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U-ram Choe: New Urban Species

Presented by Frist Center for the Visual Arts at Frist Center for the Visual Arts

February 19-May 16, 2010

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Korean artist U-Ram Choe’s kinetic sculptures are made of delicately curved sections of wrought metal, joined together in movable parts that are driven by motors to expand, contract, or otherwise suggest the autonomic motions of such primitive life forms as plants and single-celled aquatic creatures. The intricate workmanship and graceful movements of these mechanical sculptures offer viewers an unparalleled visual delight. At the same time, they have profound philosophical implications, inviting consideration of the subject of life’s origins, evolution, and future. Evoking new developments in genetic engineering, prosthetic technologies, and robotics, these graceful and disturbing works propose the existence of species that, while constructed of inorganic materials and powered by light and electricity, mimic the behavior and appetites of living beings.

Appropriately alluding to the methodologies of biologists or botanists from the Age of Discovery, Choe uses a Latin nomenclature in titling his creatures, and provides detailed pseudo-scientific descriptions of their habitats and behaviors. This allusion to a system of taxonomy that reached its height in the nineteenth century aligns with the works’ evocations of early science fiction—Jules Verne’s fishlike Nautilus submarine, for example. The charm of yesterday’s seemingly organic automata gives way to a chill accompanying the uncanny recognition that today, botanical or animal hybrids are under development by scientists who are less concerned with the unintended consequences of manipulating nature than with expanding the boundaries of life.

About the Artist:
Born in 1970, U-Ram Choe lives in Seoul, Korea. He has had solo exhibitions at The Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan, and bitforms Gallery in New York. His work also been exhibited at the Shanghai Biennale, Seoul Museum of Art, Samsung Museum, Sungkok Art Museum, Busan's Metropolitan Art Museum, Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Bologna, Seoul Olympic Art Museum, and Seoul Forest Open Air Sculpture Symposium. Choe’s works are in the Crow Collection, Sungkok Art Museum, and the Galleria d’Arte Moderna,Bologna, and the Manchester Art Gallery.

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  • Venue Info

    Frist Center for the Visual Arts

    919 Broadway
    Nashville, TN 37203

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  • Admission Info

    Tickets: $10/Adults, $7/Seniors(65+), $7/Military, $8/Groups of 10 or more, $7/College Students w/ID, Free/18 years or younger

  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    February 19-May 16, 2010

    Times:
    Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10:00am-5:30pm
    Thursday and Friday 10:00am-9:00pm
    Saturday 10:00am-5:30pm
    Sunday 1:00pm-5:30pm

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    • Event Name: U-ram Choe: New Urban Species
      "New Urban Species"
      Review posted by: Apr 20, 2010
      

      Having seen one of the pieces from this exhibit online, a good friend and I took our daughters (ages 2 and 7) to the Frist as a must see. I have a personal affinity for the mechanical that I developed... Expand

      Having seen one of the pieces from this exhibit online, a good friend and I took our daughters (ages 2 and 7) to the Frist as a must see. I have a personal affinity for the mechanical that I developed very early in life and the U-ram Choe exhibit had me standing in awe with the same wide eyes of my seven year old little girl. As the two of us stood in the low and elegant lighting I marveled with her as the room came to life with the blossoming of flowers of light. Wow. We made our way to the next room where she made her own suggestion for another combination. Daddy liked that. As we stood in the final room before a massive wall mounted creation, I couldn't help but feel like a kid again. The group of us stood silent as this art performed and illuminated the room. I highly recommend this showing for anyone of any age...it was truly amazing! Collapse

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  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: U-ram Choe: New Urban Species
      "New Urban Species"
      Review posted by: Apr 20, 2010
      

      Having seen one of the pieces from this exhibit online, a good friend and I took our daughters (ages 2 and 7) to the Frist as a must see. I have a personal affinity for the mechanical that I developed... Expand

      Having seen one of the pieces from this exhibit online, a good friend and I took our daughters (ages 2 and 7) to the Frist as a must see. I have a personal affinity for the mechanical that I developed very early in life and the U-ram Choe exhibit had me standing in awe with the same wide eyes of my seven year old little girl. As the two of us stood in the low and elegant lighting I marveled with her as the room came to life with the blossoming of flowers of light. Wow. We made our way to the next room where she made her own suggestion for another combination. Daddy liked that. As we stood in the final room before a massive wall mounted creation, I couldn't help but feel like a kid again. The group of us stood silent as this art performed and illuminated the room. I highly recommend this showing for anyone of any age...it was truly amazing! Collapse

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