Collectors represented at Daelim Gallery

Can butterfly wings cause a tornado? According to the phrase “butterfly effect,” it can.
The term refers to the notion that when a small creature flaps its wings it can create a chain of events that alter atmospheric conditions, leading to catastrophic results many miles away. This phrase is based on “chaos theory,” which argues that small changes within a flexible system may cause large variations in behavior.
Scientific as it may sound, however, it can be applied in one’s daily life. The role of a butterfly’s wings can be any small change that influences others. In terms of recent art, the role of the wings is played by five collectors: the two anonymous “K” and “P,” Kang Te-ho, Toshiko Ferrier, and Daisuke Miyatsu, in an exhibition titled, “Collector’s Choice: Collection 2,” being held at the Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Seoul.
The collections of these five create a new market and produces new potential.
This is not the first time a collection of this type has been displayed. Last year, Daelim Contemporary Art Museum held an exhibition titled, “Living Room: Collection 1,” co-organized by Kim Sun-jung, a professor at the Korean National University of the Arts. The living rooms of six private collectors were recreated and displayed to the public.
Having one’s own collection is simple. It starts with money and a strong interest in art.
K is a businessman who currently collects the works of Korean contemporary artists such as Park Yung-nam, Yang Ju-hae, Kim Bong-tae, Woo Jae-gil and Ko Young-hoon.
He recommends this approach. “I cut the pictures by each artist, such as Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne, from the books that I have collected for years and make scrap books for each of them,” K said.
Also a businessman, “P” shares his pieces with the public. Most of his collections are bought from galleries and include works by Kwon Jin-kyu and Kim Whan-ki. Since he actually visits galleries himself to select pieces, one of the major elements that he considers when buying is the material. “The feeling of his terra-cotta works is so moving,” said P, pointing at Kwon’s “Man’s bust.” At first, he hesitated to buy Kwon’s fragile and hard-to-manage piece of art. “However, on my way home, I kept thinking about it, so I had to go back and buy it. Since then, I have been collecting Kwon’s works.”
While the two anonymous collectors share mainly paintings and sculptures of Korean artists, the remaining three, Kang Te-ho, Toshiko Ferrier and Daisuke Miyatsu share pieces from around of the world. Ferrier and Miyatsu, both Japanese, have collections that are three-dimensional. Miyatsu, who works for an advertising company, has video art by Nina Fische and Maroan el Sani, Yang Fudong, and Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba.
Ferrier, a Japanese art consultant, has collections that reflect her personality. Works of Mika Ninagawa’s “Everlasting Flowers” and Hideaki Kawashima’s “Upper” are a few pieces that represent her collections. For those into creative arts, the collections of Kang Te-ho are highly recommended. One of his collections is Sophia Petrides’ “My Envy” which reflects Kang’s own ideology in life. In this piece, an old man’s upper body is placed on a queen-sized bed. The first impression is shocking. One can see that Kang searches for the extraordinary in the ordinary.
“The collecting of arts for these people are different from that of commercial collecting,” said Kim Sun-jeong, the organizer. “Their pure passion and love for arts have been the only foundation and basis.”
“Collector’s Choice: Collection 2” runs through July 8 at the Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Togui-dong, central Seoul. Admission is 4,000 won ($4) for adults and 2,000 won for students.
The Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The nearest subway station is Gyeongbokgung station line No. 3, exit 4. For more information call (02) 720-0667 or visit www.daelimmuseum.org.

By Lee Eun-Joo Contributing Writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr]