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April 15, 2024
Ryu(류) K is a cultural phenomenon that originated in the East and is a cultural wind toward the world, and from the perspective of the future ecological perspective, cultural phenomena encompassing both inside and outside Korea, integration. Under the theme of "Can arts speak up?", the conference was a convergence of scholars, researchers, artists, and university students who worked together to develop new futuristic perspectives through the process of presentations, discussions, workshops, and art film screenings.
"Centering on the theme of "The Future of Korean Art and the Korean Wave," the three-day conference, which featured presentations and workshops by a total of 50 scholars, researchers, artists, and university students specializing in Korean film, media, and the Korean Wave, ended with a full house, and was described as "groundbreaking" by Soon-Young Lee (Bard College, New York City). Scholars, artists, young writers, and university students from various cities around the world participated online and offline, and each session was described as "serious yet airy" with serious discussions. The conference was praised for its "serious yet airy" atmosphere, which allowed participants to reevaluate the internal and external expansion of the "Korean Wave" and its implications, and to expand their research into future perspectives. The 20 scholars who traveled to Montreal to present and discuss their research became a meeting point/venue for researchers to promote collaborative research among scholars with similar research topics based on various discussions and networking. In addition, all of the presenters made suggestions to the organizers for next year's themes and directions of AAPlab based on this year's themes, and expressed their intention to attend the conference again, creating a sense of solidarity among scholars, researchers, and artists beyond the expectations of the conference organizers.
Comments:
"We were grateful for the many positive comments and suggestions we received, and this conference was a memorable and inspiring event. It was our first face-to-face conference in an environment where academic theory and the creative arts intersect, with many of our panelists visiting Montreal for the first time. It was also very important to us to foster an environment where all of the presenters were focused on presenting and engaging with their research topics. This mutually beneficial collaboration and engagement made for a warm and inspiring conference. Thank you again to everyone for such a fascinating time and experience, and we look forward to seeing you again in Montreal or elsewhere on the planet. As a participant, not just as an organizer, this conference was a truly wonderful and amazing experience, and I would like to thank Université de Montréal professor Victoria-Oana Lupascu for serving as the overall moderator, professor Livia Monnet for participating as a discussant, and professors Soyoung Kim and Shin Dong Kim for anchoring it as keynote speakers, Mr. Jungbong Choi for the basic concept, the members of the "Hallyu K-Camp" organizing committee composed of university students in Montreal, the entire staff of the Asian Arts and Publishing Lab (AAPlab), the Université de Montréal, and the Academy of Korean Studies for their financial support. I would also like to thank Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Lee Jae-wan (Consulate General of Korea in Montreal), Ms. La Yoon (Octa), Ms. Jung Chung-chae, and the Montreal Korean newspapers (Hanka Times, Korean Newswith) for their generous support, I would also like to extend my warmest thanks to all of them." - Mi-Jeong Lee, Director of AAPlab, Arts East-West, and Lecturer of Korean arts at UdeM, University of Montreal.
"One of the most groundbreaking conferences I have ever participated in or observed". - Sunyoung Lee, Visiting Assistant Professor at Bard College, Chicago, IL.
"How far can the Korean Wave go?" is a question that I believe the three-day Surface Tension conference answered. Often, the Korean Wave is reduced to a few popular Korean works and their influence on the cultural sphere and interpreted as "soft power" by the South Korean government. However, the conference was not limited to soft power, K-dramas, or K-pop. The conference covered a wide range of topics, including Korean art in the context of colonization and industrialization, documentaries on environmental activism, and a critical analysis of the relationship between platform capitalism and Korean content. The final day of the conference featured films on the gentrification of Chinatowns in North America and the issue of Korean adoption abroad. The content of the conference shows that the Korean Wave can and should be a starting point for intercultural exchange... It is the unintended consequences of the Korean Wave that we need to pay attention to." - Heeje Ahn (Korean non-fiction writer and cultural critic) after attending the three-day conference
It specializes in introducing Korean art in Canada. The beginning of the development was "East-West Arts" (formerly Ciné-Asie), founded in 1996 in Montreal, Quebec. In 1997, "Three Masters of Korean Cinema: Yoo Hyun-mok. Shin Sang-ok. Lim Kwon-taek", a total of 15 Korean films were screened for the first time as part of a tour of cinematheques in four major Canadian cities. The two-month long project was a collaboration between the Korean Cultural Center in New York and the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and was funded by the Korean Ministry of Culture (formerly the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and Canada (as a "Team Canada" project by Prime Minister Jean Chretien). In addition, the project was actively supported by the local Korean community in Canada (Consulates General in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver, as well as local Korean associations and media outlets such as Hankook Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, and the Montreal area) and received a lot of support. In addition, the retrospective exhibition "Director Jeon Soo-il" (2008), which was acclaimed in Europe, toured seven states in North America to introduce the uniqueness and creativity of Korean independent cinema (in addition to four major cities in Canada, the exhibition was shown at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, New York University Museum (NYU), and University of California Museum (UCLA). In addition, we continue to introduce Korean cinema, including exhibitions on Hong Sang-soo, Kim Ki-duk, and Lee Chang-dong, and Contemporary Korean Cinema, while simultaneously supporting the work and creative activities of Korean and Asian Canadian artistic directors. Arts East-West, a private, not-for-profit corporation led by Korean artists in Canada, has been in existence for nearly 30 years with a focus on Korean media arts, and in 2022, Heritage Canada, a Canadian federal government agency, recognized and encouraged the organization of the annual "Korean Film Festival Canada (KFFC)" as the longest continuously running Korean film festival in Canada. The 11th edition will be held from May 23, 2024.
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