BRIDGING CULTURAL DIVIDES

seated from left to right: back row - Chuck Scalin, Mim Golub, Brad Birchett
Mark Bryant, Jorge Benitez and John Pollard. front row- Kirsten Kindler,
Amie Oliver, Hee Ja Sung, Cynthia Erdahl, Melissa Burgess and Cynthia Fraula-Hahn.

ARTIFICIUM OF HUMANITAS WILL OPEN IN SEOUL AND BEIJING

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA—On June 25, 2007 22 artists from the United States will join artists from Korea, France, Germany, Russia, Mogolia and China in an exhibition of paintings, sculptures, drawings, and mixed media pieces at the Seoul Hae-Tae Gallery in Seoul, South Korea. Known as Artificium of Humanitas VI, the Show continues through June 22, 2007. It will move to the Shang-Shang Main Gallery in Beijing, China, with the same pieces, except those from the French artists. It will be installed at the Shang-Shang Gallery from July 5 – 11, 2007. Overcoming cultural and linguistic barriers lies at the heart of Artificium of Humanitas. Now in its’ fifth year, the Show is a continuation of a dialogue about the sharing of cultures, manners, and artistic expression from distinctive and different cultures. The concept was developed by Hee Ja Sung, a Richmond, Virginia artist who is originally from Korea. The Show has been growing strong since its inception in 2002.

According to Hee Ja Sung, Chairman of Artificium of Humanitas, “The intention of this series of exhibitions is to facilitate dialogue between different cultures, especially between American and Korean culture. The increasingly rapid globalization taking place in the world today is bringing about many changes. Too often there is miscommunication, misunderstanding, and mistrust in the world but, this exhibition offers the promise of art providing a unifying force and common ground for positive dialogue through its universal roots in human experience…”

Artists participating in the exhibition include: Bill Fisher, James Miller, Mark Bryant, Anne Savedge, Fiona Ross, Sara Clark, Brad Birchett, Chuck Scalin, Mim Golub, Kipp Green, Solomon Isekeige, Melissa Burgess, Cynthia Fraula-Hahn, Amie Oliver, Kirsten A. Kindler, John M. Pollard, Cynthia Erdahl, Barry Roebuck, Robert L. Tarbell, Jorge M. Benitez, Don Crow and Hee Ja Sung.

Exploring cultural messages and breaking down the barriers that separate peoples is the essential mission of Artificium of Humanitas. And, for the artists who are contributing pieces, the show reflects personal and social sensibilities. James Miller, a painter born in Scotland, states that he has been making paintings and print images of walls. “Walls support, enclose, divide and protect. I find the image of the wall compelling as metaphor, symbol and point of departure for my work.” Miller is theChair of the Department of Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Chuck Scalin, another contributor, is a professional artist, professor emeritus and teacher. His award-winning exhibitions have graced public and private galleries throughout the world. He creates collages and assemblages of found materials. The juxtaposition of materials and the composition of the pieces create a provocative discussion about our frame of reference.

Like its predecessors, Artificium of Humanitas VI will prove to be another fascinating and illuminating exploration of American and Korean Cultures.


For more information, please call Heeja Sung at (804)405–8349 or email her at Sungheeja@hotmail.com

2006

The event is the 5th exhibition of the series of the American and Korean International Exchange Exhibition. Purpose of this event is to pursue the concerns of dialogue among different cultures. The increasingly rapid globalization that is taking place in the world is brining about many changes. Even since the 4th exchange exhibition, we have seen many changes between cultures that have caused chaos and war. Too often there is miscommunication, misunderstanding, mistrust and conflict but we believe art can provide a unifying force and common ground for positive dialogue through its universal roots in human experience and hopefully both cultures (Korean and American) would build on this.

The American and Korean artists work in many different styles and with different subject matter but what pulls them together is the common desire to show the public, what is happening in contemporary Korean and American art and to impact how the Oriental and Western philosophy informs art in it’s pure state. Thus, we hope to broaden the dialogue and understanding between our two very different countries and cultures.

2005

Artificium of Humanitas IV
An Invitational Exhibition of Korean and American Artists

With the arrival of this lovely spring season I am happy to offer the Artificium of Humanitas IV Exhibition. This is the fourth in a series of exchange exhibitions between Korean and American artists that began in Daegu, South Korea in March of 2002. Since then there have been exhibitions in Portsmouth, Virginia in 2003, Daegu, South Korea again in June of 2004, and now the present exhibition.

Artificium of Humanitas IV is an ongoing artistic dialogue between our two countries and cultures. As each year goes by and the forces of political and economic globalization push people of all countries closer together this kind of cultural exchange becomes increasingly important as a means of developing greater understanding and tolerance. Art provides an excellent way of promoting constructive and peaceful dialogue between people of different cultures. It also provide as way for us to see into each others hearts and minds directly rather than through the usual multi-layered methods of political discourse, commercial exchange, and the media. Artificium of Humanitas IV strives to be a contribution to this continuing global dialogue. I hope that this contribution will in some small way help to build greater understanding between Korean and American cultures and ultimately between all cultures of the world.

The artists contributing to Artificium of Humanitas IV come from varying backgrounds and represent a wide variety of artistic styles and artistic philosophies but all are united by the desire to contribute to a constructive and compassionate cultural dialogue.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all the artists who have participated in this exhibition, to Christina Hitchcock of the George Mason University’s Low Campus Gallery for her support, to Kwon Myoung-Won for his assitance, Mark Bryant for his valuable help, and especially to everyone who comes to see and share in the living dialogue of this exhibition.


Heeja Sung
Director
Artificium of Humanitas IV

2004

2003

2002

Additional photography from the 2002 Korean / American exchange can be viewed here.

More photos of the 2002 Korean / American exchange can be viewed here.