In Part 2 of this interview, Kukje Gallery’s founder reveals how she discovers new artists and why Busan is the new art hot spot

Hyun-Sook Lee: ‘I am constantly learning and expanding my knowledge of art’

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Do you think there was a correlation between the exhibition of&nbsp;Dansaekhwa painting&nbsp;you staged at the gallery in 2014 and the subsequent international interest in the style?We define our gallery as more international than Korean. We are based in Korea, of course, but more than 70% of our collectors are from overseas and approximately 60% of our represented artists are international. Our mentality is more internationally focused than local, but it doesn’t mean that we take one more seriously than the other. For example, we’ve staged Dansaekhwa exhibitions in both Korea and overseas, including ‘When Process Becomes Form: Dansaekhwa and Korean Abstraction’ with the Boghossian Foundation [in Brussels, February 20 to April 24, 2016], Dansaekhwa as a collateral event of the 56th Venice Biennale [May 8 to August 15, 2015], and&nbsp;‘The Art of Dansaekhwa’&nbsp;at Kukje Gallery [August 28 to October 19, 2014]. All of these important exhibitions received attention and critical acclaim, regardless of the location.Can you provide an example of an artist you discovered or nurtured early in their career? What drew you to their work?One of them is Haegue Yang, who has been with Kukje Gallery for some time now and has a growing list of museum exhibitions around the world. I’ve also been involved in advancing the careers of Gimhongsok and the Dansaekhwa artists. I became aware of the vitality of the Dansaekhwa artists such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/9415/Ha-Chong-Hyun" target="_blank">Ha Chong-Hyun</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/9242/Park-Seo-Bo" target="_blank">Park Seo-Bo</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/11133/Kwon-Young-Woo" target="_blank">Kwon Young-Woo</a> during the early 21st century, and have made a point of bringing them to public attention and fostering international discourse on this seminal movement.I’m also interested in rediscovering artists. Though artists such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7943/Michael-Joo" target="_blank">Michael Joo</a> are not considered ‘young’, we have rediscovered their works and worked to highlight their achievements. And I can say that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/15853/Kibong-Rhee" target="_blank">Kibong Rhee</a>, who explores ideas such as flux and impermanence, primarily through painting, has gained international recognition through art fairs as well as major museum shows in Korea that were largely propagated by Kukje. He has been with us since the beginning.While some avant-garde artworks suit my preferences more than others, I respect the concerns of the younger generation and realize that it is important to showcase them at the gallery. The exhibitions at Kukje Gallery do not always coincide with my own collection. And although I love art, I cannot say that I am a major expert in the field – I am constantly learning and expanding my knowledge of art history. If an artist is doing something very innovative or avant-garde, I want to be a part of this new history and study it together with the artist.My daughter-in-law Bo has a curatorial background that makes her the perfect choice to be in charge of researching and developing these relationships with younger artists. This summer, the gallery has organized a group show featuring very young artists. Many of these young Korean artists have received world-class educations. The curiosity and critical experience of this next generation has the potential to be an important factor in the international art world.

How has the gallery adapted to the digitization of the artworld?We always make a point of video-recording each show that is staged at the gallery and, more recently, we began to work with an international online platform to also record our exhibitions in 3D. We live in a digital age, where borders are considered obsolete. We want to provide a vivid portrayal of our exhibitions and works to collectors who are physically and geographically apart from us, even if these records cannot necessarily provide the full-bodied experience equivalent to that of visiting the show in person. In some cases, digital audiences develop an interest in our exhibitions from the 3D recordings and actually make the trip to the gallery to see the work in person.In addition, our archive room in Seoul includes catalogs, leaflets, videos, and publications. Materials are also available on our private digital database and for viewing on our tablet upon appointment.Kukje Gallery also employs social media to communicate directly with an even wider audience. We use Instagram to receive news of our artists’ activities almost immediately, and also to promote them on our account. I truly believe that our presence on social media far exceeds that of any other Korean galleries and that our artists and activities, be they Korean or international, are some of the most widely known in the country.

What prompted the decision to open a Busan outpost?I used to think of Busan as being home to a surprisingly small number of collectors and culturally deprived, in a way, especially given its scale and density. But when I first visited F1963 [the cultural center where Kukje Gallery is based in Busan], which is also home to a cafe, restaurant, bookstore and performance hall, I was pleasantly surprised by the bustling crowd of visitors there. What’s more, having participated in the Art Busan fair annually since 2014, I knew that Busan had the potential to become significantly more active. It was incredibly timely that F1963 proposed that Kukje Gallery join the complex. We shared a similar vision of promoting a more progressive arts scene, and celebrated the launch of our Busan space in the summer of 2018. It has now been approximately a year and a half since we opened the outpost, and we’ve already witnessed eager acceptance of the arts within the city. There is an upward trend of clients who would like to see or acquire artworks of a higher quality, which is exactly the kind of positive reception we had hoped for.

Is there a story behind the design of the Busan gallery?F1963 was a factory for the production of wire ropes from 1963 to 2008, reborn as a multicultural complex in 2016, when it hosted the Busan Biennale in September of that year. Following this transformation, Kukje Gallery Busan opened in the summer of 2018. F1963 was renovated according to the philosophy of the respected Korean architect&nbsp;Cho Byoung Soo&nbsp;and can be seen as an example of architectural regeneration that finds an artful balance between the old and new. The complex emerged with many new structural additions, along with the hollowing out of the center of the building to open up a courtyard that provides ventilation and lighting. The walls of the entrance were completely removed and replaced with glass, and blue, expanded metal framework was added to not only support the architecture but also accentuate the expandability of the space and create a new image for the former factory. While Kukje Gallery Busan does not stand as a building independent of the complex, I think it is important to note that we are part of a space that embodies the industrial history of the city, along with the unique vision of the architect.How does the programming differ between Busan and Seoul? Do you sense that the audiences are different?Art audiences differ with each city, even if the cities belong to a single nation. Busan has recently seen rapid growth in the arts and culture sector, with the organization of annual arts events such as the Busan Biennale and Art Busan. As mentioned before, we plan our program taking into account Busan’s global and local presence, along with the city’s arts and culture infrastructure. Our current exhibition with the Australian artist&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/9695/Daniel-Boyd" target="_blank">Daniel Boyd</a> [b. 1982] is a good example of our Busan program. Despite the fact that Boyd has recently emerged at the center of dialogue within the global arts scene, Korean audiences were largely unfamiliar with his work. While it was certainly an experimental endeavor to place Boyd’s work in our Busan space, our clients, the press, and the general audience have received his work favorably. I also know that many artists, both Korean and international, share similar sentiments regarding the experimental nature of Busan. Many are well aware of the experience and reception they will garner by opening a show in Seoul, but Busan offers a completely new setting in which to introduce their work. Kukje Gallery will continue to showcase a custom program that reflects Busan’s diverse cultural interests, yet at the same time remain committed to the idea of exploring and broadening the boundaries of art within the city.

Do you have plans to expand to other cities?Kukje Gallery hopes to contribute to Busan’s establishment as an arts hub in Asia, and this is why I plan to focus on that space for some time. While we have already witnessed the global trend of establishing international outposts with many esteemed galleries around the world, we also understand that such ventures call for much circumspection.Where do you discover new art?I’ve always liked traveling for art fairs. My criteria for discovering new art and artists is straightforward. For international artists, I think about what their international status is – where they are in their careers. That way I can see the bigger picture. If the artist is younger, I think about their future. Do they have potential? How will they further develop their careers? As for Korean artists, many have been educated overseas, which creates a solid foundation for global outreach and reception for their works. This does blur the boundary between domestic and international artists to some extent, and also the context in which they should be viewed. For that reason, my criteria for Korean artists are similar to those for international artists. I am also connected with many renowned Korean and international curators, museum directors, and board members. I really value the insight and experience of curators.

Have you had any memorable travels related to art lately?I was recently in Washington DC, where 10 works from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7226/Lee-Ufan" target="_blank">Lee Ufan’s</a> ‘Relatum’&nbsp;series are currently on view at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Dispersed around the premises, the sculptures are in perfect harmony with the museum architecture and sculpture garden – the cohesive relationship between elements that constitute the entire environment is simply beautiful beyond words. I also made a trip to Glenstone, on the outskirts of Washington DC, which was a remarkable experience. In addition to the sophisticated architecture of the museum, the harmony between art and nature creates a setting that is second to none – perhaps Glenstone can best be described as a piece of poetry. I was in a daze while strolling among the museum's&nbsp;astounding collection. Another memorable exhibition during my trip to the United States was Haegue Yang’s solo exhibition ‘In the Cone of Uncertainty’, at The Bass in Miami Beach. The show is an overview of the past decade of Yang’s practice, highlighting her iconic pieces. Without fail, Yang surprises us again. Although she is one of our artists on the roster and I’ve seen her works countless times, I am always amazed by their overwhelming presence each time.Can you describe a recent addition to your own collection?Most recently, I’ve collected works from each of our Seoul and Busan exhibitions. Sungsic Moon [b. 1980], who was on view at our Seoul space through January 19, is one of the youngest artists on our roster. Despite his age, his works possess the innate power to move the viewer. This was Moon’s second solo exhibition with us and consisted of approximately 110 new works that employ his new technique of scratching into half-dried paint to leave inscribed marks, which took years for the artist to experiment with and hone to perfection. Among Moon’s new works, my favorite would be Rose and a Fly&nbsp;(2017), created when he was in the early stages of mastering this technique of carving lines.I’ve also acquired Daniel Boyd’s Untitled (SWCAPBPIP)&nbsp;(2019)&nbsp;from our exhibition with him in Busan. Boyd engages with his Aboriginal and Vanuatu heritage in reinterpreting Australian colonial history, often reappropriating images of icons that played significant roles in the formation of the nation’s history. I’m especially fascinated by the ways in which Boyd borrows from and reinterprets history, bringing his familial roots onto the pictorial plane, and am always eager to support artists who are just beginning to be known in Korea.

What programming at the gallery are you most looking forward to in 2020?Lee Ufan, of course! We are planning a solo exhibition with him for early September this year in our K1 and K3 spaces. This highly anticipated show marks Lee’s first with us in 11 years, following his 2009 solo exhibition ‘Sculpture’, and will include some of the artist’s most iconic works. It has been a long time since Lee last held a solo exhibition in Korea, which is why this show has already received countless inquiries from Korean collectors and press. This exhibition will also coincide with the 13th&nbsp;Gwangju Biennale, making it a seminal destination for the many arts professionals visiting Korea in 2020.Top image:&nbsp;Haegue Yang,&nbsp;'When The Year 2000 Comes', installation view. Courtesy of Kukje Gallery, Seoul and Busan.Article originally published on Originally on <a href="https://ocula.com/magazine/conversations/hyun-sook-lee/">Ocula.com</a> and updated for Art Basel.&nbsp;

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In Part 2 of this interview, Kukje Gallery’s founder reveals how she discovers new artists and why Busan is the new art hot spot