PROJECT
apmap
아모레퍼시픽미술관 현대미술 프로젝트
In 2013 APMA launches upon its public art project entitled ‘APMAP (AmorePacific Museum of Art Project)’. This project consists of relay exhibitions of contemporary art, which will be held at different locations throughout South Korea. Its first chapter will be carried out until 2016.
Each annual exhibition of APMAP will be organized and curated in accordance with the distinctive colors of the area in which it will be held. The areas will be the domestic establishments of Amorepacific Corporation: the AMOREPACIFIC Beauty Campus in Osan, which is the Corporation’s production and distribution complex for its cosmetic products, in 2013; Seokwang tea garden/OSULLOC in Jeju in 2014; R&D Institute in Yongin in 2015; the construction site for the new building of the corporate headquarters in Shinyongsan, Seoul in 2016.
As a project that takes place at ordinary everyday workplaces, APMAP intends to open up a new field through a simple, yet experimental attempt to blur the boundary between everyday life and art. It seeks to contribute to the growth of contemporary art by discovering and supporting new artists whose artistic possibilities are worthy of our attention and by channeling the newly emerging tendencies of the ever-changing and multifaceted scene of contemporary art.
APMAP aims to map the future of contemporary art. Physical topographies of exhibition venues are to be constructed through its novel exhibitional endeavors to present exhibitions in various venues throughout the country. Also, such experimental attempts of APMAP facilitate the manifestation of the value of beauty that APMA believes and advocates and the formation of a plaza where artists and viewers can communicate and establish close rapport with each other.
APMAP 2013 osan REVERSCAPE
The title of APMAP’s first show, ‘ REVERSCAPE’ is a portmanteau word coined by blending the words, ‘reverse’ and ‘-scape’. It entails manifold objectives to reverse the concept of architecture, space and memory and to allow the experiences of individuals and collectives to be reborn. REVERSCAPE is held at the AMOREPACIFIC Beauty Campus in Osan, Amorepacific’s production and distribution complex for its cosmetic products. It is conceived in the way to reflect the particular conditions of the place where cosmetic products are manufactured and distributed.
Fourteen teams of artists and architects participate in this exhibition. They make visits to the complex and take on their own inquiries. The atmosphere of the place is the source of their inspirations. Then, they produce and install site-specific artworks. Eighteen works of art in various art forms including painting, sculpture, media installation and pavilion will map contemporary art through the reciprocal interaction among the place, the artist and the viewer.
APMAP 2014 jeju BETWEEN WAVES
BETWEEN WAVES is presented at Seogwang Tea Garden/OSULLOC, which is located at the mid-mountain area at the southwest part of Jeju Island. The spatial and temporal contexts of the exhibition are the place where tea cultivation is carried out and the summer months when green tea leaves grow most luxuriantly. This vast green tea plantation started around thirty years ago when the site was nothing but a barren wasteland. BETWEEN WAVES expands the definition of the place into “a field of artistic possibility” where art and people can interact with each other by displaying artworks throughout the green field.
The exhibition showcases site-specific artworks by the fifteen participating teams who explored diverse visual art forms such as architecture, sculpture, installation art, design, and media to give form to their inspirations from the natural attributes of Seogwang tea garden. Twelve works are installed along the walkways at Seogwang tea garden, and the rest three are in either the inside or the outside of the buildings of OSULLOC TEA MUSEUM, OSULLOC TEASTONE, and Innisfree JEJUHOUSE. The visitors are provided with a valuable opportunity to have new sensory experiences as they leisurely stroll around this beautiful natural and artistic space.
APMAP 2015 yongin researcher’s way
The third exhibition of APMAP titled researcher’s way takes place in the outdoor spaces of the AMOREPACIFIC R&D Center in Yongin. The artists who explore the beauty of sense and cognition have been invited to participate as researchers. Under the theme of “Technology towards New Beauty,” sixteen artist teams created artworks to show both the research processes and outcomes. The viewers are invited to walk between the works and contemplate the artists’ questions and concepts, starting the meditative journey.
Sixteen artist teams created new, site-specific works in a variety of mediums ranging from sculpture, installation, interactive media, to sound and architecture to show both the research processes and outcomes based on the theme. The viewers are invited to walk between the works and contemplate the artists’ questions and concepts on a meditative journey through direct interaction, joining the researcher’s way.
APMAP 2016 yongsan make link
The fourth and final exhibition of APMAP Part I, make link, takes place at two different venues in Seoul: Yongsan Family Park and the AMOREPACIFIC Headquarters Site in Yongsan, which are to form a single park in the near future. The objective of make link lies in the conceptual bridging of the two places focusing on the past-present-future of Yongsan District and in the active communication of various elements such as cities-nature-people through works of art.
The participating artists have visited the venues for a numerous times for related information so as to explore their ideas and create site-specific works, which have been installed throughout the venues: 14 works at the Yongsan Family Park; 3 at the AMOREPACIFIC Headquarters Site. Being enabled to interact with the works that speak to their senses, visitors function as subjects who formulate multilayered connections. This last exhibition of APMAP part I is expected to extend discourse on ‘public art.’
APMAP 2017 jeju mystic birth
Part II of the Amorepacific Museum of Art Project (APMAP) consists of four exhibitions to be held annually in Jeju Island from 2017 to 2020, respectively. The goal of the project is to unveil the true nature of Jeju Island by communicating with many people about different topics, including the origins of the island, the lives of the people, and local art. One of the primary goals is to highlight Jeju’s singular status as a place for appreciating contemporary art in harmony with unique natural wonders, transcending the island’s usual context as a mere tourist site. The first exhibition, held at Osulloc Tea Museum in Jeju, is entitled mystic birth, and it explores the fascinating myths and folklore surrounding the island’s provenance.
The sixteen participating artists and teams traveled throughout Jeju in search of local myths and tales, and then produced diverse contemporary artworks based on their discoveries. Handed down for generations, many of these legends tell different versions of the birth of Jeju Island, while also conveying the core values of island dwellers who have spent their lives apart from the mainland. Allowing visitors to experience different places related to the island’s birth, this exhibition places Jeju and the museum within a new perspective.
APMAP 2018 jeju volcanic island
The second exhibition of APMAP Part II, volcanic island focuses on the natural wonders formed by the unique geology and topography of this volcanic island. For this exhibition, fifteen participating artists and teams surveyed the otherworldly landscape of Jeju from refreshing perspectives, shedding new light on the natural features and values of this extraordinary island.
volcanic island examines the stunning natural landscape of Jeju Island. Visiting various sites on the island, the fifteen participating artists and teams creatively communicated with the environment from their own perspective, and then produced new works dedicated to the specific places they explored. Formed by volcanic activity, Jeju Island is known for its unique geology and topography, which has produced a beautiful landscape that exists in perpetual harmony with the surrounding seas. This exhibition at Osulloc Tea Museum, consisting of both indoor and outdoor artworks, promises to instill visitors with a renewed sense of awe at the breathtaking natural scenery of myriad places throughout Jeju Island.