FREE ART EXPO: World renowned artist and satirist Song Byeok makes his US debut
Details
The Goat Farm Arts Center Presents "Song Byeok: Departure."
Next month, audiences in the US will get their first chance to see the work of world renowned Korean painter and satirist Song Byeok, a former North Korean propaganda artist who turned his state-sponsored talents against the repressive state.
The exhibition is supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea.
http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/3/6/c/event_82645452.jpeg
Song Byeok will present twenty acrylic paintings, including six pieces not yet seen by the public.
Brought to Atlanta by representatives Gregory Pence (Director of Operations) and Mike Lee (Project Manager) of SB-ATL Group 501(c)(3).
The exhibition is free and open to the public.
Artist website (http://www.songbyeok.com) : Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/events/214660545290229/) : Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/foreverfreedom/song-byeok-atl-expo-propaganda-meets-pop-art)
____________________________________________________
GALLERY HOURS FOR SONG BYEOK: DEPARTURE::
Friday, February 17: Opening Night 7pm-10:30pm, Auction at 10:00pm. All proceeds will go towards Dari Community (우리집), a North Korean refugee center in Ansan, ROK.
Saturday, February 18th: 9:30am-12pm, 1pm-5pm & 6pm-10:30pm
Sunday, February 19th: 9:30am-12pm, 1pm-6pm
Monday, February 20th: 1pm-5pm, Emory Class Visit 6pm-7pm, 7-9:30pm
Tuesday, February 21st: 1pm-5pm*, 6pm-9:30pm
Wednesday, February 22nd: 1pm-5pm* & 6pm-9:30pm
Thursday, February 23rd: 1pm-5pm & 6pm-9:30pm
Friday, February 24th: 1pm-5pm & 6pm-10:30pm
Saturday, February 25th: 9:30am-12pm, 1pm-5pm & 6pm-10:30pm
Sunday, February 26th: Last Day of the Exhibit in Atlanta! 9:30am-12pm & 1pm-6pm
- = Artist will be away for scheduled event
____________________________________________________
Song will be lecturing at the following institutions while he is here in the U.S.
Tuesday, February 21
Public lecture, 4:30pm @ Emory University
Reception, 6pm @ Emory University
Wednesday, February 22
Public lecture, 2pm @ Georgia State University
Public lecture, 6:30pm @ SCAD
Thursday, February 23
Public lecture, 5:30pm @ GA Tech
Before escaping North Korea, Song considered his propaganda work for Kim Jong il an "infinite honor". "How could I, just a commoner, meet Kim Jong-il? He is the sun," the artist recalls. His paintings – rife with anti-imperialist slogans and socialist realist imagery – reflected a limited worldview perpetuated by the hermit state. Song's faith in the "Dear Leader" was eventually betrayed in the 1990s, however, when famine struck and the regime responded by continuing to allocate resources predominantly to cadre members, party elites, and the military. Among the millions of North Koreans who perished during this period – dubbed “The Arduous March” by Kim Jong il – were Song’s mother and sister. His father meanwhile drowned during an attempt to cross the Tumen River to secure food in China, and Song himself was later captured, brutalized, and forced into hard labor at a prison camp.
Now a free citizen living in democratic South Korea, Song no longer has to represent the mythical reality once dictated to him by North Korea’s propaganda machine. He has taken full advantage of his artistic freedom by celebrating democratic ideals in paintings that honor the North Korean people and satirize Kim Jong il, now deceased, by masterfully blending iconic imagery from Eastern and Western cultures. Byeok’s expanded visual vocabulary and social commentary speak to the fundamental human need for freedom and hope for reconciliation on the Korean peninsula. "It is time to reform and open North Korea, so that North Koreans can see what the real world is," says Song. "Freedom of speech has nothing to do with North Korea. Here in South Korea, people can draw what they want. So every painting reflects the artist's distinctive personality."
“Song Byeok: Departure” is the artist’s first international exhibition, and his first trip to the United States. He will lecture about his life and art at a number of Georgia’s prestigious institutions, including Emory University on Tuesday, February 21. The Dartmouth Asian Pacific American Alumni Association supports this project.