A little more than 200 Swiss people living here have chosen to make Korea their home, but none have set up house in as unique a way as Swiss artist Gregory Chapuisat.

The visiting artist has spent the last few weeks building a “house” from rough-hewn pine planks in the pristine white interior of a gallery in Seoul’s plush Apgujeong.

The three-story high instillation is itself housed in the SongEun ArtSpace -- where an exhibition supported by the Swiss Embassy is bringing its country’s young artists here for the first time.

Self-described “nomad” Chapuisat has had no permanent residence for 10 years now, as he moves from place to place building new installations. Several of his artworks have doubled up to become his new temporary abodes.

“We built for two months and lived in it for three months,” he said -- explaining that art lovers were then invited to pay a visit to climb inside to explore nooks and crannies the quirky wooden homes he constructed in Switzerland and Poland.

Although he has not been permitted to actually live in the new work titled “Resonance,” his first Korean project, he has included the usual elements of a box-like bedroom, a dinner table and even a rubbish chute.

Adventurous exhibition-goers will be invited to clamber around inside and spot glimpses of Swiss culture including a round rooftop “Stamtisch” -- which means “table of the Lord.”

“This is where the families of the village would meet to talk about neighborhood issues,” he said. “Every village has a Stamtish this is why we decided to have this table in the installation.”

Chapuisat has been on an art tour of Seoul as well as trying plenty of Korean food from kimchi to live octopus during his stay.

One of his first stops after arriving in Korea on Feb. 5 was to purchase 30 pine trees from a sawmill in Gyeonggi Province to create the work. Joined by Swiss collaborators Max Bondu and Goerg Bosshard, Gregory also enlisted the help of Gyeongwon University sculpture student Paik Seung-lok, who invited the artists to celebrate Lunar New Year in a Korean home with his family.

Their work is the largest piece in the exhibition of Swiss young artists to kick off a celebration of 50 years of diplomacy between Korea and Switzerland.

Swiss ambassador Thomas Kupfer said: “Art and life go hand in hand and help us understand the values of different cultures and communicate with each other. It allows us to see the world differently, through the mind of the creator. Art goes beyond words in helping us connect with people from different cultures, despite language and other barriers.”

The exhibition will also feature works from other Swiss young artists Adrein Missika, Luc Aubort, Franziska Furter.

Kupfer explained that the artists had been chosen for their works’ relationships with nature.

“The Alps, lakes and forests comprise about sixty percent of the country‘s total area. Therefore, upcoming Swiss contemporary artists will present their connection to nature and their ‘abstract’ interpretations.”

The “Reflections from Nature: Collection of Cahiers d’ Artistes” show will include around 30 artworks including location-specific installations, drawings, objects and video works.

The whole “Switzerland in SongEun” program, complete with Swiss performances and food, is part of the “Swiss Weeks in Seoul”, a program running from Feb. 17 until early May.

There will be a talk held by the artists and Swiss curator Christiane Rekade to introduce the works on display on Feb. 18. Marc Zehntner, director of the Vitra Design Museum, will also talk on the Vitra Design Museum and its successful management as a non-profit design museum on March 24. Another talk on Swiss contemporary design and architecture trends will be held by journalist Ariana Pradal on April 7, with consecutive interpretation in Korean and English provided at each of the free lectures.

Those wishing to attend should e-mail info@songeunartspace.org to reserve a place or go to: www.songeunartspace.org for more information.

As well as marking the anniversary of diplomatic ties, the exhibition is the first of SongEun ArtSpace’s annual projects that will select one country each year to present a group exhibition of promising young contemporary artists. 


By Kirsty Taylor
(kirstyt@heraldcorp.com)