[Gallery SP, Seoul]

In the German, “Menschenstrom” denotes “stream/flood of people”.

The titular exhibit featured by Gallery SP at Art Stage also features a stream of stories of everyday life, of relationships that are shared and of desires with social life. These stories are dramatized and given artistic expression through the medium of film. Small screens grouped together into the shape of a human bust, of a large imposing size, provide a window into the tensions that exist between people interacting with each other in everyday life.

Menschenstrom is an example to Gallery SP’s commitment to featuring contemporary and modern art. Technological but yet painstakingly and intricately crafted, Menschenstrom is also a testament to the Korean art as a whole which gallery director Ms Hyun-Jin Choi maintains is “highly detailed” and patiently conceived, embodying also, two aspects of Korean culture, meticulousness and eagerness for perfection.

Ms Choi sees artists as producers as crafters of stories that people can engage and identify with. Hence, while the artist is tasked with creating an experience, it is the viewer’s responsibility to complete it by interacting with it.

Interacting with art is indeed a crucial aspect of artistic appreciation in Korea where Gallery SP sees an increasing number of enthusiasts and curious folk passing through its doors.

In Singapore too, does Ms Choi witness a spike in the number of people coming to survey the artworks. She describes Art Stage as the “leading art fair in Singapore” and is “really enjoying it”.

- by Indran P.