Gongju, South Korea
5th Geumgang Nature Art Biennale
The 5th Geumgang Nature Art Biennale, which took “Nature, Man, and Sound” as its theme, was organized by Yatoo, a group that has been in existence since the early 1980s. The mix of work was international, with strong Korean representation, ranging from conceptual to Land Art-ish, purely sculptural, and sound sculptures—all seeking integration within their environment. Some works, like those by Kees Ouwens, Herb Parker, and Alois Leopold Lindenbauer, emphasized sustainability, while others, like Roger Rigorth’s, emphasized poetry. All of the works were produced on site, along the Geumgang River in Gongju. Parker’s Geumgang Dialogue consisted of two structures based on early South Korean habitations. Made of thatched bamboo, the two connected chambers fit into each other, as though they were one structure with a single opening. People could sit in either side and communicate through an hourglass-like opening. German sculptor Thomas May, founder of the Grass Blade Institute, created a kind of hortus conclusus or enclosed garden. People could insert their heads into the hanging structure of Five Person Garden to view the grass growing inside. …see the entire review in the print version of May’s Sculpture magazine.
