The One Work: Sojung Jun

ARKO 2022-2023 Artist Research-Study-Critique releases the publication The One Work: Sojung Jun. 

Arts Council Korea is pleased to announce the release of The One Work: Sojung Jun as the result of ARKO 2022–2023 Artist Research-Study-Critique. This research program aims to illuminate Korean contemporary art by offering professional research and criticism on an artist destined to become a master in the Korean art scene.

Sojung Jun delves into the realms of “the other” and “the sense,” interpreting personal and societal conditions associated with separation, migration, nomadism, and exile through sensuous interpretations. Since gaining attention with the Daily Experts series in 2010, Jun has created non-linear temporal and spatial experiences that offer fresh perceptions of the present. Exploring various mediums including video, installation, sculpture, sound, performance, and publication, Jun has challenged conventional criticism by incorporating it into her artistic practice, forging a unique alliance with critics to question the very nature of criticism itself.

The One Work: Sojung Jun emerges from ARKO’s 2022–2023 Artist Research-Study-Critique, serving as a temporary sanctuary within the vast landscape of Jun’s artistic endeavors. Navigating contemporary time and space, the research team traces Jun’s artistic journey, examining how her works intertwine narratives of humanity and history. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers Jung-yeon Ma and Sung Eun Kim provide profound critiques based on video and anthropology, exploring the intersection of physical and digital realms in the year 2021.

Building upon a decade-long collaboration with critics, this publication includes critical essays on Jun’s seminal works prior to 2021 by Nam-see Kim, Soyeon Ahn, and Hojeong Hur. Spearheaded by Juhyun Cho and Soojung Yi, alongside lead researchers Sung Eun Kim and Jung-yeon Ma, this project aspires to establish a new critical methodology for future endeavors. Contributions from overseas external contributors Martin Germann and Jeanette Bisschops enrich the socio-political context of Jun’s work, offering insightful interview and essay. The completion of this project also owes much to the dedication of individuals such as editor Hyunjoo Byeon, designer Heesun Seo, and assistant researcher Yena Ku. 

Sojung Jun (b. 1982) has showcased her work in numerous solo exhibitions and participated in various group exhibitions at esteemed institutions worldwide including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea; Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul; Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern; Nam June Paik Art Center, Yongin; Atelier Hermès, Seoul; ARKO Art Center, Seoul; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Villa Vassilieff, Paris; the 11th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju; Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul; the National Museum of Art, Osaka. Jun received the 14th SongEun Art Award in 2014, the Gwangju Biennale Noon Art Prize in 2016, and the 18th Hermès Foundation Missulsang in 2020. In May 2021, she participated for the first time as a Korean artist in a global public art project CIRCA promoted by British curator Joseph O’Connor. 

Publication specs
Title: The One Work: Sojung Jun
Category: Contemporary art, art critic, artist monograph
Language: Korean, English
Publication date: March 2024
ISBN: 979-11-965947-9-4(95600)
Co-Publishers: DriftingCurriculum Books, The Floorplan, Seoul
Comprehensive Planning: Juhyun Cho
Chief Researchers: Juhyun Cho, Soojung Yi
Main Researchers: Sung Eun Kim, Jung-yeon Ma
Invited writers: Soyeon Ahn, Jeanette Bisschops, Martin Germann, Hojeong Hur, Nam-see Kim
Korean Editor and Archivist: Hyunjoo Byeon
Administrative Manager: Yena Ku
Translators: Woojin Jang, Jeongyong Lee, Seoul Selection
Graphic Designer: Studio Hik