Contemporary art and design strategically place objects within the context of our daily life. Through conceptualization and the production process, this strategy forms a tacit agreement, as a behavioral pattern that itself becomes the basis for judgment, evaluation, and other behavior. In this exhibition, this agreement is defined as ‘Objectology’, or the ‘ethics of objects’.
The rules and codes for this behavioral pattern, particularly those related to aesthetics, have developed over time, allowing design to expand its focus from practical function to encompass more artistic qualities. This new artistic appreciation of design objects has effectively eclipsed the previous context, which was limited to the object’s usage in everyday life. Of course, artists like Duchamp and Picasso famously utilized objects as sculptures, thus providing them with a new means of communication. Since that time, design and its objects have been more open to appreciation, contemplation, and thought.
Objectology- Design and Art examines the aesthetic enjoyment of everyday objects. This material and cultural approach focuses on the rules that guide artists and designers in treating ordinary objects as works of art, as well as the comprehensive features relevant to visitors and users. The exhibition ultimately suggests a new set of standards for comparing and analyzing contemporary art and design.
Intro : Drum & Bass (Mathieu Mercier)
The concept of this exhibition-objectology-was originally inspired by Mathieu Mercier’s artwork Drum and Bass, which is prominently featured in the exhibition, and which raises fundamental questions on the distinction between ordinary objects and art objects.
Section 1 : Utopia and Dystopia (Moon Kyoungwon + Jeon Joonho)
The word “utopia” originally comes from a Greek word meaning “nowhere”. Over the centuries, many artists and idealists have imagined and depicted their own version of utopia. In particular, many artists of the early twentieth century felt that the advanced technology of the Industrial Revolution would lead humanity to utopia. Artistic visions of utopia once tended to emphasize the need to adhere to rational and logical ideals, but such concepts were inevitably revealed to have a dark side in reality.
“Design” can be defined as the planning of something that does not yet exist, but will exist in the future. This intrinsic link to the future makes design the most conducive tool for illustrating and expressing ideas about the society of tomorrow, as demonstrated by the countless versions of utopia and dystopia that have sprung from the imagination of artists and idealists over the centuries.
Section 2 : Speak in Object’s Language (Park Meena, Kim Beom, Ahn Gyuchul, Yang Haegue, Jackson Hong, Park Zinoo, James Rosenquist, Yang Haegue, William Morris)
Marcel Duchamp was the first to bring attention to the aesthetic and artistic possibilities of ordinary objects (e.g. brooms, bottle racks, bicycle tires, and most famously, a urinal). By placing everyday objects within an aesthetic context, he showed that beauty could be found in the most unexpected places. By the early 1960s, artists were actively creating and presenting usable objects, rather than imitations or reproductions, thus raising the question of how a “regular” object can be transformed into a work of art. .
Contemporary artists and designers utilize ordinary objects as a foundation for communicating their ideas for evocative new objects. Placed within new contexts, objects are freed from the limitations of their originally intended function, allowing them to inhabit distinctive new worlds, apart from our reality.
Section 3 : Viewing Objects (Koo Chasoong, Lee Insung, Shin Meekyoung, Peter Klasen, Park Bulddong, Hwang Doojin, Kim Bongtae, Imi Knoebel, Gotthard Graubner, Joh Namjoo, Seung H-Sang, Choi Byunghoon, Kim Boyeon, Jackson Hong)
Amidst the spacious exhibition hall, various two- and three-dimensional objects are reproduced to mingle and communicate with one another.
The objects displayed in this exhibition do not stand out as individual elements. By pursuing a more communal arrangement and composition, the designers highlight the “object-ness” of the things, rather than their aesthetic value. The coexistence of the objects in a single space further blurs the line between design object, emphasizing function, and fine artwork, emphasizing appearance and symbolic qualities.
Section 4 : Technically Transforming Sculpture, and Furniture Transforming to Art
(Donald Judd, Park Wonmin, Yang Haegue, Kim Sang Hoon, Han Junghyun)
Contemporary art has witnessed the convergence of art and design, with objects from both disciplines showing a confluence of shape, elements, techniques, and even distribution channels. Minimalist artists such as Donald Judd have focused on flexibility in creating new types of functional art, including sculptural furniture, combining aesthetic and commercial value. The lines between aesthetic art and practical design have been virtually erased, as the design object is appreciated as a work of art, while the artwork employs principles of design to become a useful object.
Section 5 : Minifacturing the Future (Hyun Park, Park Zinoo)
According to Karl Marx, capitalists and laborers were divided by the former’s ownership of the means of production. Today, however, the means of production has been widely disseminated, as information about objects can now be easily shared as ‘bits’, leading to the spread of 3D printing and digital fabrication. All of the objects in this space were created using these new means for production, allowing us to imagine the possibilities for a new form of "Mini-facturing".
