Proposal to host an exhibition/event at Uncommon Gallery
언커먼 갤러리 전시 및 이벤트 신청
1. Your name
IUM
2. The person who referred you to Uncommon Gallery
Planned in collaboration with the AI Artist Club and IUM NFT Museum from February 23 to March 4, 2023, the exhibition titled The Creation of AI was held with the support of Uncommon Gallery. As the creative director of this exhibition, I organized a comprehensive exhibition plan that integrated AI, NFT, and the Metaverse. Through the preparation and execution of this exhibition, I was able to deeply engage with and understand the spirit and manifesto of Uncommon Gallery.
3. Your Discord tag
IUMartist
4.Your email address
5. Your bio
IUM (IUM ART/ Creative Director)
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I graduated from Hongik University’s Department of Sculpture and its graduate school.
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I have held 8 solo exhibitions in Korea, China, Japan, among other locations, and participated in approximately 150 group exhibitions and performance presentations globally from 1995 to the present.
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My Art works are included in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, and the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan.
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I announced Korea’s first performance art NFT in 2021.
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As a contemporary artist deeply involved in AI, NFT, and the art metaverse, I am committed to planning creative projects that embody the artist’s spirit and philosophical perspective, showcased through both works and community engagement.
Creative Project Planning
- Developed the Attic NFT ART community- Web3 Project series, including Season 1 and Season 2 in 2022.
- AI Artist Club X IUM NFT MUSEUM Project in 2023
AI Art Commercial Project in Collaboration with Companies:
- Produced Korea’s premier AI cosmetics advertising video, The Birth of Minexin, which showcases the brand worldview for the skincare brand Farmology.
- Created a K-POP idol-themed virtual human project for Ranpl, an AI dance app developer.
Activities as an AI Art Instructor
- I operate the IUM AI art curriculum on the online education platform LIVEKLASS.
- I’ve delivered special lectures at major domestic universities such as Hongik University, Yonsei University, Korea University, and Chung-Ang University, focusing on the intersection of AI art with art-design-video fields, as well as at other institutions and companies.
Activities as an AI ART Community Leader
- In , Korea’s first AI art community, I serve as an art salon host and runs a program on Discord every month that introduces the work and worldview of AI artists.
- I serve as a community manager and artist for the Facebook-based AI Creator community, which includes 8,000 members.
6. Title of proposed exhibition/event
AI ART Exhibiton : The East of Eden
7. Event duration
-I would like to hold the exhibition for approximately 2 weeks in October 2024 .
-Ideally, to effectively manage the opening reception, seminars, and audience experience programs, it would be preferable for the exhibition to commence on a Saturday and run for two weeks. This will be further discussed and decided based on the gallery’s availability.
8. Introduction to your proposed exhibition/event.
(1) Exhibition Planning Format
Although this exhibition project carries the designation of IUM’s 9th solo exhibition, I will orchestrate the project as its creative director, rather than presenting it solely as an individual artist’s exhibition.
(2) Exhibition Concept
In this capacity, members of IUM’s AI ART community will actively participate in the project, and individuals from various other communities where she is engaged will also take part in seminars and audience programs.
The exhibition West of Eden incorporates the artistic philosophy and unique worldview of artist IUM, who approaches AI ART as a form of creation rather than mere replication.
Set between the years 2035 and 2045, it imagines a period when the ‘technological singularity’, as hypothesized by futurist Ray Kurzweil, has arrived.
This is a speculative narrative crafted by IUM against a backdrop that contemplates themes of AI and the future of humanity.
The arrival of the ‘technological singularity’ will likely precipitate a crisis of human identity, provoking deep questions about what it means to be human in an age dominated by artificial intelligence.
At this juncture, a profound awakening of humans’ ‘self-identity as spiritual beings’ will occur, beginning a new epoch of spiritual evolution, a concept intricately woven into the story by IUM.
Through this project, I aim to explore the philosophy of AI art, gain insights into the future, and reflect on the essence of human existence.
9. Expected number of attendees
Target Audience:
Korea’s AI art communities (such as IUM AI ART, AI Artist Club, AI Creator Club, Stable Diffusion Korea Club, Midjourney Korea Club etc.)
Expected Attendance: Estimated around 70~100 attendees for the opening reception.
10. Expected Outcomes of the Exhibition
In 2024, the field of generative AI is experiencing rapid technological innovation like never before. However, compared to these technological advances, the development of intrinsic, artistic, and philosophical foundations has been relatively overlooked.
Moreover, as the copyright issue surrounding AI art emerges as a social concern, it becomes increasingly crucial to demonstrate how an artist’s unique creativity and worldview can be embedded within AI art.
The objective of this project is to articulate an artistic philosophy within the field of AI art and to undertake genre experiments that substantiate this philosophy.
Through the exhibition of both digital and physical works—such as digital prints, installations, and sculptures—and through audience experience programs that engage in creative experiments with AI art, we aim to enhance the artistic value of AI artworks.
Additionally, seminars are planned to further develop the philosophy and discourse of AI art, demonstrating its remarkable potential for the future.
Furthermore, IUM invites audiences into her artistic worldview, enriching their imagination by co-experiencing the stories and images he creates.
This not only allows participants to be more than mere viewers but encourages them to engage actively with the narrative and discover their own “inner self-portraits” through shared prompts.
Through this project, we intend to introduce an experiential art form known as STORY ART to the AI art community, fostering a deeper, more personal interaction with the art.
11. Exhibition/event details
(1) Artist Profile
This exhibition primarily features a solo showcase by IUM. While the detailed author profile has already been outlined in Section 5 of this document.
(2) Highlight of the Exhibition
The exhibition will display a series of AI artworks—ranging from digital works and actual framed prints to installations and performances. These pieces vividly encapsulate various experiences from IUM’s artistic journey to the ‘Western Desert of Eden’.
This thematic exploration serves as a rich, narrative backdrop, enhancing the intersection of technology, art, and human experience through AI.
(3) Quotes from artist
"West of Eden“ -Artist’s Statement
The Book of Genesis in the Old Testament recounts that after the original humans sinned, God expelled them from Eden. Then, east of the garden, He placed angels and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life.
This prompted me to wonder, “What about west of Eden?” Although the eastern entrance to Eden was sealed, could the west of Eden still be open to travelers with hyper-sensory imagination, those who navigate through multidimensional realms?
Inspired by such imaginings, my AI story art “West of Eden” tells the tale of mystical desert travelers on a quest to find the lost path to Eden.
Caught in a pink storm, I am inadvertently swept to a pillar of sand and transported into a multidimensional world, embarking on a journey through the desert towards the primeval Eden. Here, I witness the curious spectacle of countless sand-sculpted faces, constantly crumbling in their unfinished state and being fiercely reborn, all longing for their lost visage.
I also pass through the ‘Red Neuron Forest,’ which replays memories of the primeval Eden, to reach the ‘Artificial Intelligence Tree,’ the result of humanity choosing the path of the tree of knowledge over the tree of life. I discover that this tree hides the "divine singularity.
This singularity predicts that at a future point, the culmination of human knowledge in the form of AI will eventually surpass and transcend humans. At this moment, humanity, driven to a spiritual cliff’s edge by AI, will seek the west of Eden—a desert leading to the lost path back to the tree of life—in a quest to reclaim their spiritual image.
(4) Sub-events Schedule and Abstracts
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Opening Reception The exhibition will kick off with an opening reception featuring a live performance by artist IUM, along with an introduction to her works. This event will provide an immersive introduction to the artistic themes and technical mastery present in the exhibition.
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AI Story Art Audience Experience Program ‘West of Eden’ serves as a narrative framework for this unique audience experience program. In this healing story, participants explore their inner self-portrait through engagement with the story’s world. The author provides an open text prompt that aids attendees in discovering their own self-portrait. This interactive session allows participants to create personalized AI art images using their narratives and images, fostering a deeper personal connection with the art.
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Artist Talk - Seminar IUM will conduct a seminar focused on the creativity and philosophical underpinnings of AI art. This event is designed for members of various AI art communities, offering insights into Lee Yum’s approach and discussions on the broader implications of AI in the art world.
12. Contribution to AI Network and Uncommon Gallery: Uncommon Gifts
Ai.P Collaboration
I am proposing to create an Ai.P Collaboration piece that encapsulates the theme of ‘West of Eden’ and its expansive worldview. This artwork will be produced in the form of an NFT. I intend to discuss the specifics regarding the edition with the curator at Uncommon Gallery to determine an appropriate number, ensuring the exclusivity and relevance of the piece to both the gallery’s audience and the broader art community.