An Open Letter to the President of La Biennale di Venezia -The advance exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2019 in the Korean DMZ
April 21th, 2017
[Photo1] The President of La Biennale di Venezia Paolo Baratta and the Curator of the 57th International Art Exhibition Christine Macel. ⓒ 2016 My Art Guides
"This is the letter officially to the President of La Biennale di Venezia Paolo Baratta and the Curator of the 57th International Art Exhibition Christine Macel. I suggest to you politely, the pre exhibition(program) as a Biennale event prior to the La Biennale di Venezi 2019 could be held in the Korea's DMZ for the reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula and the world peace -Journalist's word
Dear the President of La Biennale di Venezia Paolo Baratta and the Curator, Christine Macel ! First of all, I'd like to heartily appreciate two of you inviting me to the Biennale di Venezia press conference and preview, as a citizen journalist on OhMyNews in Seoul. In my return for such the honor, I would like to give you a suggestion for the next Biennale di Venezia.
We live in a "Global Era". I think it is not for earning money that we have to learn a lot of languages and a variety of cultures in order to live together as a human kinds communicate with one another, and preserve the peace, but it is for more understanding and loving each other. The reason Nam June Paik had learned six other languages was that he considered the communication and information as important. Isn't it? What we need right now is just open our mind to each other, planning the mutual understanding and exchanges through art and culture, without prejudice and border.
[Photo2] Candlelight protest held at Gwanghwamun Gate for the impeachment of the former South Korean President Park Geun-hye on February 11th, 2017. The protest lasted for four months in peace.
We need to look into their penetralium with an artist's feeling about why "IS" has become a terrorist organization. Here seem to be many such challenges as a common task of mankind, including the gap between the rich and the poor and the racial discrimination. They might have had a lot of experience to have buried or excluded socially. Wouldn't such a sense of alienation cause them to produce the blind hatred and the extreme behavior? I think that we need to open the way they can survive, but it doesn't mean that I advocate terrorism.
Rabindranath Tagore(1861-1941), a great poet in India, had early called Korea "The illumination in the East or the lamp of the East)". Many Korean citizens walked on a pilgrimage as if a weekend Worship not in the church but in the street perfectly peaceful against the retreated democracy in Korea for four months from November last year until March this year. This will be a start point of solving the problem with not only Korea but also the conflict in the world. It is because the fact that Korea truly achieves democracy and reunification is directly connected to the peace of the world.
In that respect, we must make a lot of effort, but I hope the global communities and artists will also support us. I expect the 57th Biennale di Venezia to be a minor share of helping Korea to make it. The President Baratta said, "Art is an act of resistance, freedom and tolerance." and the Curator Macel, "Art is the last bastion of mankind." Isn't it?
The spirit of La Biennale is also like the totally same one with the message that Nam June Paik has come up with in "Good Morning Mr. Orwell", Satellite Art, as the alternative art to the humankind's solidarity for Big Brother's times. Right now, even 30 years later, I think that we have to be again back to the sublime spirit of Nam June Paik who wishes that every human beings should be a one citizen all together.
[Photo3] The Review Exhibition held in 2014 at the Nam June Paik's Art Center with the reproduction of "Good Morning Mr. Orwell" by Nam June Paik in July 1984
In 1984 when "Good Morning Mr. Orwell" was on air in Seoul, we can see it in that Nam June Paik expressed his opinion to a Producer of KBS in Korea: "I had to come up only with my peaceful Genghis-Khan that could reign over the world, along with heart and heart, mind and mind, and technology, and not the global village such as battlefield stained with sword and blood, pain and hatred, and massacre and invasion."
Nam June Paik has been eager for the peaceful world that all mankind can exist together and communicate with, at the lowest cost and the fastest speed. It was "Electronic Superhighway" that had been invented by this. Afterwards, it came to be changed into "Internet". He also referred to this Internet as Esperanto.
The Internet has brought about the speed revolution of communication to humanity, like the invention of Gutenberg's printing press. Even though it is markedly different from now and then, it is still difficult for human being to interface and interact with one another. As the alternative way, we need some visual languages that doesn't require translating such as Biennale di Venezia. This is a kind of "New Esperanto".
The reason Biennale exists as a cultural and artistic festival is that all the people around the world can get together, understanding to each other, living in harmony, and sharing friendship with one another.
[Photo4] Art works exhibited in Athens as the pre program of Kassel dOCUMENTA 2017: Banu Cennetoğlu, Gurbet's Diary (27.07.1995–08.10.1997) 2016–17, various materials, Gennadius Library, Athens, dOCUMENTA 14, photo: Freddie F.
As an extension of this New Esperanto's spirit, Kassel dOCUMENTA 2017 is being held in Athens this year in order to research the art and philosophy as the origin of Western culture, prior to the main exhibition. In the same way, I suggest that in the next Biennale 2019, as a advance Biennale Event, the pre exhibition(program) could be held in the DMZ of Korea which can be the foundation of the reconciliation in Korean Peninsula and the World Peace.
The artistic Director of the Art Sonje Center in Seoul, 'Sunjung Kim', has been also hosting "Real DMZ Project" with the support from the Germany Cultural Center in Seoul Korea etc for more 5 years. As you know, Korean culture has also reached the world-class level as enough as 'IM Heung-soon', an artist, won a Silver Lion award two years ago at La Biennale di Venezia. We are fully capable of doing something like this.
[Photo5] "Dancers on a Plane (DMZ)" by Albert Samreth, an American artist who participated in the 2014 "Real DMZ Project" organized by the Art Sonje in Seoul. Specific installation Art work mixed media, Variable installation. This Cheolwon Plane, it's truly a spectacular sight"
The theme of Biennale di Venezia this time is "Viva Arte Viva" that the whole humanity sing in praise and hurrah without exception, isn't it? The whole world is now fearful of terrorism, moaning in horror. Such an extreme tension has caused all the humankind to be suffocated, only to make them utterly exhausted.
Through art and culture, we need to bring them back to vivid life. All the human being should once more unite into one, playing their parts in creating the global village where most of people can enjoy the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
I wish the 57th Biennale di Venezia success better than ever so that the respect President, Paolo Baratta and the artistic Director of Art, Macel's hard efforts can be in no vain, including many artists, curators, exhibition managers, festival staffs, and volunteers. After festival, I hope it will be a wonderful celebration that everyone concerned can cry "Hurruh!" to bring it to a successful conclusion.
Postscript, If my proposal is difficult to be accepted at the Biennale di Venezia in 2019, I'd like to propose again to the dOCUMENTA 15's pre program in 2022. <영어번역: KIM Young-Joon>
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