Choe-U-Ram

From Asian Art Documentation

Born in 1970 in Seoul, Korea Now residing in Seoul, Korea Solo Exhibitions: 2006 “City Energy-MAM Project004”, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan 2002 “Ultima Mudfox”, Do Art Gallery, Seoul, Korea 2001 “170 Box Robot”, Hello Art Gallery, Seoul, Korea 1998 “Civilization∈Host”, Gallery Boda, Seoul, Korea Group Exhibitions: 2005 “Opening Exhibition”, Bitforms Gallery Seoul, Seoul, Korea 2005 “Hardcore Machine” , Art Space Hue, Seoul, Korea 2004 “Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art Opening Exhibition”, Leeum, Seoul, Korea 2004 “Stillness & Movement”, Seoul Olympic Art Museum, Seoul, Korea 2004 “Busan Biennale”, Busan Metropolitan Art Museum, Busan, Korea 2004 “Offisina Asia”, Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Bologna, Italia

Choe’s futuristic works explore the intersection of art, nature and science.Urbanus is made of metal, machine parts and electronic devices. It successfully conveys the impression that he is actually creating new organisms, recalling the longstanding debate on the relationship between art and nature. As a part of his production process, Choe also writes a detailed description for his new species: Urbanus are thought to inhabit the airspace above the city (at about 200 meters altitude). The name Urbanus means “lover of urbanity” because the organism lives on urban energy.They have a system resembling that of plants, which photosynthesize solar energy. The female Urbanus directly incepts urban energy, and the male Urbanus imbibes the electric energy discharged as photons by the female. The female Urbanus has a shape similar to that of a flower and when releasing its incepted energy as light, it opens its leaf-like body parts.When the light is released, male Urbanus also open their leaf-like body parts to receive the photons. This beautiful world of fantasy also reflects the artist’s concerns about problems and potentials in an increasingly technology-oriented urban environment.