Seung Yul Oh: Oddooki
6 - 25 July 2009

Starkwhite is pleased to present Oddooki by Seung Yul Oh, from 6 to 25 July 2009.

Oddooki is a project commissioned by Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand for its sculpture court and exhibited there from 20 October 2009 to I June 2009. The Museum described the work as: "A playful collection of five egg-shaped birds that rock and chime. Based on weighted toys that always right themselves, the works contrast a folksy aesthetic with the formal sculptural properties of high-gloss finished surfaces. The title of the installation is based on a translation of the Korean word for these rocking toys into English letters, giving us the intriguing Oddooki."

The works are interactive. At Te Papa they were activated by wind and animated by other natural elements such as the play of light on the glossy surface of the works, but when installed indoors viewers can also rock them. Oh refers to the works as "performance sculptures that might be read as players in an orchestra, each generating their own unique tones, or as a dance ensemble of quirky egg-like figures choreographed by the wind or viewers interacting with them."

Seung Yul Oh completed his Master of Fine Arts at Auckland University in 2005. Recent projects and exhibitions include Oddooki, with curator Charlotte Huddleston, Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand, 2008 -2009; The secret life of paint, curated by Justin Paton, Dunedin Public Art Gallery (2007); Telecom Prospect 2007: New Art New Zealand, curated by Heather Galbraith, City Gallery Wellington (2007); 5 4 3 2 1, curated by Ngahiraka Mason, Auckland Art Gallery (2006); Bearing, with curator Emma Bugden, Te Tuhi The Mark (2006); Break: Construct, curated by Rhana Devonport, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery (2006); CHEW CHEW Tongue, Starkwhite (2005); Compelled: Annual New Artists Show, curated by Rhana Devonport, Artspace (2005); and Snake oil, Recent Acquisitions from the Chartwell Collection, curated by Robert Leonard, Auckland Art Gallery (2005). He has also won several art awards, including the Waikato National Art Award in 2004 and the Goldwater Art Award in 2003.

Located in New Zealand on Auckland's Karangahape Road, Starkwhite presents a programme of artists' projects, solo shows, independently curated exhibitions and occasional forays into new music and other interdisciplinary practices. Starkwhite also represents artists from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific rim.

Please contact the gallery for photographs or further information on this exhibition.

Starkwhite
510 Karangahape Road, Auckland, New Zealand
Tel. +64 9 3070703
Monday to Friday: 11.00am to 6.00pm
Saturday: 11.00am to 5.00pm
starkwhite@starkwhite.co.nz
www.starkwhite.co.nz
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