Insa Art Space Closing Exhibition 《That (This) Space》

▣ Overview

• Title : Insa Art Space Closing Exhibition 《That (This) Space》
• Artist and Curator : Gim Ikhyun, Rho Jae Oon, dark-dark tourist,  Pak Boma, Sulki and Min, Art-Talker (Kim Malgeum, Kim Myungjin, Ryu Heeyeon, Mun Jinju, Lee Sunju, Lee Sora, Ji Ha-un, Ha Sukyung, and Hwang Jiwon), Uhm Jieun
• Period : April 29 – June 1, 2025
• Opening Hours : 11:00 AM—7:00 PM/ Closed on Mondays
• Venue : Insa Art Space
• Admission : Free
• Host : Arts Council Korea

▣ Introduction

We now stand before images and texts, each originating from different points in time at Insa Art Space (IAS)—a space that is closing, a space that has chosen to bow out to be the past, and a space whose future is unthinkable. How can we possibly organize and explain the languages and voices left behind? This is not a sentimental monologue lamenting over an ending. Instead, it is a contemplation of where the story of IAS's twenty-five years should begin and which moments should be revisited, though a vast amount of records are available—transcripts, emails, documents, and catalogs produced by IAS. The exhibition That (This) Space engages with IAS through abstract questions and tasks—what and where.

A linear enumeration of materials can hardly do justice to IAS's stories or defining characteristics. IAS may be summarized by the word "support," which was the apparent purpose behind the birth of the space; however, that alone does not explain why IAS has become that or this space for so many people. Transcending its function as a physical venue for viewing and presenting exhibitions, IAS has served as a platform for exchange and collaboration for some and a site where research, discussion, critique, and criticism were engaged on equal footing. As such, each person describes IAS in various ways depending on their experience—often referring to it as that (or this) space. On the other hand, with its identity as an alternative, non-profit space run by a public institution as a fundamental base, IAS constantly agonized over taking up new responsibilities while negotiating its past, present, and future. However, this process was not (or could not be) without persistent hurdles. Thus, sharply divergent perspectives have been on the twenty-five years of IAS and the space itself. The exhibition That (This) Space acknowledges the many facets of IAS evoked by its name and explores how these aspects are interconnected. Furthermore, the exhibition examines how the history of IAS and the concerns surrounding its closure can be conveyed to both the present and the future by overlapping IAS's twenty-five-year timeline with that of the Korean art world.

The 1999 Korean Currency Crisis led to decreased support for non-governmental organizations in the arts. As part of the art policy to address this issue and revive the environment for creative practice, the Korea Culture and Arts Foundation (now Arts Council Korea) recognized the need to provide spatial support for visual artists to present their works. As a result, IAS opened its doors on the third floor of the Insa Art Center building and began presenting exhibitions selected through open calls. While providing long-term support and organizing its exhibitions and programs—setting it apart from other alternative spaces—IAS was relocated to the third and fourth floors of the Hakgoje building (currently home to Galleryis) in Gwanhun-dong. Beginning in 2005, IAS launched various projects and continued to present exhibitions from open submissions. In collaboration with the Pidgin Collective (Lim Minouk and Frederic Michon) and Mikyung Lee, allowing artists' perspectives and interpretations to intervene, IAS established the IAS Archive, which played a dynamic role in later projects and exhibitions at the venue. Additionally, programs to support emerging artists and facilitate international exchanges were created. Finally, in 2006, the Special Exhibition Hall of the Buddhist Museum in Wonseo-dong was renovated for IAS—granting it a standalone venue. In this unique four-story building, including the basement, IAS aimed to serve as "a space that bridges the before and after the exhibition," moving beyond its role of providing opportunities for presenting works and exhibition curations.(1) Moreover, as policy-related interests in international exchange and globalization grew, and such duties were assigned to IAS, research began on locality with both Western and so-called "Third World" nations, including Vietnam and the Middle East, extending its efforts into publication, exhibition, and other programs. Thus, until 2008, IAS underwent a period of moving beyond its initial mission of supporting artists and producing discourse while balancing various artistic practices, such as exhibitions, archiving, seminars, workshops, and publications. This is how IAS gradually developed its responsibilities, constantly wrestling with its intertwined identities and systems as an art space, public institution, and organization.

In 2009, all the key components that determined IAS were integrated into ARKO Art Center, reaffirming IAS as a space that advocates for artists and curators. Still, IAS remained a hub for various creative individuals. Though the project names and application process changed—from the ARKO Young Art Frontier (AYAF) in 2009 to the ARKO Creative Academy (2016), for example—IAS has always been interlinked with projects aimed at supporting emerging artists, establishing itself as a space that introduces new artists. While operating its twentieth-anniversary archive project titled IAS 2000-2020, IAS also administered IAS Studio (2020-2022), Monthly IAS (2021-2022), and Art Talk (2021-2023), an art professional training program.

Despite its accumulating list of exhibitions and programs, questions about "what kind of space"1) IAS was raised more frequently. Everything around IAS in the art world rapidly changed, and the pursuit of new ideas grew urgently. Still, IAS clung to terms like "support," "young," and "emerging," wavering into a space that was neither new nor old. Uncertainty surrounded whether the space would continue, and the gap between external expectations and internal concerns widened. Since the elements making up IAS were always rooted in the past, pushing the boundaries of an art space, as it had before, revealed many areas in need of improvement. This did not necessarily indicate a lack of budget or human resources. It was also about reflecting on which identities of IAS could remain relevant while reproducing and referencing past experiments and practices; furthermore, it raised the question of whether those around and within had maintained their faith in IAS. Continuously having to renew and reconsider its direction and responsibilities, and after going through ongoing and incomplete discussions, IAS will soon become a point of reference from the past.

Let us revisit the question posed at the beginning of this text and attempt to complete it: what about and where should IAS be examined or explored? That (This) Space introduces perspectives not previously considered for re-reading IAS. Artists and curators who have participated in IAS programs recall their memories about the space. Thus, this IAS, which is composed of the outlooks of those inside and outside the art world, embraces the past, present, and future. In this context, IAS may or may not be represented by its accomplishments or as an outcome; instead, the space is made up of images that linger like ghosts. There are voices questioning how aligned or misaligned IAS has been with the art world or institutions and how the missing languages in between should be reconstructed or interpreted. In 2025, IAS has become a place where the responsibilities of today's art and its mode of operation are discussed while serving as an unresolved answer to the meaning of its closure. Instead of reflecting on the discontinuation of a space by compiling documents, That (This) Space investigates the unfinished tasks for IAS as well as every one of us. Rather than defining what kind of IAS was or has been, asking how it became that or this space we know and tracing the circumstances and positions that shaped it—can only be done as its end is on the horizon.

1) Baek Ji-Sook, a former Chief Curator at IAS, once said, "IAS organizes exhibitions, but the emphasis lies on what comes before and afterthe exhibition. (...) IAS's role is not limited to helping present an exhibition that lasts a week or a month; its critical work will be to connect the processes involved at the beginning and the end of an exhibition and to provide extended support."
"ARKO Meets Art: Hello IAS!" Webzine ARKO, vol. 12 (March 2006).

자료담당자[기준일(2025.4.17.)] : 미술관운영팀 김미정 02-760-4617
게시기간 : 25.4.17. ~