Atta Kim was invited to participate in the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009, had a solo exhibition at the Rodin Gallery in 2008, and was the first Asian to have a solo exhibition at the International Center for Photography in New York in 2006. In 2002, he was the representative artist of the Korean Pavilion at the 25th Bienal de São Paulo. In addition to his work, he has published 17 books, and in 2020, he created ‘Art+Parthenon,’ a space for thought and reflection in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do.
Commemorating
the 1,000th anniversary of the creation of the Tripitaka Koreana, 《HAEIN ART PROJECT 2011》 is currently taking
place at Haeinsa Temple and throughout the Gayasan area in Hapcheon,
Gyeongsangnam-do. Hosted by Haeinsa Temple, the project brings together 34
contemporary artists from Korea and abroad, presenting a wide range of works
including painting, drawing, video, sound, and moving image.
The theme of the
exhibition is “Tong (通),” meaning communication and
exchange. Inheriting the spirit of harmony embodied in the Tripitaka
Koreana—which historically fostered cultural and economic prosperity as well as
national unity—the exhibition explores the concept of “Tong” from multiple
perspectives, including art and religion, humanity and environment.
The
exhibition is organized into three parts. At the Sacred Relics Museum,
contemporary artworks are presented under the title 《Connection of All Things》. Along the Gayasan
hiking trail, an outdoor installation sculpture exhibition titled 《Connection of Space》 unfolds. At Gugwangru
Pavilion within the Haeinsa Temple complex, the international painting
exhibition 《Connection of Thought》 is held. Artists from various countries present works addressing
global issues shared across borders, such as war, famine, environment, and
religion.
Grounded
in the history and site-specific context of Haeinsa Temple, the participating
artists present creative and experimental works. Some artists reinterpret
Buddhist imagery in diverse ways. Chinese artist Zhang Huan created a Buddha
sculpture using over 20 tons of incense ash from temples, while Wang Jiayuan
expressed the image of a moving Buddha through robot-like mechanical devices.
Photographer Atta Kim installed an “ice Buddha” sculpture inside the temple,
made entirely of ice; as it gradually melts over time, it conveys the Buddhist
teaching of impermanence (無常). In
addition, the exhibition features American artist Bill Viola’s video work Three
Women(2008) and Tibetan artist Sonam Dolma’s installation The
Death of My Father(Year unknown), created using temple cushions,
among many other works.
