Minimalism-Maximalism-Mechanissmmm Act 3–Act 4

Art Sonje Center, Seoul presents Minimalism-Maximalism-Mechanissmmm Act 3–Act 4 in collaboration with Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark from March 17 to April 24, 2022.

The exhibition Minimalism-Maximalism-Mechanissmmm Act 1–Act 4 is conceptualized in four acts by Jacob Fabricius, and one of four acts, Act 4: Archive of Aesthetic Exploration is curated by Mikkel Elming. Minimalism-Maximalism-Mechanissmmm Act 1–Act 4 stages traditional expressions in a non-traditional and experimental setting. With clear curatorial intent, the exhibition examines how artists select, use and work with materials. The exhibition’s four acts develop from a traditional setting and physically static display to a participatory, relational, and activating exhibition. Through the series of four acts the audience will encounter multiple ways of disseminating, experiencing, utilizing, viewing, and questioning curatorial methods and institutional approach to presenting works.

Act 3 and Act 4 follows Act 1 and Act 2 that consisted of minimalistic process-oriented works and narrative paintings. The two new acts invite the audience to interact and actively participate with their bodies. In these are highly participatory and engages the audiences. In Act 3 the audience will be able to share, indulge, and consume the art works. Here the viewer can share experiences, and through their actions create different types of relations to the artworks, artists and other audiences. Several of the artists in Act 3 have produced functional merchandise and besides their work in the museum intentionally made work that can be consumed outside the institution in local bars, restaurants and shops. Act 4: Archive of Aesthetic Exploration is an accessible cabinet of curiosities. The installation is divided into two; an archive where the audience is invited to explore hundreds of small artworks stored in boxes; and a laboratory where the audience can set up and juxtapose the works from the archive in four different contexts and experience the influence of curating on the appearance of the works.

Minimalism-Maximalism-Mechanissmmm Act 1–Act 4 examines how artists use materials to tell stories about their surroundings and daily life. The exhibition creates connections between the artworks and the observer, and examines how the curator can affect the aforementioned relationship between work and audience. The four acts can be experienced as individual shows, but the exhibition’s plot twist evolves across the different acts through public interaction—direct and indirect. As a whole, Minimalism-Maximalism-Mechanissmmm Act 1–Act 4’s four acts are presented as thematic of how the institution presents itself, the art and the observer, to give the audience the experience and knowledge of, how meaning and connections are created spatially.

In addition to this folder there are extended captions. The artists have been asked to make an instruction of “How do you usually involve the audience?” in Act 3 and “How do you usually display objects?” in Act 4. The following instructions could inspire to think and rethink the process of making art. The conceptual instruction approach is inspired by the exhibition Art by Telephone that took place at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in 1969. The wall labels are meant to activate the viewer, so they tap into a discussion about original versus copy, copyright versus copyleft, and Do-It-Yourself audiences. We hope these two instructions and artist’s vision of making work will encourage and inspire the visitors. Welcome to Minimalism-Maximalism-Mechanissmmm Act 3–Act 4.

Artists   
Act 3: Cha Sla, Kasper Hesselbjerg, New Red Order, SUPERFLEX, and The Dumpling Club.
Act 4: Ali Kazim, Elsa Salonen, Lola Daels, Seulgi Lee, Studio ThinkingHand, and Tove Storch.

Curated by Jacob Fabricius (Director, Art Hub Copenhagen) and Mikkel Elming (Director, Glasmuseet Ebeltoft)
Exhibition Management by Heehyun Cho (Curator, Art Sonje Center)
Assisted by Eunchae Cho (Curatorial Assistance, Art Sonje Center) and Jeongyeon Moon (Educator, Art Sonje Center)

Organized by Art Sonje Center and Kunsthal Aarhus.
Supported by Art Hub Copenhagen, Augustinus Fonden, Danish Arts Foundation, Embassy of Denmark in Korea, and Knud Højgaards Fond.