KIM BEOM: ‘THE SCHOOL OF INVERSION’

Hayward Project Space, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre

17 July – 2 September 2012

For his first solo exhibition in the UK, Korean artist Kim Beom presents a series of works that wryly and unpredictably engage with the subject of education. Working in a deliberately low-fi style and using a variety of media including drawing, video and sculptural installations, Kim inverts cultural norms by placing objects, animals and viewers in absurd situations, and turning conventional roles upside down.

Installation view at Artsonje Center of ‘Objects Being Taught They are Nothing but Tools’, 2010

Courtesy of the artist and Artsonje Center, Seoul. © The artist 2012. Photo: Park Myung Rae

Installation view at Artsonje Center of ‘Objects Being Taught They are Nothing but Tools’, 2010

Courtesy of the artist and Artsonje Center, Seoul. © The artist 2012. Photo: Park Myung Rae

Kim Beom was born in 1963 in Seoul, where he lives and works. He attended Seoul National University and the School of Visual Arts, New York where he lived and worked throughout the 90’s. Recent solo exhibitions include Kim Beom’s Animalia at Redcat Gallery, Los Angeles (2011), Kim Beom: Objects Being Taught They Are Nothing But Tools at the Cleveland Museum of Art (2010-2011) and Kim Beom at the Artsonje Center, Seoul (2010). He has participated in many group

shows including Media City Seoul (2010), Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artists from Korea, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California (2009), the 51st Venice Biennale (2005), the 8th Istanbul Biennale (2003) and the Gwangju Biennale: Part 3 (2002).

The exhibition is part of The Korean Cultural Centre UK’s ‘All Eyes on Korea: a 100 Day Festival’ and Southbank Centre’s summer-long Festival of the World with MasterCard.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Entry to the Hayward Project Space is FREE

The exhibition is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm daily (closed Mondays, no late night opening).

www.southbankcentre.co.uk

For press information and images please contact:

Sarah Ragsdale on 020 7921 0887 sarah.ragsdale@southbankcentre.co.uk

Helena Zedig on 020 7921 0847 helena.zedig@southbankcentre.co.uk

or contact the Press Office on 020 7921 0888

Notes to Editors:

Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre, occupying a 21-acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Southbank Centre is home to the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery as well as The Saison Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection.

Southbank Centre’s Festival of the World

1 June to 9 September 2012

As London welcomes the world this summer, Southbank Centre’s three-month long Festival of the World with MasterCard brings together inspirational projects from the UK and around the world, which showcase the power of the arts to change the lives of individuals, communities and whole societies. More than 4,000 artists, poets, writers and performers from 195 countries will take part in hundreds of events, many of which are free, and each with an international flavour. At the heart of the Festival experience is the Festival of the World Museum in the Royal Festival Hall, which examines the many ways in which art can be a powerful agent for social change through a series of immersive and interactive environments. For the duration of the Festival, Southbank Centre’s 21-acre site is transformed with a vibrant outdoor landscape, featuring art installations, the Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden, pop-up restaurants and weekly food markets. For further information please visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk/world

The Korean Cultural Centre UK

The Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) was opened by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in January 2008 under the aegis of the London Embassy of the Republic of Korea. The role of the KCCUK is to further enhance friendship, amity and understanding between Korea and the UK through cultural and educational activities. From the KCCUK＇s central London location near Trafalgar Square, its dedicated cultural team work to further develop cultural projects, introduce new opportunities to expand their Korean events programme in the UK, and encourage cultural exchange. Facilities at the centre include a gallery, small theatre, lecture room, a multimedia centre and library.www.kccuk.org.uk

All Eyes on Korea (01 June – 09 Sept) is brought to you by the Culture and Information Service with the kind support of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.