Poster Image of BURN TO SHINE ©Museum SAN
Since opening on April 6 at Museum SAN in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Swiss contemporary artist Ugo Rondinone's solo exhibition, BURN TO SHINE, has been extended due to enthusiastic public response. Originally scheduled to end on September 18, the exhibition will now run until December 1.
Museum SAN ©Museum SAN
As Rondinone's largest solo exhibition in Korea, BURN TO SHINE explores the cyclical journey of death and rebirth, embodying the theme of “burning to shine.” This exhibition uses the mythological phoenix as a metaphor, reflecting on the interwoven relationships between humanity and nature.
Spanning
three exhibition halls, the Nam June Paik Art Center, and the outdoor Stone
Garden at Museum SAN, the exhibition features over 40 works across a range of
media including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, and video.
Rondinone’s unique, organic visual language offers a contemplative examination
of human existence and the natural world.
Each
piece stands as an independent expression, yet unites under the overarching
theme of life, death, and rebirth, a central motif that Rondinone has
continually explored over the past 30 years.
Regarding
the exhibition title, BURN TO SHINE, Rondinone
explains that he drew inspiration from Buddhist proverbs symbolizing the
coexistence of life and death, as well as the myth of the phoenix in Greek
mythology. Associated with the sun, the phoenix represents a cyclical being,
reborn from its ashes, embodying the desire for transformation. Each work in
this exhibition mirrors these cycles and transformations, conveying a profound
message about life and nature to visitors.
Rondinone
(b. 1964, Switzerland) works across a broad spectrum of media, including
painting, sculpture, installation, video, and performance, deeply exploring the
nature of humanity and the environment. His works have been exhibited at
prestigious institutions worldwide, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris
(2003), Whitechapel Gallery in London (2006), the Art Institute of Chicago
(2013), Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai (2014), and Palais de Tokyo in Paris
(2015). In 2007, he represented the Swiss Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale.
Recently, he has held solo exhibitions at Storm King Art Center in New York
(2023) and the Städel Museum in Frankfurt (2023).
To
enhance understanding of the exhibition, Museum SAN plans to publish a catalog
capturing the interplay between the artworks and the changing seasons.
Additionally, a series of concerts and various programs connected to the
exhibition are available, offering visitors a richer experience. For further
details, please visit Museum SAN’s official website and social media channels.