Period : 2020-02-14~2021-02-14

Work Type: Internal

Place: Exhibition hall A and H, Busan Museum of Art 2F

Contact: 051-740-4245

U.S.B.: Universe Society Being

Content

U.S.B.: Universe Society Being is a special exhibition highlighting moving image from the collection of the Busan Museum of Art. ‘USB’ originally refers to a universal serial bus, an industry standard interface that enables connection between a flash drive and a computer port, file transfer and storage between them. The title of this exhibition was named after it, because USB-based external devices are used often in video production and media art is also UNIVERSAL - unlike sculpture or painting, moving images can be played anywhere once a projection system is provided. Finally, the initial was reinterpreted and renamed into "Universe Society Being".The exhibition is organized into two sections: “Image-Sense,” a group of artworks focusing on the medium itself in pursuit of pure visual beauty, and the other group, dubbed “Reality-Relationship,” in which visual media is used as a tool for social criticism or to convey narratives about issues such as feminism. Of course, such a division is not definitive, but is rather being applied to enable a better understanding of the works’ background and context. After all, the absolute pursuit of a visual aesthetic does not necessarily signify the absence of narrative, and an emphasis on narrative does not preclude visual aesthetics.First, the “Image-Sense” section features artists whose works focus on the beauty of the image— Lee Leenam, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Lee Yongbaek. In the course of pursuing the new “sensory” experiences embodied by moving images, these artists have concentrated more on “image” than narrative. The second section, “Reality-Relationship” consists of works utilizing visual media to portray the artists’ own narratives in areas like feminism and social commentary, featuring works by Moon Kyoungwon & Jeon Joonho, Jesper Just, and Siren Eunyoung Jung.Busan Museum of Art is presenting U.S.B.: Universe Society Being, an exhibition highlighting works from the museum’s collection of moving image. The show features six pieces carefully selected from the field of moving image in the BMA collection. Busan-bred artist Jeon Joonho, now active in the international art scene, is also among those featured. While it also contains works by internationally prominent artists Jennifer Steinkamp and Jesper Just, the exhibition provides an invaluable opportunity to view works by emerging trendsetters in Korean media art, including Lee Leenam, Lee Yongbaek, and Siren Eunyoung Jung. We hope this exhibition will overcome the conventional practices of Korean art museums that place a disproportionate emphasis on collecting traditional paintings and sculptural works, serving to expand public interest in and understanding of media art.