Union Exhibition of Korean Young Artists
The Union Exhibition of Korean Young Artists was an art show that members from Origin Fine Arts Association, Zero Group, and Sinjeon Group organized to be held at the Korean Information Center Gallery from December 11th to December 17th, 1967. By choosing to present works in what were the mainstream genres in Western art, such as pop art, op art, environmental art, happenings, and sculpture, the Exhibition helped to usher in a new era for Korean art after the dominance of the Informel group. Members from the three groups were mostly graduates from Hongik University. The manifesto they released stated: “Informel didn’t provide anything for last ten years. We are artists as activists who aim to create art after abstraction, art in everyday life, and public-friendly art.” This manifesto clearly expressed a desire to challenge the art world establishment, and the Coalition Exhibition is often considered as the beginning of a period of Korean “Experimental art (silheom misul),” which existed from the end of the 1960s to 1970s.
The Fourth Group
A youth artist group that sought the liberation of humanity, the independence of Korean culture, and resistance toward the establishment, particularly through the expressive method of Happening. The Fourth Group celebrated its inauguration on June 20, 1970, which was published in the magazine Sunday Seoul on June 28, 1970. Although the Fourth Group did not have a strong political ideology, it was an artist group that aspired to create new art in relation to everyday lives and popular culture. They considered Happening as an anti-art weapon to challenge the government, the prestigious fine art community, and popular culture. This stance provoked intensive controversy and the interest of a range of artists. The group was active for just over two months before government authorities shut down it in August 1970. The group was criticized for a lack of seriousness and fighting spirit, but it was also the first art group that combined avant-garde approaches with a popular sensibility to create a uniquely Korean version of sub-cultural artistic production.
Sinjeon Group
An art organization formed in 1967 by alumni of Hongik University. Chung Chanseung and Kim Inwhan were previously members of Non Col, a group formed in 1962. Their work was characterized by Informel, but after Nonkkol disbanded due to differences in opinion within the membership, the two formed the Sinjeon Group alongside Kang Kukjin, Yang Deoksu, Shim Sunhee, and Jung Kangja, and they participated in the Union Exhibition of Korean Young Artists. The Sinjeon Group, in its departure from Informel, engaged in experimental work such as objet art, installations, and happenings.