Exhibition Information

			Future Lies Ahead : Daejeon 1993/2023 is an attempt to remake the exhibition Future Lies Ahead, commemorating exhibition of ‘93 Taejon International Expo. It was an exhibition directed by a legendary curator and the first exhibition restoration in Korea led to expectations of meaningful art historical discoveries. However, what we actually faced was the agony and limitations between the gap between ideals and reality, art and capital, and ideas and practices. And that is what it now is like, even years after. Future lies ahead : Daejeon 1993/2023 seeks to critically reflect on exhibitions that prioritize public opinion and guidelines over the foundations and functions of art, and prioritize labor exploited on behalf of capital and “numbers” rather than “why.” Therefore, instead of neat text and friendly explanations, the chaos of the exhibition process is displayed on the wall of white cube.

Exhibitions require constant research and selection based on a lot of time, labor, and capital. The fact that we have summoned the past and gone through hundreds of discussions and dozens of choices over the past year or so is for the sake of all of us, now and here, today and tomorrow. I hope that the exhibition is viewed not as a bundle of works or as an of entertainment, but as a practice that reflects the society and spirit of the time and a window that leads to a new era and generation.

Future lies ahead : Daejeon 1993/2023 began about five years ago as a blueprint for a research-oriented project centered on the museum's collection. However, despite the historicity of the exhibition being planned by an internationally renowned art director, there were almost no art historical records or research left, and there was no suitable opportunity to turn the planning into an exhibition. Even though an average of 12 exhibitions are held per year, more than half of them are regular exhibitions, and the contents of the exhibitions had to change depending on the direction of operation. It was virtually impossible for a public museum to carry out ‘exhibition’ solely between the duties it had to fulfill and the needs and wants it had to fulfill. In 2023, the 30th anniversary of the Daejeon International Expo became an opportunity to begin the project inearnest. The fact that it was an exhibition by a legendary curator and the first exhibition restoration in Korea led to expectations of meaningful art historical discoveries. However, what we actually faced was the agony and limitations between the gap between ideals and reality, art and capital, and ideas and practices. And that is what it now is like, even years after. Today, with so many competing exhibitions pursuing something new,
we no longer aim for historical discoveries and achievements in restoring exhibitions from 30 years ago. Future lies ahead : Daejeon 1993/2023 seeks to critically reflect on exhibitions that prioritize public opinion and guidelines over the foundations and functions of art, and prioritize labor exploited on behalf of capital and “numbers” rather than “why.” Therefore, instead of neat text and friendly explanations, the chaos of the exhibition process is displayed on the wall of white cube. Exhibitions require constant research and selection based on a lot of time, labor, and capital. The fact that we have summoned the past and gone through hundreds of discussions and dozens of choices over the past year or so is for the sake of all of us, now and here, today and tomorrow. I hope that the exhibition is viewed not as a bundle of works or as an of entertainment, but as a practice that reflects the society and spirit of the time and a window that leads to a new era and generation.

The future is not somewhere out there.
The future is here, and we are now standing in the yard where we can see the future.

(Source = Daejeon Museum of Art)