Gimpo's CICA Museum showcases diverse perspectives

Sculptor Czong Ho Kim poses with his artwork at CICA Museum in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 13. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

The Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA) located in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, is hosting an international exhibition at its museum galleries featuring 44 Korean and foreign artists from Dec. 13 until Jan. 7, 2024.

The exhibit, which has been held annually since 2017, has attracted artists from China, the U.S., France, Singapore, Ecuador, Spain, Ukraine, Estonia, the U.K., Belgium, Taiwan, Serbia and Germany. Under the theme "Contemporary Landscape 2024," it displays photography, paintings, video, interactive art, sculpture and installation work on the subject of modern landscapes in realistic to abstract art styles.

The museum is also hosting two solo exhibitions by Korean artists — Sae Oh's "Distance is Deafening" and Park Hye-sung's "Fall in the Light" — along with the permanent exhibit of Korean sculptor Czong Ho Kim’s artworks.

Kim founded CICA in 1994 as a cultural space, transforming his former studio located in the middle of a widened area once filled with farming plots now turned into industrial complexes in the city's Yangchon area.

“This was my art studio in this area when I was a college professor," he told The Korea Times. "Just from the Seoul metropolitan area, I come here every day. It was a studio for making sculptures. So, we have a lot of equipment. I used to weld steelwork sculptures.”

In 2006, he turned it into a museum with five gallery spaces, aiming to promote public understanding of art in the belief that art can change life and culture as a whole.

He then expanded the studio adding buildings, a flex-space, a tasting bar and a spacious garden to use for artistic and cultural events as well as social gatherings, such as art festivals, weddings, parties, events, concerts and outdoor exhibitions.

CICA Museum in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 13 / Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

According to the CICA guidebook, the museum has networked with over 5,000 international artists since 1994, and organized experimental publications titled "New Media Art," "Art Yellow Book" and "Artist Statement." It has also held international selective exhibitions on broader subjects such as "Abstract Mind," "Breath," "Circle," "Color," "Concept," "Contemporary Landscape," "Drawing Now," "Experimental Film & Video," "Figures," "Form," "Nature," "Objects," "Over the Structures," "Perspectives," "Photography Now," "Portrait," "Social," "Texture," "The Doers," "The Value" and "Voices."

“For over seven years we have been organizing various international exhibitions and conferences such as the New Media Art Conference, Art Teleported and the International Symposium for Visual Culture. For example, through the Art Teleported project, we aim to create a global network among nomadic artists, designers, audiences and communities and promote a culture of fluidity and flexibility," he said. "By understanding and appreciating each other, we can make, share, appreciate and live in art in any region and culture.”

Kim expresses his fundamental concerns in both abstract and figurative sculpture and finds a metaphorical resonance in each style of art. He received his BFA and MFA from Hongik University and MFA from the State University of New York at New Paltz. He served as a fine art professor at Sangmyung University and a visiting professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Korean sculptor Czong Ho Kim poses with his art at CICA Museum in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 13. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

His institute has created several publications through CICA Press that sell on Amazon. The publishing organization supports young culture makers who have passion, critical thought and desire for creative and experimental expression, regardless of their age and background, and deals with visual arts and culture from the perspectives of local artists.

Since 2020 the CICA Kids Lab program also helps children to explore every field of STEAM and learn to understand, observe, create and discuss visual culture to develop logical and critical thinking. It was launched by Leejin Kim, CICA's art director, and an artist specializing in new media and visual & cultural studies.

For the upcoming year, the 8th International CICA New Media Art Conference 2024 is scheduled for June 29 to July 1, to celebrate art in the digital age and share thoughts and ideas on new forms of art and culture in relation to emerging technologies and trends including artificial intelligence art, art and copyright, art and politics, art and social media, art and mass media, art and the environment, 3D-printed art, new media culture and activist art.

In addition, next September the International Symposium for Visual Culture & Exhibition 2024 Gimpo-Maryland will be held in Korea and the U.S. The community of artists, researchers and academics meets in the international symposium in Maryland, and participates in the exhibition at the CICA Museum in Korea. ISVC is an international platform for diverse and critical perspectives on visual culture. Through the conference, the aim is to create a global network of researchers, artists and consumers, and foster critical thoughts and an in-depth understanding of visual culture on a global scale.

Forty-four Korean and foreign artists' works are on display for the “Contemporary Landscape 2024” exhibit at CICA Museum in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 13. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

CICA Museum's galleries are open to the public Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. General admission costs 7,000 won for adults, 6,000 won for teens and 5,000 won for children older than 5.

Visit cicamuseum.com for more information.

Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative, and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.