ON BIO-ART SEOUL 2015
STATEMENT
The term abundance refers to a very large quantity or to a state or condition of having copious quantities of something. Nature is in abundance and this plentitude reflects one of the key issues about life. Taken as a point of departure for creating an exhibition of artworks that are inspired by the life sciences or explore them in unique ways to create artworks, the exhibition is a splendid way to offer the public an overview of the fastness of activity in the area of bioarts and at the same time to provide them with "living truth" of the possibilities of collaboration between the arts and the sciences.
The exhibition consists of a single space that is dedicated to platforming the scope of bioarts. Constructed out of four L shaped wall sections, the resulting space forms an enclosure of entries and exits that lets the inside out and the outside in so that a sense of inclusion is provided for all of the works on display independent of where they are situated. Walking around the ”inside” of the space, visitors are confronted with renowned works of bioart by a group of artists from the world stage. At the centre of the space, is the Bio Art PopUp Space by Art Clay & Andrew Davidhazy, which is designed as a meeting point for those attending the exhibition and is home to a number of glass case displays. Through the “exits” and “entrances” the view opens up out into museum life. Lured by these works into the “outside”, the visitor is introduced to a series of salon styled hangings of works selected amongst the Life Science Visualizations Contest hosted by Biocon (Medicinal Bioconvergence Research Center supported by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Korea).
The quantity or amount of such art and its various manifestation presented in a defined area of space offers the viewer a sense of life in abundance. Here, art like life is presented in abundance, plentitude being represented through the creation of a mixed media exhibition that embraces genres from painting to interactive arts. All in all, the exhibit features a range of works by national and international submitters of diverse ages and paths of life, offering all the opportunity to reflect on the repercussions of our scientific expansion, its social and cultural responsibilities, and to ask where participation in science begins and ends and to do so by reaching out to the broadest possible audience with an exhibit featuring an abundance of artworks that is truly international in its scope and celebrates bioart as one of the most important movements in the art world today.
Arthur Clay, Artistic Director
BIO-ART SEOUL 2015