New Jersey or 'New Jeoji'? Remote area on Jeju becomes haven for artists.

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New Jersey or 'New Jeoji'? Remote area on Jeju becomes haven for artists.

Published: 06 Dec. 2024, 07:00

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The Kim Tschang-Yeul Art Museum in Jeoji Artists' Village on Jeju Island [KIM TSCHANG-YEUL ART MUSEUM]

JEJU — Rumor has it that there’s a “New Jersey” on Jeju Island, but it’s nothing like the northeastern U.S. state that boasts a dense population and affluence.

It’s a nickname referring to Jeoji-ri, a remote region in western Jeju once known for its abundance of mulberry trees and for trekking at the tranquil and lush Jeoji Oreum volcanic hill and Jeoji Gotjawal forest.

Visitors will discover, to their dismay, that this rural area has nothing in common with the actual state of New Jersey — except for the way people pronounce the locations' names.

No one is sure about the origin behind the nickname, except that it is commonly used among millennials and Gen Z, even being the names for a gimbap joint and a cafe.

But over the past decade, Jeoji-ri has been gaining attention for its artistic community, called Jeoji Artists’ Village. Roughly 50 artists have their own galleries or studios in the area, in addition to museums, cultural complexes and parks managed by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.

The idea to build the Jeoji Artists’ Village was first pitched in 1999 to transform what was once an unfrequented wasteland and give it a new purpose, one that would boost tourism and foster art and culture in Jeju following the 1997 financial crisis.

The Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art kick-started the neighborhood in 2007 as the island’s first municipal art museum. Soon after, facilities increased one by one, such as an outdoor sculpture park and a large public storage space for artworks, the latter being the first to be established by a Korean local government.

Since then, Jeoji Artists’ Village was designated the country’s fifth cultural zone in 2010 in accordance with Article 18 of the Regional Culture Promotion Act. There are six overall: Insa-dong in central Seoul (2002), Daehangno in central Seoul (2004), Heyri Art Village in Paju, Gyeonggi (2009), Incheon Open Port (2010) and the latest, Seoripul Musical Instrument Avenue in southern Seoul (2018).

Here are the stories of how four seemingly disparate artists came to build their galleries and studios in the serene Jeoji Artists’ Village. All venues are within walking distance.

The inside of the Kim Tschang-Yeul Art Museum in Jeoji Artists' Village on Jeju Island. Here shows a glass water droplet sculpture by Kim Tschang-yeul, titled ″Ceremony″ (1993). [KIM TSCHANG-YEUL ART MUSEUM]

Kim Tschang-Yeul Art Museum

The late "waterdrop painter" Kim Tschang-yeul (1929-2021) suffered through lifelong trauma following the 1950-53 Korean War. Born in Maengsan, a region in North Korea, Kim sought refuge on Jeju Island during the war. He recalled his experience on the island as peaceful and considered it his “second hometown.” His dream was to someday set up an atelier and spend the rest of his life there.

His wish was achieved in 2019, with the founding of the eponymous municipal museum in Jeoji Artists’ Village, following his donation of some 220 artworks to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province in 2013.

“The artist was so fond of Jeju that he wished that the museum would serve as a ‘tomb’ for his artworks,” said Kim Ah-young, curator at the Kim Tschang-Yeul Art Museum. It’s why the interior walls were made dark in color, unlike most other museums.

″Water drops″ (1984) by Kim Tschang-yeul [SHIN MIN-HEE]

"Three Gods" (2016) by Kim Tschang-yeul [KIM TSCHANG-YEUL ART MUSEUM]

From the 1970s up until his death, the artist painted water droplets on the canvas that looked too real, like brightly shining beads, as they represented Kim’s expression and healing of emotional scars.

Though the artist is celebrated for his oil paintings, he also created glass sculptures of water droplets. Kim spent years living and working abroad, in New York and Paris, plainly naming most of his works “Water drops.” In his later years, however, he started naming them “Recurrence” — referring to his determination to return to his homeland of Korea.

The “Water Drops: Moments of magnificence” exhibition, comprised of 12 paintings from the museum’s collection, is on view until Feb. 23 next year.

883-5 Yonggeum-ro, Hallim-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, 63017

Itami Jun Museum in Jeoji Artists' Village on Jeju Island [KIM YONG-KWAN]

Itami Jun Museum

Jun Itami (1937-2011), the renowned Japan-born Korean architect, frequently worked on Jeju Island throughout his life. Itami, whose real name was Yoo Dong-ryong, constructed several projects on the island, like the Pinx Gold Club in 1998, Podo Hotel in 2001, K-Villa in 2003, Water Museum in 2006 and Church of Sky in 2009.

Jeju always had a special place in Itami’s heart, as its scenic nature reminded him of his hometown in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Seven years after his death, Itami’s daughter Yoo Ehwa, who is also an architect, made it her mission to build a museum commemorating her father's work on the very land he considered his other home. The Itami Jun Museum finally opened in January 2023 in Jeoji Artists’ Village.

The inside of the Itami Jun Museum in Jeoji Artists' Village on Jeju Island [KIM YONG-KWAN]

"The Three Art Museums: Water, Wind, Stone" (1992) by Jun Itami on view at the "Voyage to the Origin" exhibition at the Itami Jun Museum in Jeoji Artists' Village on Jeju Island [ITAMI JUN MUSEUM]

“Jeju Island is where I have the most memories with my father,” Yoo told the press in 2018. “In his later years, he frequently talked about wanting to live the rest of his life on Jeju.

“For artists, especially architects, their creations are like their children,” she continued. “To my father, Jeju was like the mother that housed his most representative works, or the works that made his career really bloom.”

Currently at the museum is the “Voyage to the Origin” exhibition, featuring six contemporary artists who found inspiration in Itami’s architectural philosophies regarding the relationship between humans and nature, until March 30 next year.

906-10 Yonggeum-ro, Hallim-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, 63017

Park Seo-bo's house in Jeoji Artists' Village on Jeju Island [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Seobo Art Space Jeju

While walking along the stone roads aligned with clusters of trees in Jeoji Artists’ Village, one can find the two-story white house that the late dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) master Park Seo-bo (1931-2023) once lived in.

Park is a prominent figure in pioneering Korean abstract art, with his work centered on repetition and made by countless pencil lines drawn over fresh paint brushed onto a canvas. He would then layer on another coat of paint and redo the process all over again. This series, titled “Ecriture,” or “Myobeob” in Korean, is associated with asceticism and introspection.

″Ecriture No. 213-85″ (1985) [JOONGANG DB]

The Jeju house wasn’t his permanent residence but was used as a studio for when he traveled back and forth from Seoul. Park was always vocal about being a fan of Jeju, and after he was diagnosed with lung cancer last year, being on the island seemed to ease his condition.

“I’ve been coughing so much, but as soon as I landed here, the coughing immediately stopped. The air is much fresher,” he said during a press conference in Jeju on March 19, 2023.

After Park died in October that year, an exhibition space commemorating his art legacy opened last July, called Seobo Art Space Jeju, right next to his home. It is operated by the Seobo Art Foundation.

The first exhibition highlighted the dansaekhwa genre with 23 paintings by Kim Geun-tae, Kim Tschoon-su, Kim Tae-sang, Nam Tchun-mo, Lee Jin-woo and Jang Seung-taik, ending last September. The venue is closed temporarily for its next exhibition.

23-4 Jeoji 14-gil, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, 63005

Feng Studio in the Jeoji Artists' Village on Jeju Island [JOONGANG DB]

Feng Studio

Feng Zhengjie, one of China’s most influential contemporary artists, has been in love with Jeju Island for over a decade. He was the first foreign artist to take residence in Jeoji Artists’ Village with Feng Studio in 2013, which coincided with his first Korean solo exhibition at the adjacent Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art.

Before this, the 56-year-old artist had no idea of the existence of Jeju Island. He only learned of it two years prior, when he was introduced to the island by his friend, Park Chul-hee, CEO of the Asia Art Management Association. Feng then reportedly visited more than 180 times between 2011 and 2014 alone.

“Jeju Island has such a beautiful landscape and personally, I think its traditional culture is quite fascinating,” Feng said in a press conference for the Jeju exhibition in 2013.

The inside of Feng Studio in Jeoji Artists' Village on Jeju Island in 2014 [JOONGANG DB]

Feng is best known for his paintings of contrasting hues, like pink and green, which depict Chinese models that are noticeably defined by their wandering eyes and plump lips.

Even Feng Studio, a 60-pyeong (2,135-square-foot) white rectangular modern building, displays the artist’s signature colors, with dark, green tinted windows and pink letters that make up the studio’s sign.

Since then, Feng has been mainly working between Beijing and Jeju. Feng Studio occasionally holds exhibitions.

23-3 Jeoji 14-gil, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, 63005

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]