Park Chan-kyong's Gathering exhibition at MMCA Seoul explores community and disaster through multimedia installations

Park Chan-kyong's exhibition 'Gathering' at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul ran from 26 October 2019 to 23 February 2020 as part of the MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2019. The multimedia project examines how societies respond to catastrophe through installations, photography, and film. Central to the exhibition is 'Water Mark,' a sculptural installation of 16 cement panels with wave patterns that evoke the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, creating collective solidarity among Korean visitors. Another key work, 'Fukushima, Autoradiography,' presents images from the Fukushima exclusion zone alongside autoradiographic images revealing radiation contamination. The exhibition features 'Small Museum of Art,' an installation challenging Western institutional models by displaying reproductions of works by Kim Beom, Chung Seoyoung, and Lee Ungno alongside construction photos of MMCA and traditional Korean shrines. Park's film 'Belated Bosal' employs Buddhist themes and magical realism to explore enlightenment and crisis, set against a photonegative mountain landscape. The exhibition blends conceptual rigor with emotional resonance, avoiding singular interpretations in favor of pluralistic perspectives rooted in East Asian traditions.