Amateurism (2008-2012)

The amateurism project started based on field research from 40 interviews that I conducted in Korea in 2009. The project aimed at examining a distinctive shift in the notion of who and what is an “amateur” in the field of modern cultural production. Since 2008, using methods of field work, artistic practices and teaching, I have been thinking about the existing ambiguities around the notion of amateur and trying to understand its function in the new realities of the 21st century. Former boundaries between “professional” and “amateurish” were no longer easily to be pinned down, due to the e/affects of neo-liberal economy, the emergence of new forms of labour, the wide adoption of digital mobile networks and alternative forms of modernity in a set of new historical perspectives. The result were two large exhibitions, consisting of fifteen international artists with the companied programs: one was called Labour of Love, Revisited, at Arko Art Museum, Seoul, Korea (2011), another Amateurism!, at Heidelberger Kunstverein, Germany (2012). As an extension of the concept, my paper on amateurism is included in the publication Dumb-Type Reader (2017), collecting fifteen contributions from the field of performance studies.

AMATEURISM! - Heidelberg(2012)

Heidelberger Kunstverein August 25. 2012 – November 4. 2012 AMATEURISM! is an international group exhibition, which adopts the notion of  “amateur” as a starting point for a deeper understanding of the intricate contemporary realities. Together with the participation of ten artists – both international and domestic – and including works from two international collections, the exhibition explores the notion of amateurism, in which artists are navigated by their curiosity as well as ciritcality, going beyond the boundaries of existing categories, disciplines and fields. The “amateur” has been considered one of those cultural figures whose “pure” and selfless love for particular objects,…

Labour of Love - Revisited, Seoul (2011)

LABOUR OF LOVE, REVISITED The Rise of Amateurism in the Digital Age November 12 – December 18, 2011 Arko Art Center, Arts Council Korea Labour of Love, Revisited is a thematic group exhibition with the participation of 15 artists – both international and domestic. The exhibition adopts the notion of the “amateur” as a starting point for examining contemporary realities in art and popular culture and takes an analytical look at concrete practices. “Amateur” has been considered as those cultural figures whose “spleen”, a “pure” and selfless love for particular objects, or arts, set them aside from other social groups.…

D.i.Y. (Do it Yourself) in Contemporary Culture - Seminar on Amateur at Copenhagen University (2010)

MA seminar course, Dept. Visual Culture & Art History, Copenhagen University, The seminar aims to investigate the new qualities of D.i.Y as a way of thinking about the production of a new frame of reference for contemporary culture. D.i.Y draws on my recent work on the role of the amateur in the production and reception of contemporary art. The seminars feature a mixture of lectures, film/video screenings, presentations of art projects as well as an active exploration of practice-based research by students in group work. Students study key aspects of contemporary phenomena connected with the notion of “amateur”, while they…

Tag the World! - Workshop on Amateurism, Freie University (2010)

This workshop adopted the system of commenting and tagging developed on the Japanese online community called Nico Nico Douga, which has a particular structure in the way it has proceeded from its inception. Nico Nico Doga is a Japan’s largest video-sharing site with a different management system from Youtube. The highly interactive and user-oriented design of the site has given rise to a space for new (remix) expressions beyond existing categories, fields and professions. In the workshop, different exemplary amateur practices in diverse fields are collected and presented. During the presentation, participants are expected to add comments on the examples…

Rethinking the Amatuer - Field Research on Amatuer in Korea (2009)

During my three months stay in Korea in 2009, I conduct a research on the empowerment of the amateur within cultural productions in Korea, with a perspective on global phenomena of amateurism in their relationship to modernity in the country. I conveyed my research through a combination of interviews and an active participation in academic platforms as well as being a part of  cultural scenes in Seoul. I conducted a research by interviewing scholars, art critics, curators, artists, and other cultural producers. I collected nearly 40 voices from these diverse fields of contemporary culture in Korea. Some quotes extracted from…