National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju presents Cody Choi: Venetian Rhapsody-The Power of Bluff, one of the latest MMCA's collections. This work, originally installed at the Korean Pavilion during the 2017 Venice Biennale, has already been shown in Korea through an indoor exhibition at the Arko Art Center, but MMCA Cheongju will be the first in Korea to present the work outdoors as originally intended by the artist.
The installation with adjustable dimensions and layout is tailored to fit the exterior frame of the museum building. The grandiose, 14-meter tall installation flaunts its ornate stature with images of a tiger, a peacock, and a dragon lined out in neon and LED lights.
Cody Choi has caught the attention of the international art-world by radically transforming the façade of the Korean Pavilion with Venetian Rhapsody—The Power of Bluff, a work designed to mimic the flashy neon signs in the famous gambling city Las Vegas. The scenery of the Venice Biennale overlaps with the cityscape of Las Vegas in that the authoritative art biennale and its excavation of star artists ultimately serve as means to turn art into a business. Adopting advertisement techniques—the key elements of capitalism—the installation scathingly lampoons the shadow of capitalism cast over contemporary art.
