Looking back the last year(2017) activities of Yatooi-Project

Looking back the last year(2017) activities of Yatooi-Project

 

Dear Yatooi Members,

I am writing this letter to inform you of the current state of the Yatoo international project, about project news from the past year. and to share my concern on this project.

As you may know, the Yatoo International Project was established in 2011 in order to expand a Nature art movement and was initiated by the Korean Nature artists’ group Yatoo. (Please visit the introduction and new Yatooi member webpage at http://yatooi.com/yatooi). Sixty-one artists joined in the group’s first year. Every year since the number has increased, to the current number of 148 artists. This year, ten new artists were accepted out of fifteen applications to join the Yatooi project. I hope to work with more artists who embody a fresh perception and approach to working in nature.

Currently the group is in a cooperative relationship with thirty-four other organizations in order to implement our nature-based projects, particularly the Global Nomadic Art Project. I am deeply grateful to the groups and directors over the past three years; specifically in India-Somu Desai, South Africa-Strijdom van der Merwe, Iran-Ahmad Nadalian, Hungary-Istvan Eross & Peter Balazs, Rumania-Ferencz Zoltan & Siklodi Zsolt, Bulgaria-Rumen Dimitrov, Germany-Ute Ritschel, France-Fujak-Olivier Huet, Rithuania-Saulius Valius and Turkey-Varol Topac and all the staff members worked for those projects and exchanges around the world. They planed all of the programs and did their best for the successful completion of the Global Nomadic Art Project in 2017.

Each season several dozen artists have shared their recent work with other members via an email newsletter. In addition to their personal work, some artists have planned group workshops; such as in China-Kaiqin Zhang, Turkey-Varol Topac, Indonesia-Firman Djamil, South Africa- Anni Snyman, Rithuania-Arvydas Alisanka, Korea; Jayeonsori-Ko Seunghyun, Sonahmoo-Jeon Wongil, and the Nature Art Camp-Ri Eungwoo.

It would be wonderful if more artists would share their artworks which were born within nature. I believe that we contact nature more frequently, then our artistic perception would wider. To engage with nature we don’t need any preparation. Rather, we just need to go into nature around us with empty hand and minds, If we just wait, and slowly reconnect with the nature around us, we may see the ways in which this environment guides our daily actions and thoughts. Over time, we may form a balanced relationship with nature, and know ourselves through it. For example, we could leave just simple evidence of our existence, perhaps similar to ancient peoples’ hand marks left long ago on the caves and rocks around them. If so, then we will see how nature opens ours eyes ready to see the world differently. (I wrote further about this topic and posted it on http://yatooi.com/64385)

On three occasions in 2017, I lectured to those interested in the Nature Art Movement; at the Sekisho Gallery in Japan, the Guanzhou Academy of Fine Art in China and the National Gongju University in Korea. While doing so, I introduced the history of the Nature Art movement and the method of producing Nature Art through displaying the works of Yatooi members. On each occasion, the audiences were very interested in the work, working process, and underlying philosophy of the movement. (You can see some images and texts from these encounters online at http://yatooi.com/64123 and http://yatooi.com/64142.)

 

Guanzhou Academy of Fine Art in China, 2017

 

As an artist and curator, I often think of how we can make this Nature art movement more active and how this project could engage with or impact the contemporary art world. In the year ahead, I would like this project to serve as a platform to communicate and exchange the ideas and work which inspires us. I hope that these creative ideas may allow us to see new aspects of nature and the world we live in.

I would be very glad if you, dear members, would share any ideas you may have to develop this Yatooi Project in the year ahead. I wish you all health and happiness as you work within the varied, challenging, yet beautiful locations of this earth we all call home.

Best regards

Wongil Jeon

Director of Yatoo International Project