SKKU X HGB

As the second sub-activity of our project, we will host a fall-winter workshop in 2025. In this experimental workshop, students will engage in collaborative research, exploring how a school can function as part of an international network.

Working abroad has often led me—somewhat paradoxically—to a deeper understanding of the cultural context I grew up in and the specific characteristics of being Korean. While engaging with artists working both in Korea and abroad, I’ve noticed recurring contextual similarities in their work. Unlike Germany, Korea has developed a media environment that is heavily narrative-driven, where media is deeply integrated into both cognitive processes and everyday life. This results in shared linguistic structures and modes of expression that reflect a unique media-based cognitive system.

Rather than framing this solely in terms of ethnic characteristics, we aim to study these tendencies through the lens of historical and cultural background.

The primary goal of this workshop is to investigate how “mediatic cognitive systems” shaped by Korean and German media-cultural contexts influence individuals and manifest in artistic practices. In an era of rapid technological advancement and aggressive commercialization, this program seeks to explore how we, as artists, can critically respond to and interpret these developments.

Ultimately, this workshop aims to serve as a vital bridge between Korean and German perspectives on space and being, transcending physical boundaries. Through this exchange, we hope students can study together and reflect on the contemporary media landscape from both cultural standpoints.

This exhibition will emphasize the equal importance of online and physical space. Everything that exists online is rooted in the physical world, so artworks must consider how they will be experienced in physical space.

Time differences must be taken into account, and proper projection equipment (such as daylight beamers) or darkened rooms should be prepared. Lighting must also be considered during installation.

Participants are encouraged to explore the possibilities of this format through a variety of media: video screenings, performance, installation, and drawing.

At the HGB Gallery, Hyerim Jeon, Yunju Shin, and Hyeyun Lee will lead the exhibition. At SKKU Gallery in Seoul, students from both schools will handle the installation. Our team will act as a bridge between the two cities, collaboratively investigating how this exhibition format can link them meaningfully.

Some of the proposed ideas include:

Relay drawing / Real-time remote drawing

Mission-based storytelling: Finding a “portkey”

Synchronized remote performance

Testing WebEx’s real-time translation features

Potential interdisciplinary collaborations: For example, with Samsung recently releasing Galaxy models with AI features—and given SKKU’s strong engineering, economics, and business departments—there is potential for rich cross-departmental exchange. In my undergraduate years, I recall collaborative classes between fine arts and engineering students (e.g., capstone design on nuclear fusion), which serve as an encouraging precedent.

1. Research grounded in each participant’s own cultural context — Participants are expected to draw from their personal cultural backgrounds to generate diverse perspectives and compelling idea.