On the morning of Nov. 21, the halls of the College of Art & Design buildings are already bustling with students in their workwear, making final touches to their projects. The dimly-lit walls begin to fill with the results of a year of hard work, though many installations are still under covers, to be uncovered the next day.
The opening of the exhibition completely changes the atmosphere. Mazes of rooms, crevices and ceilings throughout the building provides the stage for artwork varying from traditional ink on paper and interactive 3D worlds to leather made of mushrooms. Projects of graduates from the various majors of the College of Art & Design, such as ceramics, fine arts, and Korean arts, come together to create a spectacle for the senses.
The dedication to the fine details creates an immersive experience, with the ceramics carefully placed in a sprawl of fake moss across the floor to small clay birds perched above the entrance. An aesthetically disruptive fire escape sign is discretely covered with paper in the Korean art exhibition to blend with the wall. These go to show the lengths to which art extends far beyond the canvas, manipulating the space to showcase the student artists’ creative vision.
Lee Ye-ji, a senior majoring in fiber arts and artist of “Escape!” and “It’s not a big deal,” had a month to create her works. Scrapping idea after idea and filled with worries about her future, she hoped that she would find some luck, describing how she would look for four-leaf clovers near the college buildings. Eventually she realized that by chasing luck for the future, she was missing out on the small moments of happiness that were already around her. While a four-leaf clover may mean luck, a three-leaf clover means happiness. In the hopes that people may dwell less on concerns of the distant future and appreciate the small joys in life, “It’s not a big deal” blankets the stairwell wall with laser-cut clovers made out of paper she made, while she hands out hand-made clover keychains to visitors.
Working on the project from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. for a month, Lee found joy in small moments such as the bursts of silliness during the late-night grind on her final projects. While she has presented art in multiple exhibitions, she reflected that the graduation exhibition felt different, as if she was closing the curtain on this chapter of her life. It may even have been her last chance to exhibit an independent art project since it is difficult to do so outside of the school’s financial support. Still, she said it was the first time she properly felt proud of a project as she saw the messages in the visitors’ book saying that her art had made them happy.
“Isn’t that the point of all of this?” Lee mused.
Visitors were also left with a generally positive impression of the exhibition. Two friends of a featured student at the exhibition said that they could tell many of the students had put in hard work, even giving the high praise that some of the pieces could have been in a modern art museum. They were especially impressed by pieces that managed to tell their story effectively without being too explicit and the cohesiveness of the Korean art exhibition.
Another group of friends who had known a featured artist since their days in Seoul Arts High School were at the exhibition with their high school teacher. Among them, Shin Na-hyeon and Oh Se- ah, each a senior at another school, shared their impressions of the exhibition.
“It was like seeing different genres of movies,” Shin said. “It was much more captivating to see the pieces in person and interesting to hear descriptions as well.”
Oh also mentioned that the exhibition itself felt like a festival, being able to meet up with old friends.
Just as part of the exhibition as any of the art pieces are the beer bottle with a letter nestled next to an installation or the grandiose flower wreaths from family members displayed just as proudly as actual student artworks. Sketchbooks filled with color studies and sketches are placed next to the artwork, and arms are intertwined with family and friends, asking if they like what they see. Even the janitor stops to tell the students that she is proud of them. Students excitedly share their creative process with friends and mentors, pointing out every detail with flowers in hand.
In the end, the graduation exhibition is not just about presenting artwork but the cumulative representation of years of growth, support, and creative voice.