The Artist © Cho Duck Hyun

Iseoguk (伊西國) was an ancient tribal state belonging to the Byeonjin confederation that existed in the Cheongdo region of present-day Gyeongsangbuk-do. Crossing a span of two thousand years, a large number of artifacts from Iseoguk—dating to the BCE period—including iron objects in the form of animals are “unearthed” from an ordinary private house in Cheongdo and from an area near Bomun Lake in Gyeongju. The excavation, of course, is fictional. Yet viewers find themselves confusing the real with the imaginary, physically experiencing myth and legend.

Mid-career artist Cho Duck Hyun (45, professor at Ewha Womans University) is presenting an unusual “virtual historical excavation” project titled Entering Yiseoguk at three locations near Gyeongju. The project can be understood as a “Cheongdo version” of the artist’s ongoing effort to “fill historical gaps” through fictional excavations, following Gurim Village Story in Yeongam, Jeollanam-do (2000) and Dog of Ashkelon presented in Paris last year.

The project was inspired by a poem of the same title by poet Seurim (professor at Daegu University). Na Sunhwa, a researcher at the Ewha Womans University Museum, and folklorist Choi Won-oh (research professor at Mokpo National University) also participated, working together to develop the overall scenario. In this respect, the project differs from the artist’s earlier works, which relied more heavily on fictional narratives.

Two of the sites, where dog-shaped objects were created, buried, and later excavated, will remain on display until June 30. Meanwhile, the exhibition at the Art Sonje Center consists of fourteen videos documenting the excavation process and will run until May 19. The artist remarked, “I hope that encountering ‘a certain truth’ that has disappeared into the far side of history will provide viewers with an opportunity to reflect on their own lives.”

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