familiar scenes are viscerally perceived through sound, we realize the fleeting dynamics in our lives and how complicated they are. In the same vein, it unveils the multifarious gaze and nostalgia which humanity has for nature that offers the physical manifestation of the inextricable relationship between nature and humanity.
Kohui, Perceive, 2023, Audiovisual Installation, [Approx 30’00”, Single Channel Video, Color, Stereo Sound]
<Quire from Moments> is an audio-visual artwork that reconstructs the sensorial experience of encountering moments in the nature by arranging and overlaying the recordings of the artist's instrumental soundmaking in it. The artist immerses himself into the environment, focuses on the sensual experience, plays musical instruments and documentize it through video filmming. The recorded sounds are played based on the senses derived from various types of places, which manifested by unique sounds. Records with different sounds gain their physical embodiment at the venue through installation and are exhibited as the ‘present’ moment. Spontaneously arranged videos and the sounds inspired from the senses of nature-oriented moments are combined to form the narrative and musical composition. In doing so, it attempts to gather the indelible moments and recollect them through sound.
Kohui, Quire from Moments, 2023, Audiovisual Installation [HD, 20’00”, Single Channel Video, Color, Stereo Sound]
At the exhibition opening, Kohui will also present the performance version of <Perceive>, which was world-premiered at the INSCAPE-Mutek in Montreal last month.
About A Space Gallery
A Space Gallery is committed to critical engagement through the presentation of interdisciplinary programs including exhibitions, performances, screenings, collaborations, and discussions. Central to the gallery’s artistic direction is an exploration of the ways that art can contribute to social justice and to greater awareness of cultural similarities, differences and specificities. We are open to local and international proposals from individual artists as well as curatorial propositions, thematic interests, and research trajectories. A Space brings together artists, curators, writers, academics, students and activists whose works transgress disciplinary boundaries.
<INSCAPE: Perceive> by Kohui
2023. 9. 8. ~ 10. 7.
A Space Gallery
Opening Reception:
Friday, September 8, 6~8 P.M.
A Space Gallery
- <Perceive> Performance by Kohui
- K-food reception
401 Richmond Street West, Suite 110
Toronto, Ontario M5V 3A8 Canada
Tel: 416.979.9633
E-mail: info (at) aspacegallery (dot) org
GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday to Friday 11am – 5pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm