Culture

Dunedin Public Art Gallery
Exhibited until 27 April

The first survey exhibition of Korean-New Zealand artist Seung Yul Oh, MOAMOA is presented as a decade-spanning retrospective. Aptly, the title translates to “gather gather” or “gather together” in Korean, and engages an eclectic array of sculptural, interactive work from the artist’s oeuvre. It’s remarkable just how exceptional the selection is – for an artist of only 33 years old, Oh has left the curatorial team spoiled for choice, but they pull it off in a captivating way.

Tied together by Oh’s ongoing exploration of rejuvenation and restlessness, a large number of the works here are put into motion by viewers interacting with them; a sort of sculptural performance. Immersion is also key with these works – whether it is the transparent inflated mass peering over the first-floor balcony, or “Periphery,” a maze of roof-height yellow PVC pillars to navigate and squeeze through. Each of these pieces, although they’ve been exhibited before, are in a way original works produced for this retrospective, as their layout and interaction within each new setting informs much of their presence and meaning.

Of particular interest is the collection of super-realistic bowls of noodles. They are otherworldly, humourous and captivating, and they bring to mind fellow Korean-New Zealander Jae Hoon Lee’s brief foray into similar territory – the latter making plates of fake sushi that gave away their phony consumerist nature by being hung on a wall. The meals here shine wet – they’re fresh looking, even – but this time the give-away is a beautiful and haunting realisation that the chopsticks, responsible for a long strand of food emerging from the bowl, are hovering in thin air. They comment on the absurdity of global cultural commodification, presenting a plastic and fake reinterpretation of the over-simplified, Westernised and omnipresent “global cuisine,” something that is certainly well explored in Dunedin.

A big take-away from the exhibition is that the work is really fun. Although conceptual art can be highly enjoyable for some (myself included), it can often be interpreted as overly complicated and, quite frankly, makes satirical commentaries such as those seen in Portlandia seem quite understandable, even for those who “get” it. Oh expertly navigates a middle ground here between the aesthetic, the conceptual and the engaging, and works such as “Periphery” or “Sphere Square” are certainly that. Forcing viewers through both large and tight communal spaces, the chances of bumping into others in what feels like an alternate reality, or getting completely lost in what is actually quite a small space, creates a fluid dynamic between the space, the work and the audience that is ingenious in its universal ability to engage with as much or as little thought as you desire.

“Oddooki,” originally commissioned by Te Papa in 2009, is a great conclusion to the exhibition and could be an accidental summary of the collection. Featuring a collection of egg-shaped birds, the classic “chicken or the egg” question raises doubts as to where such a varied collection, and early career, should start or end. Chiming when rocked, they also epitomise the interactivity and playfulness of Oh’s collected works.

Exhibited for another three weeks, this exhibition is not to be missed.