Winner's work on view in group exhibition at the SongEun Art Space, exploring layered history of base in central Seoul
Korean artist Lee Aram, 33, has won the 25th SongEun Art Award for the media artwork “Every Worm Trampled is a Star” that explores the narratives surrounding the former Yongsan military base -- a site used by Japanese and US forces and largely cut off from its surrounding communities for almost 140 years.
Lee, based in Amsterdam, was among 20 finalists for the annual SongEun Art Award, which saw a total of 556 applicants this year, according to the SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation on Friday.
Lee’s works often examine how colonial and modern institutions have fixed perception through spaces, media and nonhuman agents.
Lee’s 30-minute media artwork, “Every Worm Trampled is a Star,” traces the layered history of Yongsan Garrison, the former US military base, following the memories of the land displaced and externalized under Japanese colonial rule and the subsequent US military presence that together lasted 138 years, until the base was relocated to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek in 2018.
Through the narration voiced by a third-generation Zainichi, referring to the descendants of ethnic Koreans forcibly relocated to Japan, the work explores the possibility of the land’s recovery. The site, which is partially open to the public, is currently undergoing a process to be fully opened and returned to public use.
The annual award carries a 20 million won prize and a solo exhibition at the SongEun Art Space within three years. The winner is given an opportunity to join two residency programs organized by the Delfina Foundation in London, UK and the Seoul Museum of Art in Seoul.
The exhibition of the 20 finalists for the award is on view at “The 25th SongEun Art Award” at the SongEun Art Space in Seoul, including Lee’s media installation “Every Worm Trampled is a Star.”
Founded by the late Yoo Sung-yeon, founder of energy company ST International and once an aspiring artist, the SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation supports emerging Korean artists.
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