Young-Churl Shim at the Theodore Museum of contemporary art brilliant new images from an old tale > 평론

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Young-Churl Shim at the Theodore Museum of contemporary art brilliant new images from an old tale

Christianity may be only 200 years old in Korea, but it certainly seems to prevade and guide the life of those who have embraced it. Korean artist, Young Churl Shim, takes her Christian teaching very seriously and from it she derives a lot of her artistic inspiration. That at least is what is evident from the exhibition she brought to Toronto from Korea. The exhibition is in itself a variation on a previous exhibition she held in Seoul 1990. Young Churl Shim is a talented and motivated artist and has the technical skills to produce well crafted objects. She uses props and an array of many different materials with great ease. The exhibition consist of ten large sculptural installations. Each one is a metaphor, and each one is presented in a dramatic way. The exhibition works particularly well in the separate spaces of the Theodore Museum because each piece is installed independently of the others in it's own room. Being able to view each piece separately allows the viewer to from a stronger rapport with the piece and ponder on the message. Each piece demands to be assessed singularly on it's own specific and emblematic merits. Each installation portrays the artist’s interpretation of some biblical teaching, compounded with her belief that Christianity can help humanity achieve salvation by signaling the right paths and pitfalls of evil. One installation consist of a large, red and black cloth, about two metress wide and six metres long, draped on the floor and going up the height of the wall. The part of the cloth on the floor forms the backdrop of a hugh cross formed by hundreds of bibles in Korean script. The bibles are open at random, the implication being that each page can testify to the validity of the message it conveys. The black and red cloth symbolizes birth and death and it serves to reaffirm the presence of Christ on Earth. The cross of bibles indicates the manner of his death. In a similar vein, another installation is composed of a huge crown of thorns, which appears more like an immense nest strewn with neon light letters of the Korean and Latin alphabets. The symbolism is obvious but by making the great crown of thorns appear like a nest the artist seems to point out the thorny, perilous aspects of life, which line even the most comfortable nests. A more baffaling yet visually more challenging installation is the one formed by dozens of suspended, fielded forearms with the hands inscribed with the cabalistic number 666 confronting the head of ablack goat with flaming horns. The preserved, real goat head is mounted on a tressle and the flames are provided through a link with a tank of propane. The hands propose the theme of the evil work that can eventually destroy humanity as represented by the traditional scapegoat. The installations are all very sculptural and make use equally well of traditional materials such as wood and cloth and contemporary technology such as neon, video and flames produced by propane. It is a very sophisticated show and it could be a truly great show if the messages were more provocative or more searching. I expected something more indicative of some new social concern of patterns emerging from the less tense political situation and considerable affluence of Korea. The reaffirmation of old symbols, without questioning them, seems, superfluous and superstitious, so one must view the show as a theatrical presentation. Infact, it is a clever assemblage of images, well produced and well presented.

Luciana Benzi

Toronto, July 1992