Korean Nature Artists’ Association-YATOO | Geumgang Nature Art Biennale

Open Call for the 9th Geumgang Nature Art Biennale 2020

INVITATION

Dear. Artist

The Geumgang Nature Art Biennale, an international festival for nature artists and a wonderful stage for their communication, has announced its 9th exhibition. The 2020 Nature Art Biennale has chosen as its theme ‘Neomixed Era with Neobalanced Encounter.’ The public at large will be encouraged to appreciate Nature Art within a new framework and to appreciate the various participating artists’ interprets of Nature Art from a new perspective. We hope that this theme will generate various new ideas and artistic interpretations. 

We wish to share our excitement with all the interested nature artists over the world and are hoping for their active participation by sending their nature art proposals dealing with and interpreting the 2020 Biennale theme: “Neomixed Era with Neobalanced Encounter”.

With kind regards,

Committee Chairman  Ko Seung-hyun 

Artistic Director  Lim Soo-mi

Open Call Guidelines : Geumgang Nature Art Biennale 2020

■ Subject (Theme): “Neomixed Era with Neobalanced Encounter”

■ Theme Description

The New Stone Age and Nature

Modern devices produced by the digital civilization of the 21st century provide us with many conveniences and benefits. Freedom of communication through sensitive and instinctive interfaces, transportation and living environment which dramatically reduces time and labor, and surprising development of artificial intelligence and rapid spread of it across all fields of human life have now escaped human controls and limits, and become objects of threat and fear. In addition, global warming, environmental pollution, and confusion of bio-ethnic system caused by genetic engineering have coming back to humans as boomerang with the unprecedented sense of crisis and anxiety. 

When we are depressed with extreme sense of crisis and anxiety, we can dream ‘recovery’ and ‘hope’ imagining the New Stone Age when people first started production activities while pursuing balance and harmony with nature. The Old Stone Age is characterized by life styles where humans only consumed what ‘nature’ including animals and plants gave by hunting, fishing, and gathering. But, in the New Stone Age, with the development of tools, people no longer used nature as objects of consumption, but as objects of production activities to get food, clothes, and shelter by farming and keeping livestock, etc. The age was the first time in human history when people were engaged in politics and ‘culture’ by living as groups. Thus, the New Stone Age can be described as the time when humans began to live as Homo sapiens with thinking capacity.

‘Neomixed Era with Neobalanced Encounter’

Geumgang Nature Art Biennale has grown based on the root of 40-year-old nature art movement among artists in Gongju area. The 2020 Geumgang Nature Art Biennale, the 9th biennale, adopted ‘Neomixed Era with Neobalanced Encounter’ as its theme. As the theme ‘Neomixed Era’ indicates, modern artists who have created artworks with new narratives and viewpoints will meet together with new sense of balance and emotion. Thus, ‘Neomixed Era with Neobalanced Encounter’ will unfold with new colors and scenes. 

I expect that new trials of this exhibition will lead to the beginning of the Neomixed Era of Geumgang Nature Art Biennale which continues to keep its identity of nature art, but, equipped with the infrastructure of a new artistic culture, expands and develops.

■ Model Drawing Exhibition

– The original model drawing in A3(420x297mm) should be sent for the exhibition.

– Artwork design must be submitted with detailed and clean renderings. 

One can utilize drawing, painting, collage and computer graphics media to illustrate the design proposal.

– If the submitted model drawing matches the theme of this biennale, it will be exhibited and published in a catalogue during the 2019 Geumgang Nature Art Pre-Biennale period.

– Artists whose artworks are selected will be notified and invited to participate in Geumgang Nature Art Biennale 2020.

■ Submission Deadline: by October 15, 2019

■ Exhibition Period: October 29 – November 30, 2019

■ Exhibition Venue: Geumgang Nature Art Center

■ How to Apply

– Send the requirements by both post and email 

–  Postal Address: Geumgang Nature Art Biennale

(32530) 98 Yeonmisangogae-gil, Useong-myeon, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea

– Email Address: yatoo@hanmail.net or yatoo07@gmail.com 

* We prefer yatoo@hanmail.net if you have large files to send.

■ Documents Required

■ Site Images

– Yeonmisan Nature Art Park

– Sites for Artworks 

<Outdoor Exhibition – Yeonmisan Nature Art Park>

                  Stefano Devoti <Let it BEE>                             Fred Martin <The Spirit of the Tree>

Alexey Kanis <B.B.Bear>                                                     Ko Yo-han <Pine Bear>

※ For more information, please visit the website at www.natureartbiennale.org.

■ Schedules and Conditions

– Announcement of Selection: December 30, 2019 (Individual announcement)

– Realization Period: August 3 – 26, 2020 (approximately 3 weeks)

– Exhibition Opening: August 29, 2020

– A symposium and YATOO nature art workshop will take place during the working period.

– A sightseeing tour to local cultural sites will be organized.

– The artist’s presence is required during the opening day.

– The selected artists will receive a fee of KRW 1,600,000.

– The costs of food and accommodation are covered by the Biennale-organization.

– A roundtrip ticket is covered by the Biennale-organization.

– Materials will be supported by the Biennale-organization.

For production details, it will be discussed between the artist and the organization after the proposal is accepted.

■ Host: Korean Nature Artists’ Association-YATOO

■ Organization: Geumgang Nature Art Biennale Organizing Committee

■ Support: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chungcheongnam-do, Gongju City

■ Cooperation: Science Walden

■ Contact

– Tel : (+82) 41-853-8828 / Fax. (+82) 41-856-4336

– E-Mail : yatoo@hanmail.net / yatoo07@gmail.com 

– Web : www.natureartbiennale.org / www.yatoo.or.kr

– For further information, please contact us.

Additional Information

About YATOO Group Planning Geumgang Nature Art Biennale 2020

Nature artists , Nature lovers, Nature enthusiasts – people immersing and working directly in Nature paying little attention to the adverse and harsh elements like heat, cold, rain, wind and so on, are the characteristics of dedicated Nature artists. YATOO – a small group of artists are among them.

History of YATOO

Gongju City, the birthplace of YATOO, was the former capital of Baekje Kingdom – one of the three Korean empires existed 1600 years ago. Due to its richness in historical, cultural heritage and the establishment of many schools and universities, it is now known as a city of history, education and culture. 

In 1981, in an effort to move away from the mainstream art practices that were then largely urban-based and oftentimes egocentric, 20 young Nature lovers decided amongst themselves to pursue an art form that embraced pure Nature-based aesthetics. Nature Art emerged then as a relatively new contemporary art form. 

For YATOO, Nature art is a friendly interaction with Nature, working with Nature without destroying it. Being naturally Nature lovers, they thought working with Nature closely and passionately was a way to establish a deeper connection and understanding towards their ecological surroundings. 

They started practicing Nature art on a seasonal basis at first, then gradually expanded to bigger projects that eventually paved the way into Nature art symposia. Eventually, they launched exhibitions participated in by invited artists locally and internationally who shared the same spirit, interest and passion for Nature Art.

Naming of YATOO

YATOO literally means – “to throw into the fields” or “thrown into Nature” in the Korean language. The name was derived from the Chinese character “ya(野)” meaning – field or Nature, and, “too(投)” meaning – to throw or to express.

Concept of YATOO

YATOO created a contemporary philosophy regarding Nature Art. But, the underlying principles behind it are deeply-rooted within traditional Korean sensibilities and practices toward their relationship with Nature. 

For YATOO, Nature is not to be taken as just a material or venue for creating or installing art, nor, it is to be used as mere materials for one’s creative practice. Rather, Nature provides the artist with inspiration through silent communication or dialogue with the artist’s mind. Through this collaboration, Nature shows how it is going to be utilized into a the formation of a particular artwork. In this way, Nature Art ideas are the result of collaboration between Nature and the artist. 

Both in meaning and physical form, YATOO’s work differs from other parallel Nature art movements practiced elsewhere. YATOO’s artworks are characterized as pure nature guided by the group’s utmost respect for Nature. This respect stems from a practice which maintains a peaceful, balanced and healthy interaction between human beings and Nature.

YATOO has maintained this philosophy since its inception over thirty years ago. It has since continually refined and developed this guiding relationship as it steadily evolves through the dedicated efforts of caring and well-meaning artists.