INFO
| Name | MOAMOA |
| Year | 2013 |
| Start Date | 23 November 2013 |
| End Date | 24 August 2014 |
| Names of Artists | Seung Yul Oh |
| Curator | Aaron Kreisler, Aaron Lister |
| Organiser / Venue | Dunedin Public Art Gallery, City Gallery Wellington |
| Artform | Visual arts |
ABOUT
MOAMOA (모아 모아 or ‘gather together’ in Korean) was Seung Yul Oh’s first major survey exhibition, taking place just ten years after the artist graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Elam. Produced as a partnership between the Dunedin Public Art Gallery and City Gallery Wellington, the exhibition was curated by Aaron Kreisler and Aaron Lister and included the publication of an accompanying 122-page hardcover book.
At 33, still a relatively young age, MOAMOA showcased Oh's considerable body of work, including The Ability to Blow Themselves Up (2004-), an ongoing single-channel video that originated during his time at art school, through to new interactive commissions Square Sphere (2013) and Periphery (2013-14). The exhibition’s scale, occupying close to a dozen spaces at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, showcased the artist’s prolific output and skilful use of space.
A number of large-scale inflatable sculptures were installed, including tactile interactions such as those generated by Periphery (2013-14) – a room for visitors to traverse filled with large inflated oblong pillars, the experience of which Oh describes as being lost in a forest and as a physicalised version of his paintings.
Oh’s Myun (2011-13) series of still-life-like noodle dishes, exaggerated by an invisible hand using chopsticks stretching noodles to above human height, was the precursor to the high-profile public sculpture OnDo (2015-2021).
Oh’s minimal geometric paintings and earlier sculptures, such as PokPo (2010), were also included, tracking Oh’s progression and development as an artist adept at making use of a range of mediums corresponding to the concept of each body of work.
Oh expertly navigates “a middle ground here between the aesthetic, the conceptual and the engaging”. He has continued to develop an expansive practice in which scale and audience play a significant role, with many of his iconic public sculptures visible throughout Aotearoa and beyond.
