Sungsil Ryu

□ Stay in 2022

□ E-mail : ryusungsil@gmail.com

□ URL : sungsilryu.com

□ SNS : @sungsilryu

Biography

Sungsil Ryu’s practice materializes dark comedy narratives found within contemporary Korean capitalistic traditions through various mediums including installations, performances, and film.

The artist’s Cherry Jang series narrates the life story of a fictional character, Cherry Jang, who gladly embodies contemporary Korea’s marketing industry. The narrative follows the character’s spectacularly successful life story, her sudden death, and her second life after being resurrected as a “heaven’s angel.” This chain of narratives shines a light on the false promises that seep into the system that poses as democracy and the manipulated public of such system.

Big King Travel series is a dark comedy interpretation of the artist’s reflection on contemporary society - a mixture of neoliberalism and Korea’s unique characteristic as a nation represented by religious practices focusing on personal gains. Big King Travel series is a dark comedy interpretation of the artist’s reflection on contemporary society - a mixture of neoliberalism and Korea’s unique characteristic as a nation represented by religious practices focusing on personal gains. ‘Big King Travel’ is a travel agency geared towards the elderly. It targets the ‘hyo*’ culture deeply enrooted in the Korean population. This narrative is constructed by interactions between Natasha, an office worker at Big King Travel who presents herself as a foreigner by selling her so-called “exoticness,” and the elderly, Big King Travel’s main business target. The series once again points out how capitalist-driven today’s “Koreaness” is.

*Hyo: (효) filial piety

Education
2018 BFA, Seoul National University (Sculpture), Seoul, South Korea
Awards & Residencies
2022 The Seoul Art Space Geumcheon(SASG), Seoul
2021 19th Hermès Foundation Missulsang
Art Change Up Grant, Arts Council Korea (ARKO)
2020 Art Support Program, Seoul foundation for Art and Culture (SFAC)
2018 First Art Support Program, Seoul foundation for Art and Culture (SFAC)

Solo Exhibition
2020《Big King Travel 2020》↗
2019《BigKing Travel Ching-Chen Tour》 Post Territory Ujeongguk, korea
Group Exhibition
2021
《21st Song Eun Art Award Exhibition》 Song Eun, Seoul
《Sunset, Sunrise》 Gyeongnam Art Museum, Changwon
《I’m Okay Too》 Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju
2020
《No Space, Just a Place, Eterotopia》 Daelim Museum, Seoul
《The Society of Individuals》 Museum of Contemporary Art Busan, Busan
《Follow, Flow, Feed》 Arko Museum, Seoul
《Artist Survival》 Sewha Museum, Seoul
《New Tempo_Screentime》 CAN-foundation, Seoul
《나메 Name》 Museum Head, Seoul
2019
《Psychedelic Nature》 ART SPACE BOAN, Korea
2018
《NEWS, DEAR MR. RIPLEY》 Buk-Seoul Museum of Art (Sungsil Ryu X Eobchae), Korea
《DATAPACK》 Ilmin Museum of Art, Korea
《LAPSES》 Platform-L, Korea
《Mirrors of Mirrors of Mirrors》 Hapjungjigu (Sungsil Ryu X Eobchae), Korea

Performance
2019
《PERFORM 2019》 Ilmin Museum of Art, Korea
《Ching-Chen Matbogi Tour》 Osisun X Theatrebase, Korea 서울

Collection
Nam June Paik Art Center, Yongin of Art, Korea