Layered Medium: We Are in Open Circuits, now on display at Manarat Al Saadiyat until June 30, offers a powerful entry point into modern and contemporary Korean art. Featuring pivotal works from Korea’s leading artists, the exhibition recontextualises familiar pieces in a new environment that invites both reflection and reinterpretation.
A Festival Highlight Rooted in Collaboration
Co-organised by the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) and the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), the exhibition is a signature feature of Abu Dhabi Festival 2025. Curated by SeMA’s Yeo Kyung-hwan and UK-based Maya El Khalil, the exhibition builds upon SeMA’s earlier show At the End of the World Split Endlessly, bringing in additional works and a fresh narrative for UAE audiences.
Artists such as Paik Nam-june, Kim Ku-lim, Lee Bul, and Jun So-jung present an expansive view of Korea’s artistic evolution—framed through the intersecting themes of technology, identity, memory, and social transformation. The title, referencing Paik’s exploration of circuitry and media, captures the open-ended, experimental spirit that defines the show.
Thematic Sections Reflecting Medium and Message
Divided into four conceptual zones—Open(ing) Circuits, Body as Medium, Society as Medium, and Space as Medium—the exhibition features immersive scenography by Formafantasma, the Italian-Dutch design studio known for narrative-driven spatial storytelling.
The show opens with Paik Nam-june’s Self-Portrait Dharma Wheel (1998) and Moon is the Oldest TV (1965–1976), drawing visual and conceptual links between ancient celestial observation and contemporary media culture. These works set the tone for a show that fuses temporal and spatial dimensions.
Electricity and light dominate Kim Ku-lim’s experimental practice, while Lee Kun-young’s Method of Drawing series transforms performative gestures into mark-making, suggesting the body’s dual role as medium and message.
Memory, Gender, and Cross-Cultural Language
Lee Bul’s Untitled (Crystal Figure) (2006) reframes femininity through crystalline abstraction, challenging traditional portrayals of the female body. Hong Young-in’s Under the Sky of Happiness (2013) honours pioneering Korean women, embedding their stories into finely embroidered portraits.
Jun So-jung’s video trilogy—Early Arrival of Future, Eclipse, and Green Screen—uses music and visual metaphor to explore the fractured identity of a divided Korea, reflecting on the interplay between political boundaries and emotional continuity.
A highlight of the show’s cultural translation theme is Bahc Yi-so’s The UN Tower (1997), which references a Korean matchbox image to challenge global viewers’ understanding. The work underscores the complexities of cross-cultural interpretation, asking what gets lost—or creatively transformed—in the process of translation.
A Closing Note on Shared Space
In the Space as Medium section, Yang Hae-gue’s Yes-I=Know-Screen (2007) constructs partitions with wooden lattices, evoking elements of Islamic architectural design while addressing the tension between public and private space—making the work especially resonant for local audiences.
The exhibition concludes with Kwon Byung-jun’s Dancing Ladders (2022), a haunting installation of inverted robotic ladders. Their slow, programmed motion suggests the quiet persistence of human navigation in a technologically complex world.
Layered Medium offers more than a visual survey; it fosters a dialogue between cultures, histories, and audiences. By showcasing the fluidity of meaning across borders and media, it reaffirms the role of art as a space for shared understanding, critical inquiry, and transformative storytelling.