06.21.2022 | Journal Frankfurt
Moments of Reflection at Kunstverein Familie Montez
Until early July, Kunstverein Familie Montez is showcasing “The Earth Project” by artist Kejoo Park. The comprehensive artwork, which includes a painting exhibition and a two-part installation, aims to invite visitors to reflect on nature.
Until July 3, the American-Korean artist Kejoo Park is presenting “The Earth Project” at Kunstverein Familie Montez. The total artwork consists of a painting exhibition and a two-part installation designed to invite visitors to reflect on nature through painting and land art. “As a painter and landscape architect, I am pleased to offer the dynamic city of Frankfurt am Main some moments of stillness, reflection and pause with ‘The Earth Project’,” says Kejoo Park.
In front of the Kunstverein, the award-winning artist has erected a semicircular, nine-meter-long stone mound. This is intended to form a unity with the similarly large semicircular water area in the exhibition hall. The stone ensemble is made from light-colored stones from the region. In the center of the mound, hot steam rises as a symbol of energy. “When the twilight falls on the rising steam in the evening, it becomes a mystical place,” says Kejoo Park.
The large-scale paintings, also part of the project, were created by the artist inspired by the six songs of Gustav Mahler's Earth Cycle; they refer to existential life experiences, according to Park. The foundation of her paintings consists of her nature photographs, which she edits along with her drawings on the computer and then prints on canvas. Park then intervenes in the image with acrylic paints and ink. The paintings connect with the hot steam of the two-part Earth installation through the silver sheen applied as a finish.
In addition to the exhibition, various events will complement the project. On Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., there will be a 45-minute Qigong session with Andrea Lehr. This will be followed by a panel discussion titled “How Do We Want to Live in the Future?” featuring former Frankfurt Mayor and Planning Director Olaf Cunitz, as well as architect Helmut Kleine-Kraneburg. The following Sunday at 4:30 p.m., there will be a discussion on “Human and Nature” in art, with contributions from artist Kejoo Park and former Frankfurt Opera dramaturg Norbert Abels. At 9 p.m., a “Silent March for the Earth” will take place, marching from Römer to Kunstverein Familie Montez. The closing of the Earth Project will be on July 3.
Original: