Installation view of 《#Survival report》 © Suchang Youth Mansion

The harsher the times, the more being alive becomes the foremost existential premise above all else. Especially in the era of “with COVID,” art or artistic practices are inevitably pushed behind “survival.”

Suchang Youth Mansion is presenting the planned exhibition 《#Survival report》 to conclude this year. This exhibition features 17 young artists (including 2 team-supported participants) selected through a nationwide open call and review process, who will each present their own “#Survival report” through their works.

The hashtag (#) functions on social media to emphasize keywords and gather related posts. The presence of a hashtag before “Survival report” highlights it as a keyword that enables communication with others and the expression of one’s life and modes of survival in a situation where free encounters with others are limited in the digital age.

As times become more difficult, young artists feel a sense of crisis regarding survival itself and are simultaneously managing both work and creative activities. In an uncertain future and under challenging conditions, it is a shared understanding and reality among most young artists that passion for art alone cannot sustain this life.

Nevertheless, through works that maintain an artistic attitude and perspective, young artists are expressing “survival” itself across various genres such as variable installation, painting, and video.

Participating artists include Kang Narae, Kwak Eunji, Kim Donghee, Na Dongseok, Park Doori, Jihye Park, Gardener’s Garden, Shin Eung, Yoori Sung, Lee Jaehyun, Jang Sophie & Shi Haning, Jung Juhee, Choi Jiseon, and Hong Doyeon.

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