| Installation view of Jung Yoon-suk's 'Tomorrow' at the Korea Artist Prize 2020 exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul / Courtesy of MMCA |
MMCA says it has no plans to take down Jung Yoon-suk's artwork
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Artist and filmmaker Jung Yoon-suk's documentary exploring human desires and contradictions by zooming in on the production and consumption of sex dolls in Asia has drawn the ire of feminists.
Women's groups claim that the film fuels the sexual objectification of women. They demand that the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) reverse its decision to select the artist as one of the four finalists for the prestigious Korea Artist Prize (KAP) 2020 and strip him of the finalist title.
The MMCA, however, stood firm in its defense of the artist, claiming that artists are allowed to explore any topic freely, even if that topic may cause viewers discomfort.
Life-size sex dolls are a controversial topic not just in the art field. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of importing the life-size dolls recently, against the Gimpo International Airport Customs Office's decision to ban their importation, as they offend public morals.
Jung's film, "Tomorrow," is currently on display at the museum until April 4. It features people who produce, consume or use surrogate human forms. It shows a sex doll factory in China, a Japanese man who lives with several sex dolls and another Japanese man who promotes artificial intelligence (AI) robots.
Jung is a visual artist and film director specializing in documentaries that explore the relationships between personal events and social problems.
Though the film is said to raise questions about what humanity is in this era of rapid change, "Tomorrow" has received criticism from women's organizations as well as from the general public for its use of sex dolls as its main subject matter.
| Artist Jung Yoon-suk / Courtesy of MMCA |
Louise the Woman, a group of female visual artists, released a statement in December criticizing the film for reproducing commodified female imagery in a state-funded project.
"The image of the sex doll reenacted by Jung is based on the premise of sexual objectification of women, and it cannot deal with universal human issues from a neutral perspective... As a national museum, the MMCA should not overlook discrimination and violence against the socially disadvantaged, so those who selected Jung's works for the KAP should take responsibility for this," the group said in a statement.
They claimed that contemporary art cannot be used as a justification for reproducing social discrimination and misogyny.
"We oppose any kind of attempt to justify violence against women through art. The MMCA should take responsibility for this attempt and disqualify Jung for the KAP," the group stated.
They also requested that the MMCA require a gender balance in future screening and judging committees, so that at least 50 percent of the jury is constituted by women.
The Women's Party also released a statement, denouncing the artist and the museum for being anachronistic.
"The problem is that Jung lacks a critical perspective in portraying the sex doll issue. The MMCA is responsible for reproducing women's oppression at a state-run facility," the party said in a statement.
| Installation view of Jung Yoon-suk's 'Tomorrow' at the Korea Artist Prize 2020 exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul / Courtesy of MMCA |
Jung refuted the claims, saying that what he intended was to criticize the commercialization of human beings in capitalist society in the first half of the exhibition, and the contradictions of the protagonists with their distrust of humanity in the second half.
"People might feel uncomfortable about this film's subject matter, depending on their perspective. But we see the reality we turn away from through this discomfort. Being aware of such issues constitutes our future and they represent a problem to be solved. That is why this work is titled Tomorrow and has a dual meaning," Jung said in response to the controversy.
"Artists always challenge social taboos and try to cover the universality of human beings. Unlike politics or religion, I think the role of art is to remind people of the ethical questions we face. Please look at my art from such a perspective."
The exhibit opened on Dec. 4. However, after sparking the controversy, the work remained in the dark for over a month as the state-run museum had to shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when the third wave hit Korea in December.
Following the reopening of the museum in mid-January, those who have seen the full film tend to sympathize with the artist's intention of questioning the problems of capitalism and the contradictions of humanity, according to the MMCA.
"We are listening to various opinions regarding this issue, from the Women's Party statement to social media hashtags. We are aware of the fact that some viewers feel uncomfortable about the subject matter and the images in the artwork. We appreciate them raising their opinions about it," said Tiffany Yun, the MMCA's public relations deputy director.
However, the museum said that it will not take the artwork down nor disqualify Jung from the prize.
"Contemporary art is not at odds with reality, as it reflects the present day. We welcome criticism and discussion on contemporary art, but it is not desirable for a public museum to shut down the possibility of discussion. We expect the artwork to spark diverse discourses concerning contemporary artists and their creations."