The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) presents the exhibition 《2017 SeMA New Acquisitions: Sky, Earth, People》, introducing works acquired in the previous year to the public and establishing a foundation for art historical research as well as for reading the flow of contemporary art.

To this end, the museum analyzes its existing collection to supplement areas that are underrepresented in art historical and genre-based terms, while annually acquiring works of significant contemporary value. The Seoul Museum of Art currently holds approximately 4,700 works in its collection, of which 188 were acquired in the previous year.

Unlike curated exhibitions that select works based on predetermined themes and concepts, the New Acquisitions exhibition possesses a distinct character. In order to establish a certain structure or form for an exhibition of this nature, it is necessary to reread history and attempt categorization through the collected works themselves. Through this process, rather than presenting a single unified landscape, the exhibition inevitably reveals a condition in which diverse themes and varied artistic forms coexist amid the intersection of multiple paradigms.

《Sky, Earth, People》 is an exhibition that introduces new works acquired by the Seoul Museum of Art in 2017. The exhibition title is borrowed from Sky, Earth, People(1990), a video installation by Oh Kyung-hwa that analyzes the condition of contemporary life in Korea from historical, political, social, and natural perspectives, and reflects the position of artists within those structures. The title thus encompasses the idea that the present state of art, situated within the structures surrounding us, continues to undergo constant variation through multiple interrelations, regardless of temporal distance.

Viewed through the three overarching frames of sky, earth, and people, the exhibition is presented across the second and third floors, where 66 works of Korean painting, painting, drawing and printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation, new media, and craft are on view. On the second floor, visitors encounter perspectives on natural landscapes both within and beyond art, while the third-floor galleries invite attention to resonances of different historical periods. Although each frame reveals a distinct aspect, together they are expected to form an interconnected portrait of contemporary art.

As indicators that reveal both the history and present condition of a museum, collections play a crucial role in establishing institutional identity. The New Acquisitions exhibition, held annually by the Seoul Museum of Art, aims to deepen understanding of the museum’s collection and to suggest possibilities for reading the present moment through reflection on the past.

Beyond this exhibition, works from the collection are also featured in various curated exhibitions, collaborative projects with Seoul’s district governments and other institutions, and in SeMA Collection Lounges established within affiliated organizations.

The museum’s collection serves as essential material for critically examining contemporary art as an ongoing history, and as a set of keywords proposing visions for a future yet to come.

References

• 《2017 SeMA 신소장품: 하늘 땅 사람들 (SeMA New Acquisitions: Sky, Earth, People)》