Acquisition Marks First Addition of Korean Artist's Work Since Paik Nam-june's Inclusion in Collection

Courtesy of Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has recently obtained two media artworks by Jun So-jung and An Jung-ju, marking the first acquisitions from Korean artists since the inclusion of video art pioneer Paik Nam-june's work in the museum's collection.

Rein Wolfs, the museum's director, stated that the institution was among the first in Europe to establish a video collection and time-based media collection in the 1970s, amassing approximately 2,000 works in total. The museum currently houses over 100,000 artworks, including 11 pieces by Paik acquired since 1978.
 

▲ “Despair to be Reborn” by Jun So-jung / Courtesy of Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation

The newly acquired artworks are part of the "Songeun x Stedelijk: Video Club" program, which aims to showcase the museum's time-based media collection at Songeun Art Space in Seoul. Premiering in Korea in October 2023, the program comprises four exhibitions featuring four to ten works per session, continuing throughout the year.

The director expressed the museum's interest in presenting the collection in a different context, emphasizing the importance of varied perspectives.

▲ “Their War 2 – Israel” by An Jung-ju / Courtesy of Songeun Art and Cultural FoundationThe acquisition of Jun's "Despair to be Reborn" and An's "Their War 2 – Israel" was made possible through a collaboration with Saint Laurent Korea. The museum selected the two media works by Korean artists featured at Songeun Art Space, facilitated by a donation from Saint Laurent Korea.

Jun So-jung, the grand prize winner of the 14th SongEun Art Award, explores questions and experiments about perceiving the present through historical lenses. An Jung-ju, an awardee of the 17th Songeun Art Award, captures images and sounds of the barrier between Israel and Palestine in "Their War 2 – Israel," presenting it as a cultural observation among various encounters during travel.

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