Kimsooja
Zone of Nowhere
February – April 2018
PICA - Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth, Australia
Zone of Nowhere is the first Australian solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed, South Korean-born and New York based multidisciplinary artist Kimsooja.For more than 30 years, Kimsooja has centred her work around sensitive cultural and political issues and in particular those surrounding migration and displacement. Through installation, performance, sculpture, video and photography, she investigates the human condition and the environment we live in.
She invites us to question our existence, the world, and the major challenges we face. Having grown up with Buddhism, Zen, Confucianism, Christianity, and the age-old role of the artist as shaman, she creates critical artworks that transcend everyday reality, bringing together the physical and the metaphysical through repetitive actions and meditative practices.
The exhibition features a variety of artworks, including To Breathe – Zone of Nowhere (2018) an awe-inspiring installation of 30 large translucent flags created for PICA’s central gallery space. The work expresses a wish for coexistence, for a utopian society in which individuals unite in celebration of their distinctions and common humanity. It originates from the video To Breathe – The Flags (2012), commissioned for the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Throughout Perth International Arts Festival the work extends beyond the walls of PICA with Kimsooja’s colourful layered flags appearing on public facades throughout Northbridge and the Perth CBD.
