Mixed installation, multi-channel video, performance, etc. 2019
“If society looks away from truth, truth has no choice but to personify itself and be in front of people.” – Park Kyong Ju 2019
Title of the exhibition: Park Kyong Ju Solo Exhibition_ 26 Day Archeology
Term: 2019. 12. 17(Tue) ~ 2019. 12. 29.(Sun)
Place: SeMA storage
Artist talk: 2019. 12. 22(Sun)3Pm (SeMA storage)
Host: Salad Co, Ltd. (www.salad.or.kr)
Technical Support: Seoul Alpine Rescue Team
Support: SeMA
The artist Park Kyongju’s exhibition on research project of a diary written by a Vietnamese migrant woman. The artist recorded the deceased migrant woman Tran Thanh Lan’s 26 day life by piecing together Vietnamese words that she couldn’t understand as if she had been an archeologist.
Diary written on Feb. 2nd of 2008 firstly appeared in the world beside dead body of Tran Thanh Lan, a Vietnamese woman who migrated to Korea. Total 16 page Diary on both sides of paper contains detailed records of her 26 day marriage written in Vietnamese. Diary with her very fine handwritten letters were 8 pieces of paper with edges torn. Diary was neglected during an initial investigation. On April 2nd of 2008, Diary in incomplete Korean costume had to watch that a defendant was not indicted. In July of 2016, Diary was reborn through 400 page drawing work and changed its costume to perfect Korean through strenuous efforts. Diary filed a criminal complaint again to reveal truth on December 28th of 2018 but the prosecution didn’t indict the defendant due to lack of evidence. Diary didn’t yield to this result. Diary filed a motion in a High Court just four days before statute of limitations. However, High Court denied the motion on May 25th of 2018. Eventually, statute of limitations ran out four days later on May 29th and Diary was laid to rest. This exhibition was planned to record 16 page truth that Diary wanted to tell the world and to comfort her victimized soul.
About Park Kyong Ju
CEO of the Theater Salad. Artist. Bachelor’s degree in Department of Printmaking from Hongik University. Diplom’s degree in Experimental Film of Fine Art College from HBK Braunschweig. She founded a social enterprise and a multi-cultural theater Salad and has been working as the president of Salad, a writer, and a director.
The artist covered Tran Thanh Lan’s death in March of 2008 and reported on Salad TV, an alternative media that she ran at that time. She wrote three play scripts based on the deceased’s diary and staged them, and has focused on film production for last five years.
Wok List
1) Title: <26 Day Archeology >
Genre: 16 channel video installation
Material: 16 monitors, 16 Speakers, super 8mm film & HD video
Length: Each clip is 3 minutes long. A total of 48 minutes.
Director: Park Kyong Ju
Screenplay & Photograpy: Park Kyong Ju
Editor: Park Kyong Ju
Cast: Lorna de Mateo, Urna Uranchimeg, Anima Singh, Long Min
Context: The work shows important scenes of the diary page by page. The X crossing the video screen means that the truth that the artist found was denied by the prosecution.
작품 소개: 작품은 이주여성 쩐 탄 란의 일기(16쪽)의 중요한 장면을 보여준다. 영상 화면을 가로지르는 X는 작가가 찾은 진실이 검찰에 부정됐음을 의미한다.
Exhibition view, Copyright of image Ⓒ Park Kyong Ju
2-1)Title: <Wooden Monument Road >
Genre: Mixed Installation with 17 wooden monuments and 2-channel audio book, 2019
Concept & Direction: Park Kyong Ju
Original Text : Tran Thanh Lan
Translation: Vu Thi Thuan (VN), Hayan Jeon(EN)
Embellishment / Adaptation: Park Kyong Ju
Archaeological research: Park Kyong Ju
Material: Installation with 17 wooden monuments and 2-channel audio book
Context: The audience walks down the wooden monument road. This work shows an important translation of the truth the diary of Tran Thanh Lan that the author has discovered. The audience listens to the audio copy of the final edited version of the diary submitted to the police in 2018 after being analyzed and completed by the artist in 2018 while viewing the tombstones.
2-2) Title: <Tran Thanh Lan’s Diary Laid to Rest>
Genre: Audio Book
Length: 60min(KR), 45min.(EN)
Concept & Direction: Park Kyong Ju
Original Text : Tran Thanh Lan
Translation: Vu Thi Thuan (VN), Hayan Jeon(EN)
Embellishment / Adaptation:Park Kyong Ju
Archaeological Research:Park Kyong Ju
Voice actor: Yongju Ha(KR), Jacllou(EN)
Context: This Audio Book shows an important translation of the truth the diary of Tran Thanh Lan that the author has discovered. The audience listens to the audio copy of the final edited version of the diary submitted to the police in 2018 after being analyzed and completed by the artist in 2018 .
이 작품은 작가가 발견한 진실의 중요한 번역문장을 보여준다. 관객은 2018년 작가가 분석하여 완성하여 2018년 경찰에 제출한 쩐탄란의 일기의 최종 편집본의 오디오복을 들으며 비석을 관람한다.
3) Title: <If the Diary is a Human Being >
Genre: Performance
Performance time: 12:00 ~ 15:00 (Every day)
Live streaming: Sunday, December 22, 2019 1PM, https://www.facebook.com/saladboom
Concept & Direction: Park Kyong Ju
Performer: Park Kyong Ju, Lorna de Mateo, Urna Uranchimeg, Nicky France, Glaiza Valdez, Gil Hizon and others
Context: Two performers take a page from the diary and perform performatively suspended in the air in the exhibition hall. For three hours, they hang in the air, do not come down, and show scenes symbolizing pages 16 and 9 of the diary without dialogue. In the single-channel video, Vietnamese words symbolizing the truth of the incident are repeatedly performed. In the case of a performance with audience participation, the audience is given the role of a diary page on the spot and must participate in the performance.
작품 소개: 두 명의 퍼포머가 일기의 한 페이지를 맡아 전시장에서 공중에 매달려 수행성 공연을 한다. 3시간 동안 그들은 공중에 매달려 내려 오지 않고 대화도 없이 일기 16페이지와 9페이를 상징화한 장면을 보여준다. 싱글 채널 비디오에선 사건의 진실을 상징하는 베트남어 단어가 반복 상영된다. 관객 참여 공연의 경우 관람객들은 즉석에서 일기 페이지의 역할을 부여받아 공연에 참여하여야 한다.
4) Title: <2018 Criminal Trial>
Genre: Mixed installation with 21 photo frames, 1 single channel video, 1 headphone, 1 monitor, 4 document files, 5 books, 2 shelves, 1 chair, 1 police uniform, 1 performer, etc.
Performance time: 12:00 ~ 18:00 (Every day)
Concept & Direction: Park Kyong Ju
Performer: Kim Ok Lan
Context: The performer reports the investigation results to the audience. An actor dressed as a police officer explains the process and results of the Lan’s diary project to the audience while displaying the materials of the project that the artist carried out from 2008 to 2019 in frames and files. During the exhibition period, the actors regularly perform performances.
작품 소개: 경찰 복장을 한 배우가 작가가 2008년부터 2019년까지 박경주 작가가 진행한 란의 일기 프로젝트의 자료들을 액자와 파일로 전시하면서 란의 일기 프로젝트의 과정과 결과를 관객들에게 설명하고 있다. 전시 기간 동안 배우는 상시적으로 공연을 펼친다.
5) Title: Lan’s Diary, Park Kyong Ju’s Plays
Genre: Script Book
Author: Park Kyong Ju
Date of issue: December 9, 2019
Publishing company: Book Publishing Play and Humanity
Table of contents: Lan’s diary(2011), Lan’s diary update(2013), Statute of limitation(2018)
Dialogue with the audience, 22 December 2019
Documentary footage of the Solo Exhibition ’26 Day Archeology’
Title of the exhibition: Park Kyong Ju Solo Exhibition_ 26 Day Archeology
Term: 2019. 12. 17(Tue) ~ 2019. 12. 29.(Sun)
Place: SeMA storage
Support: SeMA
Contact: saladboom@hanmail.net
Work; 1. If the diary is a hunam being (Performance)
2. 2018 Criminal Trial
3. Wooden Monument road (installation)
4. 26 Day Archeology (Video Installation)
PARK KYONG JU 