MMCA Hyundai Motor Series
2023: Jung Yeondoo – One
Hundred Years of Travels
5 minute read
It’s hard to envision tales of such botanical rarity: plants that bloom once in a hundred years traversing the Pacific via the Kuroshio Current from Mexico to a distant, unknown peninsula. In our digital and social media age where the world is at our fingertips, it’s equally challenging to picture the century-old migration of individuals from Jemulpo to Mexico - navigating unfamiliar territories and foreign languages, guided by the melody of steamboat horns.
But now, you can experience the convergence of a once-a-century blooming plant with a hundred-year human odyssey, as we are proud to announce the unveiling of a transcendent artistic endeavor, One Hundred Years of Travels, by the visionary Jung Yeondoo.
This captivating immersive collection, which was unveiled on September 6th at Korea's National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul, marks the tenth annual instalment of the prestigious Hyundai Motor Series.
Jung Yeongdoo One Hundred Years of Travels, 2023, video
installation, four-channel HD digital video, color , sound,
mixed media, 48 min., dimension variable. Installation view.
Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by sonongji.
Jung Yeondoo, photography by sonongji
What is the MMCA
Hyundai Motor Series?
MMCA Hyundai Motor Series is a ten-year art project that has been organizing annual exhibitions of esteemed Korean artists since 2014, with the aim to expand the boundaries of Korean contemporary art and provide a platform that connects leading Korean artists with a wider global audience. Jung Yeondoo is the 10th artist to be selected.
Jung Yeondoo
Jung Yeondoo, born in 1969, is a Seoul-based artist known for his photography, video and installations. His work merges fiction and reality, engaging subjects both directly and indirectly to offer an intimate insight into human lives. He draws inspiration from everyday experiences, blurring the line between visual art and performance.
An exploration of the Korean
diaspora in Mexico
Jung Yeondoo's large-scale solo exhibition is a staggering visual testament to historical narratives that take us back in time, intertwining the sagas of both extraordinary botanical wonders and the courageous souls embarking on perilous journeys across continents and time itself.
MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2023: Jung Yeondoo – One Hundred Years of Travels explores the narratives of the Korean diaspora in Mexico in early 20th century, featuring a total of 5 video, installation and sound works including 4 newly commissioned works, One Hundred Years of Travels, Imaginary Song, Generational Portraits and Wall of Blades.
Jung Yeondoo, Wall of Blades (details), 2023, sugar, honeycomb board, sound-absorbing
material, display dimension variable, Installation view.
Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by sonongji.
Jung Yeondoo, Wall of Blades, 2023, sugar, honeycomb board,
sound-absorbing material, display dimension variable, Installation view.
Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by sonongji.
It is quite difficult to talk about the heavy matters like migration and diaspora, labor and history. But I wouldn’t like to speak of them in heavy and unfamiliar way –JUNG YEONDOO
One Hundred Years of Travels
Jung Yeondoo’s exhibition's title, 'One Hundred Years of Travels' serves as a metaphor for both the migration of people and plants. It encapsulates the journey of Koreans departing from the port of Jemulpo over a century ago to undertake a daunting oceanic voyage lasting over 40 days to reach Mexico, while simultaneously telling the story of the prickly pear cactus’ own stunning journey
Known in Korean as ‘Baengnyeoncho,’ it's a plant that according to folklore originated from a seed carried by the Kuroshio Current over two centuries ago before taking root in the distant and unfamiliar terrain of Jeju Island.
Jung Yeongdoo One Hundred Years of Travels, 2023, video installation, four-channel HD digital video, color , sound, mixed media, 48 min.,
dimension variable. Still image. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by sonongji.
This desire to communicate history with lightness underpins Jung Yeondoo's artistic narrative, which begins with the migration of the plant and unfolds in multifaceted forms to incorporate epic tales of migration. He blends the familiar with the experimental - incorporating sounds, performances, and even caramelized sugar-sculpting, with such a choice of mediums and materials serving as a profound embodiment of concepts surrounding diaspora, imperialism, colonialism, labor, and history.
Candied sugar sculpting process for Wall of Blades.
A timeless journey across borders
It has become more common today for people to cross national borders: for marriage, for work, for school, or as refugees. And in this world marked by increasingly porous borders and interconnectedness, diasporas are no longer singular occurrences, but rather a universal experience. A surprisingly ordinary, universal experience in a globalized world.
“I believe there are differences between ‘I understand it’ and ‘I imagine it,’” Jung Yeondoo says.
Jung Yeondoo composed the exhibition hall using objects shaped as leaves, exotic fruits, and candied machetes, transforming the space into scenes of unfamiliar and exotic environments. Through this, he invites the audience to immerse themselves deeply in the stories of individuals from a century past, questioning the extent to which one can empathize with such narratives.
Jung Yeondoo, Imaginary Song, 2023, sound
installation, super-directional speakers,
sub-woofer, amplifiers, audio interface, sound
absorbing material, sculptures, wires, display
dimension variable. Installation view.
Courtesy of artist. Photograph by sonongji.
Jung Yeondoo, Generational Portraits, 2023, two-channel HD digital video, LED screen, color, 22 min., 500 x 350 cm (2). Still image. Courtesy of artist.
Are you ready to embark on an immersive exploration into the journeys of both plants and people from a bygone era? Don't miss the MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2023: Jung Yeondoo – One Hundred Years of Travels.
Check out this video and don’t miss the exhibition that will be on display at MMCA Seoul until February 25, 2024. Also, make sure to follow @hyundai.artlab on Instagram to see more of our art projects come to life.