Seoul Museum of Art opens Lynn Hershman Leeson show, her first museum solo in Asia
In short
The Seoul Museum of Art opens "Lynn Hershman Leeson: My [I]s" on 21 October at its Seosomun main building, running to 21 February next year. The show presents more than 200 works spanning over 60 years by the 85-year-old American media artist and film director. It is described as her first solo museum exhibition in Asia.
Read the full story 2 min read
The Seoul Museum of Art said on 20 October that it will hold "Lynn Hershman Leeson: My [I]s", a solo exhibition of the American media artist and film director. The show runs from 21 October to 21 February next year at the museum's Seosomun main building and is the artist's first solo museum exhibition in Asia, Yonhap reported. [ 1 ]
More than 200 works, including painting, photography, sculpture, media installation and film, trace more than 60 years of her work, from the early 1960s to recent pieces. According to the museum, she has adopted video, laser discs, the internet and artificial intelligence as artistic media as each appeared. Newsis said the exhibition starts on the third floor and moves down to the second, in six sections ranging from the self formed in social relations to biological identity edited through genetic engineering. [ 1 , 2 ]
The interactive works "Lorna", "Deep Contact" and "Agent Ruby", which are based on English, receive Korean subtitles and Korean-language service for the first time, according to Yonhap. Newsis said the works date from the 1980s and 1990s and that syncing Korean to the older technology was difficult. It said the team worked with the Korean media artist team Seoul Express. [ 1 , 2 ]
At the press preview on 20 October, curator Bang So-yeon said the English title, "First Person Plural", means "we" and suggests the self is a fluid being that expands through relationships and experience, Newsis reported. The title comes from the artist's video series "Electronic Diaries". Museum director Choi Eun-joo said in Yonhap's report that she hopes the show will prompt reflection on the relationship between technology and people. [ 1 , 2 ]
Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo both described her creation of a fictional woman, Roberta Breitmore. Newsis said the project ran from 1973 to 1978 and included a bank account, a driver's licence and a newspaper ad for a roommate. Dong-A Ilbo said she also invented three fictional critics who wrote about her work, and quoted her describing the act as a way to test and expose an unfair system. It also lists the doll installation "CyberRoberta" and film clips featuring the actor Tilda Swinton. [ 2 , 3 ]
Dong-A Ilbo quoted Palle Henckel, a technician who has worked at her studio for more than 30 years, as saying she uses technology like paint to express her questions about how people interact. Yonhap said a screening programme with Seoul Art Cinema, "Newly Discovered Women", runs from next month to January next year, with commentary daily at 3 p.m. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The outlets present the show as a survey of an artist who has used each new technology, up to AI, to explore identity. The museum director said it invites reflection on the relationship between technology and people.
Key facts
- The exhibition "Lynn Hershman Leeson: My [I]s" runs from 21 October to 21 February next year at the Seoul Museum of Art's Seosomun main building. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- It is described as the artist's first solo museum exhibition in Asia. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- More than 200 works, including painting, photography, sculpture, media installation and film, cover over 60 years of her career, from the early 1960s to recent works. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Korean subtitles or Korean-language options are offered for the interactive works "Lorna", "Deep Contact" and "Agent Ruby". [ 1 , 2 ]
- A film screening programme with Seoul Art Cinema, "Newly Discovered Women", runs from next month to January next year. [ 1 ]
- Commentary is offered daily at 3 p.m. and through the museum's docent app. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The show opens on 21 October at the Seoul Museum of Art's Seosomun main building and runs until 21 February next year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The museum and the outlets describe it as Lynn Hershman Leeson's first solo museum exhibition in Asia, with more than 200 works spanning over 60 years. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The interactive works "Lorna", "Deep Contact" and "Agent Ruby" get Korean-language support for the first time. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- How long the artist's career has run. The Dong-A Ilbo headline refers to 50 years, while its body text and the other documents refer to more than 60 years.
- The artist's earlier major exhibitions. Only Newsis lists ZKM, the New Museum and the 2022 Venice Biennale, and only Dong-A Ilbo gives the years 2014 and 2021 for the ZKM and New Museum retrospectives.