Press Release, Netherlands Media Art Institute

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Video works by Seoungho Cho


April 9 - June 6, 2004

Opening: Thursday, April 8, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.



This spring the first solo exhibition by Seoungho Cho in Europe will be see=
n at the Netherlands Media Art Institute. In addition to a number of new vi=
deo installations, a retrospective of his earlier work will be presented.



The works of Seoungho Cho are poetic video reflections. The sources for his=
works can be anything, such as a short video clip, music, landscapes, a li=
ne or verse of poetr. But also everyday images and objects from our ordina=
ry environment. In his complex video installations these concrete images, t=
ogether with sound and text, merge into a dream-like collage. The boundarie=
s between the conscious and subconscious thus blur, and those things with w=
hich one is very familiar become alien, and sometimes even sinister. Althou=
gh Cho's work is of outstanding technical perfection, he emphasizes that th=
e development in his work is not so much stimulated by technical innovation=
as by his artistic vision. In this Cho proceeds from his intuition, and ex=
perimentation is the starting point for his videos.



During the exhibition the following works will be shown:

The video installation In the Midst of (1997) consists of six monitors that=
hang from the ceiling and a screen that lies on the floor. On this screen =
swirling water gurgles away into the dark center of a drain. In Analysis (1=
995) the image of a match being lit appears on a monitor. Meters record the=
sound and the action. This is visualized on two other monitors by means of=
audio and visual signals. A fourth monitor shows blue/black/white negative=
images of elements from natural landscapes. ColdPieces II (2002) is an ext=
ensive investigation into the changeability of pure form. It is a close-up =
study of water in its various forms, such as drops coming from a faucet or =
waves that roll across the screen. The installation Respiration (1998) cons=
ists of 14 monitors that hang from the ceiling. These show the flashing eme=
rgency lights of ambulances and police cars together with fragments of text=
. The work Preserved (1995) reflects the artist's interest in bringing the =
subconscious to the surface by creating a balance between experiences under=
gone and the activity of the mind. 1/1 (2001) is a playful work that to a l=
arge extent was filmed in deteriorated black and white. It reminds one of t=
he early experiments carried out by video artists in the 1970s. In the two=
new video installations, Untitled (2004) and Untitled II (2004), the artis=
t continues his consistent search for the elements of nature. In this new w=
ork he concentrates on the wind that constantly gives new forms to the dese=
rt.



The following single channel works will be seen in the projection space: Ho=
rizontal Silence (2003), Orange Factory (2002), 67/97 (2001), Linear Tracki=
ng (2000), ColdPieces I (1999) and Salt Creek (1998).



Short biography:

Seoungho Cho has been living and working in New York for fifteen years, whe=
re he has produced a large number of single channel tapes and video install=
ations. He was born in Pusan, South Korea, in 1959. After he completed his =
BA and MA in Graphic Arts at the Hong-Ik University in Korea, he went to th=
e United States to obtain his MA in Video Art from the University of New Yo=
rk. He has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and=
the Pusan Metropolitan Art Museum in Pusan, South Korea, among other place=
s. His work has been shown at numerous international festivals and exhibiti=
ons, including the World Wide Video Festival in Amsterdam and the Change Bi=
ennial in Korea.



For more information / visual materials:

Danielle van Drie (Communications) T +31 (0)20 623 7101 E danielle @montev=
ideo.nl <mailto:[email protected]>

Dominique Busch (Exhibitions) T +31 (0)20 623 7101 E [email protected]

Exhibition open Tuesday - Saturday and every first Sunday of the month from=
1:00 to 6:00 p.m.. Open additional hours April 18 (Museum Weekend), May 16=
and 23.



Note for the press: The artist will be in Amsterdam for the week preceding =
the opening.





Netherlands Media Art Institute
Montevideo/Time Based Arts
Keizersgracht 264
NL 1016 EV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 6237101
F +31(0)20 6244423
E [email protected]
http://www.montevideo.nl <http://www.montevideo.nl/>

PRESENTATION