HOM Art Trans

GEE SONG ( Lives and works in Seoul)

Gee Song graduated with a BA in Painting and Print Making from Ewha Womans University in 2005 and completed a MFA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College in 2008. Song’s solo exhibitions include Beyond Landscape, Alternative Space Loop, Seoul (2010). Group shows include You were, you are, Gallery Chosun, Seoul (2012), Art Stage Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore (2012), W-door, Salon de H, Seoul (2011),CAS, Osaka (2010), Frozen in Time, Space15th Gallery, Seoul, 2010; Ideal Worlds, Sesame Gallery, London, 2009; Borderland, Collyer Bristow Gallery, London, 2009; and Entry Forms, Korean Cultural Centre UK, London, 2008. Gee Song was selected from the 2010 Open Call for Young Artists by Alternative Space Loop and Open Call Artists by the Korean Cultural Centre, UK in 2008.

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GEE SONG

Lives and works in Seoul

Education

2008 Goldsmiths Collage, University of London, London, MFA in Fine Art

2005 Ewha Womans University, Seoul, BA, Painting and Print Making

Solo Exhibition

2010 Beyond Landscape, Alternative Space Loop, Seoul

Selected Group Exhibitions

2012 You were, you are, Gallery Chosun, Seoul

2012 Art Stage Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

2011 Super Art, Gallery Luce, Seoul

2011 W-door, Salon de H, Seoul

2010 W-door, Contemporary Art and Spirits(CAS), Osaka

2010 Frozen in Time, Space15th Gallery, Seoul

2009 Ideal Worlds, Sesame Gallery, London

2009 Borderland, Collyer Bristow Gallery, London

2008 Entry Forms, Korean Cultural Centre UK, London

2008 4482, Bargehouse, London

2008 Goldsmiths Department of Art MFA Exhibition 2008, Ben Pimlott

Building, St James, London

Awards

2010 ‘2010 Open Call for Young Artists’, Alternative Space Loop

2008 ‘Open Call Artists’ 2008, Korean Cultural Centre UK

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Artworks

BEYOND LANDSCAPE

What is an ideal place that people envision in their minds? Gee Song throws a question at the fantasy most people have about wandering off to some exotic place and immersing themselves in pristine natural beauty. The preconception for the artist’s quest for places of perfect well-being is that ‘nature’ - or the crystal of pure nature untainted by any artificiality – remains what is considered the closest to a utopia.

The artist combines these images captured from an ideal natural environment in multiple layers to revive a series of landscapes. The landscapes are coated with sparkling, vivid colours, stirring up the aspiration to escape from everyday hassles into a utopia. However, each picturesque site, or each illusionary spot, stands for more than just a perfectly preserved paradise created upon ideal visions; it also sheds light on the mundaneness of day-to-day life of the locals and the impact of today’s tourism industry, adding a surreal, dystopian feel to the landscapes. The landscapes portrayed by the artist, in which ideals and realities, natural and artificial elements coexist, symbolise her question about the unidentifiable placeness, and that question is the product of an observation on the blurry border between a visible place and an artificial place projected beyond.

The artist recently has moved the setting of her exploration to more practical urban spaces. The colours and shapes of signals, found in familiar-looking yet alarming cityscapes composed of a myriad of man-made elements, are utilised to produce visual implications that transform scenes of day-to-day life into abstract landscapes. This represents the artist's search for traces of ideals within the boundary of a daily routine or search for utopian elements under dystopian circumstances. Though the object may have been changed, the narrative continues in a consistent manner.

Adopted Residency (A-RES) is a six-month residency programme designed for young and emerging local artists to start creating their name and building their own career in the local art scene.

The programme emphasizes on committed studio practice that serves as guidance in art direction and technique for the resident artists, fully supervised by HOM Art Trans and guest artists. They will also be exposed to the reality of being a full time artists.

Towards the end of the programme, all the artworks that are produced during the residency will be exhibited for public viewing.

Southeast Asia Art Group Exchanged Residency (SAGER) is a regional residency programme organized by HOM Art Trans (Malaysia), SageJogja (Indonesia) and Projectspace Pilipinas (Philippines).

The exchanged residency takes in artists with at least five years of experience and SAGER enables Malaysian, Indonesian, and Filipino artists to foster and strengthen regional ties, as well as to network and establish a better understanding of their neighbours.

The residency entails 30-days each in Kuala Lumpur, Jogjakarta and Manila. During this time, artists-in-residences not only produce artworks for exhibitions in each city, but also partake in studio visits, gallery and art institution visits, as well as introductions to significant art collectors and art communities.

Aside from these physical dialogues, SAGER also fosters a visual dialogue, as artists from these three countries are encouraged to engage in cross-cultural meditations and to broach new visual languages in their works.

ARTRIANGLE is an exhibition showcasing the latest artworks from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. With the purpose of increasing the appreciation of art in this region through a more open network of exchange and to further inculcate closer working ties amongst our artists, it aspires to energies a 4-way art dialogue between these countries and inadvertently, adds more excitement to the art scene in Southeast Asia.

ARTIANGLE is also a fund-raising event. Benefits from the sales of the exhibition will be channelled to the MATAHATI Art Fund (MAF).

MAF is an effort that provides funds to support visual artists and help the art scene in general. It will go towards assisting in the welfare of those artists in need, which includes incidences involving natural disasters, accidents and health issues. MAF is also used as a grant for artists to initiate art projects and art activities.

Artaidartist is a social media platform that’s purpose and intention is to introduce and market fine artworks in a series of virtual exhibitions. This platform was initiated in efforts to support artists who have been affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic, and who have struggled to make ends meet during the continuous implementation of MCO.

Artists whose works are sold will be entitled to fifty percent of the sale of their works, while the remaining fifty percent will be donated to participating artists whose works were not purchased during the showcase. The distribution of profit will not only represent a community of artists coming together in solidarity towards those in financial need, but will also provide support to as many artists as possible..

Artaidartist is an open call that involves all Malaysian visual artists, comprising of young, emerging, and established. Featuring some of their best work, all artworks will be capped between RM500 to RM5000. This special offer which is below the market price, will allow the sale to be more accessible and affordable to a larger pool of art enthusiasts and young collectors.

MEA Award is a biennial competition that honours the most promising young artists in Malaysia. Its main goal is to recognize the country's top emerging talents and to give them the opportunity to break into the local and international art scenes.

The 5 artists with the highest number of votes from a panel of respected juries will receive cash prize, coucher for art materials, 10-day travel grant to a city in Southeast Asia and a showcase of their works.

MEA Award is joint-organized by HOM Art Trans and Galeri Chandan.