ART in Korea has become a vibrant and changing medium thanks to the accessibility of the internet, says Dr Kim Hong-hee.
The director of the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art in Korea, Dr Kim was in 2006 responsible for bringing together more than 500 artists and actors from 60 countries to celebrate the global diversity of modern art at the Gwangjuu Biennale.
The internet has served as a very important medium for the circulation of art and raising the profile of Korean artists, Dr Kim said.
“You can go anywhere by searching cyberspace, into any museum in the country.
“We can promote cultural tourism and that is why the country is booming in the construction of diverse genres of museums,” she said.
“And artists are working everywhere in the here and now with their activities being truly global.”
The proliferation of art online has also spawned new opportunities to raise cultural awareness with the increase in migration around the world and European and Asian nations put more focus on strengthening economic ties, Dr Kim said.
She said Australia was in a very “unique” part of the world – geographically close to Asia, but culturally rooted in European ancestry.
“Australia has a lot of interactivity with Japan, and from it has flowed certain artistic and cultural forms such as Manga,” she said.
“I think the popularity of Manga plus new media technology has created a great impact on younger Australians.”
Dr Kim admits the influence of Asian art and culture dims in comparison to programs emerging from Britain and stateside, but reckons even a slight change in attitude – the openness towards Asian culture – is enough to shape the Australian cultural landscape towards a “new direction with a futuristic vision”.
“Through international collaboration between museums and educational institutions, a cultural exchange can happen. This will result in a wider perspective and deeper understanding of our histories, resources and future we will be sharing,” she said.
Dr Kim said Australia could learn a lot from Asia, but Asian nations could also learn from Australia.
“Australia is very strong in the field of media arts, and also Aboriginal art. I really think Asian
countries can learn from Australia in how to explore traditional culture and integrate it with contemporary art.”