TELL ME TELL ME: AUSTRALIAN AND
KOREAN CONTEMPORARY ART 1976 – 2011
National Art School Gallery, Sydney: 16 Jun 2011 – 24 Aug 2011
National Museum of Contemporary Art (NMOCA), Gwacheon, Korea: 8 November 2011 – 19 February 2012
Curators: Glenn Barkley and Inhye Kim (NMOCA, Korea)
U-Fan Lee, Situation II, 1975. Installation view, Tell Me Tell Me: Australian and Korean Art 1976-2011, National Art School Gallery, 2011. Image courtesy and © the artist
About the exhibition:
Tell Me Tell Me: Australian and Korean Art 1976 – 2011 was a major exhibition of Korean and Australian contemporary art celebrating 2011 as the Australian-Korean Year of Friendship. The project highlighted the historical and ongoing connections between Australian and Korean art and showcased significant works from the collections of both the MCA in Sydney and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul (MMCA). It was the first stage in a two-part cultural exchange of art and ideas. The MCA galleries were closed for refurbishment and this exhibition was organised with the collaboration of the National Art School Gallery, one of Australia’s leading teaching institutions with a rich history and tradition.
Tell Me Tell Me took as its starting point the visit of Nam June Paik to Australia and the 1976 Biennale of Sydney, which included a number of important Korean artists and put these projects into the context of conceptual, post-object and technological art being done in both Korea and Australia, back in the 1970s and through to 2011. The core of the exhibition comprised a significant collection of historical works by important artists from both countries. It then explored the work of artists referencing recent art histories and influences such as Fluxus and the weight of Conceptualism.
After Sydney, the exhibition travelled to the National Museum of Contemporary Art (NMOCA), Gwacheon, Korea, where it was presented from 8 November 2011 to 19 February 2012. The exhibition in Korea was expanded as the spaces were significantly larger and five Australian artists travelled to install their works, present performances and for artists’ residencies.
Tell Me Tell Me: Australian and Korean Art 1976 – 2011 was supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council, an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and by the Australia-Korea Foundation.
Artists in the exhibition: Bahc Yiso, Byoung-Choon Park, Chang-Sup Chung, Choong Sup Lim, Chosil Kil, Chung Seoyoung, Dongchun Yoon, Haegue Yang, Hong Joo Kim, Hyun-Ki Park, Insik Quak, Kang-So Lee, Jooyeon Park, Kim Beom, Kim Eull, Lee U-Fan, Moon-Seup Shim, Nam June Paik, Park Chan Kyong, Seung-Taek Lee, Yeesookyung, Brook Andrew, John Davis, Brown Council, Rosalie Gascoigne, Bonita Ely, Marr Grounds, Don Gundinga, Newell Harry, Lou Hubbard, Tim Johnson, Stephen Jones, Emily Kngwarreye, Gaiyabidja Lalara, Robert MacPherson, TV Moore, Nyapanyapa, Bob Jenyns, Terry Reid, Stuart Ringholt, Noel Sheridan, Raquel Ormella, Charles Sofo, Stelarc, Christian Thompson, Ken Unsworth, Louise Weaver, Yirawala.