Sponsor: KT corporation (Seoul, Korea)

Date: 1-7-2009 ~ 29-7-2009

Times: Monday – Friday: 9:00 - 18:30
Saturday and Sunday: 11:00 - 16:30

Place : KT Art Hall Gallery (1F/2F), Gwang-hwa-mun (Seoul, Korea)

Opening Party: 4-7-2009 (Sat) 2 pm

Web Info: KR Art Hall

Admission: FREE

Purpose

As our society and economy develop, the desire for “better quality life” develops in various ways. Everyone strives for comfortable life in a quality environment, but should this “desire for happy life” only apply humans? It does not often apply to animals.

Known as “soon-to-be-extinct” designated birds are sold for 22 cents, and their bones, skins, and fleshes are separated for the purpose of eating or making brand-name products. Do customers know that about 130 foxes’ furs are striped down while they are alive in order to make one mink/fur coat?

As the number of privately owned animals increases, the number of stray animals escalates as well. In order to build highways, humans get rid of mountains and forests, which means the loss of many homes for animals. Homeless animals come down urban areas where they are often hurt. Because of excessive energy use by humans, the global warming is melting homes of Arctic animals.

So, what is our task here? Our 8 artists are ordinary people who live their busy life as either designers or office workers. Under the subject, “animal protection,” we got together to create art. Instead of one artist’s designated showcase, it is our intention to introduce new ways to present art works, presenting multiple artists’ works in various ways.

Simultaneously, we want to draw a distinction between brand-name products made by animals’ furs and the product in the name of "animal protection." The purpose of this showcase is telling the story of protecting and loving animals in visually dynamic ways so that the main story of "animal protection" naturally spreads out to people and our society. Let’s make the world where humans and animals can coexist together in harmony and be happy together!

Keywords

* easy & fun

* global & issue

* daily & public

Artists List

• Kim Jin-soo: Graphic message design. A green designer of The Hope Institute (www.makehope.org)
• SABA: Illustration & message design. A designer of Illustration products brand SABA
• Son Young-ho: Object on canvas & film animation. A manager of S&I design team in the cosmetic company, Amore Pacific
• Ahn So-young: Product design. A chief executive of the product design brand, Bake Drawing (www.bakedrawing.com)
• Rhee Pooroni: Graphic design. A design lecturer & graphic designer
• Ju Jae-hyung: Film animation. A professor of visual design part in Inha University
• Hwangbaxa: Graphic design. A designer of U.I. team in the portal site DAUM
• HRK: Stencil design & Installation. A designer of environmental design company, Gongjang (www.gongjangs.com)

Jin-soo Kim: A Best friend project

We plan for the Best Friend Project in behalf of the soon-to-be extinct plants and animals. We give you a small seed to enable you to find out by yourself how to protect your 'best friend plant' or 'best friend animal'. No matter how old you are, no matter which gender you are, you are always welcome to find out the lovely practice you could do for your soon-to-be extinct friend!

A Best friend project, Photograph & graphic design print

SABA: Korea Cats

SABA is an illustrator who dreams happier coexistence of human and animal along with peace of globe. Until now civilization of globe has been developed around 'human', but it was a reality that breaks of the natural environment and rights of animal survival was inferior comparing with the civilization. Especially, load kill of the animals which lose a site of life by a large breeding, fur fashion trend of livestock, indiscreet development etc. deprives the right of animals survival at the same time while satisfying egoism of human. Among these animals, cat is a representative animal experiencing "sufferings age" in Korea. Even though positive recognition about cat is appearing recently, but we have still a long way to go. By unreasonable reasons such as cat make street messy owing to searching food in dirt, and the numbers are increasing, the cat is killed and neutralized by surgery compulsorily. Geomundo story is a representative story in which cat were welcomed when there were a lot of rats, but the cats were killed alive again as soon as the numbers increased more than that of rats. Animal is not a food chain getting from human control but a member in beautifying a sector of globe along with human. The cat of SABA today is holding alone with cold and calm expression today. The feature is similar to the 21st century man who are losing worm smile in the splendid civilization. Who can make the animals laugh indeed?

Korea cats series, printed paper on wood frame, 100 pieces, 10x10x1.5cm

Young-ho Son: Wanna Fly Series

The works of the artist, a professional interior designer, are entertaining, simple and accessible. His works are realized by juxtapositioning a variety of stories harmonized with stunningly colored wooden objects based upon the core ideas: simplicity, joy and vintage. This show titled ‘WANNA FLY’ delivers a message that even a single change of attitude towards the harshness of daily life could suddenly turn into a whole new scenery. Animals are eager to fly and have dreams of their own. These charming characters vividly provide hope for their long-cherished dream of future flight, instilling the audiences with joy.

The patch technique enables colorful waves of several woody figures to become a symbolic expression of the sweet and refreshing world of animals. This abstractly illustrates an amusing and imaginary world of candy-like animal friends. Furthermore, intentions to fabricate a story of our living world are derived from this unique reinterpretation of the animal world. The lovely yet dynamic reliefs are designed exceed the limitation of plane and surface. All of which lead us to encounter an unseen and innocent world. The WANNA FLY series makes the dreams of future flight come true. This is made possible because the artist expresses an enthusiasm for sharing delightful fantasies of the animal world, stemming from cherished fairy-tales during his childhood.

Many of us dream about the freedom of flying high in the sky.

Wanna Fly series, wood, acrylic on canvas, 70*70 cm

So-young Ahn: Friends of the North Pole / Friends of the South Pole / Mr. Shy Bear, Hello Millennium Diary

I graduated from Kookmin University with a major in interior design in 2005. I have worked at an advertisement and editorial design company and as a freelancer illustrator. In 2008, I developed “Bake Drawing,” that makes cups with paintings on them. I currently design the cups and draw the paintings on them. I also operate a store that sells the cups that I make. While designing cups with polar bear drawings, I became interested in global warming and the Earth’s environment. I wanted to build a product that by using it, lets the ordinary consumer whom are not professionals on environmental issues or environmental activists participate in environmental protection

A paper cup is used habitually, therefore, to change that habit is very difficult. The shape of these cups may look like paper cups but the material is different so they can be used instead of paper cups.

Rather than displaying only unoriginal and statistical information, the life story of animals is told. They are given a name that hints the nature of the animals. Polar bears led to the idea of baked cups. I hope that the cups may lead consumers who use them to think more about the environment.

Friends of the North Pole cup

This set tells the stories of endangered species of the North Pole. The set includes the story of friends from that all live in the North Pole, Mr. Shy Bear, Miss Smiling Fox from the North Pole, Mr. Trouble Humpback Whale, Mr. Taking a Break Seagull, and a not yet born baby bear. The cup expresses love and care for the friends of the North Pole.

Friends of the South Pole cup

The “Friends of the South Pole” series features a penguin family. It tells the story of an emperor penguin family that spends winters at the South Pole which is colder than the North Pole. Mother Penguin and Father Penguin courageously survive the Earth’s coldest winters and hunger until the birth of Never Seen Before Penguin. I hope the story of the heart wrenching birth of the penguin can be told to many people.

Mr. Shy Bear, Hello Millennium Diary

Mr. Shy Bear hears about the Earth’s animal friends from Mr. Seagull. Hoping to get to know about the Earth’s animal friends, Mr. Shy Bear builds up his courage and bravely sends letters to animal friends. After receiving the letters, animal friends from around the world come to visit Mr. Shy Bear. Mr. Shy Bear gets to meet friends from all over and gets to meet the world.

Pooroni Rhee : Kingdom Hybrid –a Peculiar City

Organisms are divided into 3 general kingdoms : Kingdom Animalia, Kingdom Plantae and Kingdom Fungi. This exhibition presents peculiar organisms that carry both animal and plant characteristics. Pooroni Rhee, an amateur naturalist and graphic designer, roughly classifies them as Kingdom Hybrid, and she analyses and classifies the shadows of those organisms she encounters in her dreams. She confessed the difficulties of this work since these organisms rarely and briefly appears in her dreams.

‘Every day, I swear to myself that I will observe and remember these strange animals, well plants, or animals, these plants in my dream. But it is not like I can see them when I want, and I often forget what they were like when I am awake. I don’t know why I am the only one seeing them, but so far I am the only. I don’t know why I can only see their silhouettes but I do believe the more I focus the better sight I will be given. I will complete the map of Kingdom Hybrid and I will dedicate all my life for it... the outstanding achievement of my research is that the habitat and active hours of these organisms are much larger than our imagination, and the appearance of them kaleidoscopic. Duckbills are not even comparable.

Kingdom Hybrid –a Peculiar City, acrylic board, installation

Jae-hyung Ju : ILLUSION

After earning a BFA in Painting in Seoul National University, he worked as a producer at Cheil Communication. he completed his MFA in Film, Video and New Meadia in The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He won the award for Artistic Achievement at the Korea Cartoon Animation Grand Prix with his animated short <The Sunflower>. He is now teaching at Inha University and making animation and comics at his website, www.manamong.com.

A contented tiger lovingly reared in captivity escapes from the zoo, discovering an outside world that somehow seems familiar? But in fact isn’t. This is a visually stunning tale, symbolic on many levels, about the devices people use to arbitrarily define situations or individuals.

"幻"(Whan) means illusion.

In this story, there is a huge gap between the tiger and the people. The people are inconsistent to the tiger and act differently without the cage. What makes the people avoid the tiger and shoot her? It is the cage. Through the existence of the cage, the tiger’s individual identity is erased.

2D/3D Animation | 35mm | Color | Sound | 13min 40sec

Hwangbaxa: A Hard Life series

DJ and Graphic designer Hwangbaxa, expresses animals suffering from humans selfishness and errors in a rather comical point of view. It’s expressed so that the animals would be living as humans and humans as animals in a world trashed by humans. Therefore, the unrealistic situation is drawn in a ridiculous way where the animals would carry the burden instead of humans.

Hard life series, paper print

HRK: Where should I live?

I am a designer who loves the street and stencil, while I hate to waste, and be selfish. Our greed has caused global warming, and our forest ramped to roads, while our blue oceans are dying to black. So animals have lost their shelter. We have eliminated their foods and haven, while turning their home to dangerous roads. This is the portrait of the dead animals that resents and curses us.

LOVE & SAVE!!

Soon-to-be-extinct animals, silk screen