Busan Biennale apologizes for damage to artist Ryu Seong-sil's work during lift support installation

The work was damaged during the installation of the lift lower support… Apology for lack of communication with author and audience

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Eui-rae = Artist Ryu Seong-sil's installation and sound work '10,000 Dreams', which is being shown at the Busan Biennale, was damaged in an accident.

The Busan Biennale announced on the 5th through its official social network service (SNS), "The work was damaged in the process of installing additional supports at the bottom of the lift to ensure the stability of the industrial lift in the exhibition hall of the Busan Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art on the 1st."

The Biennale explained that although they checked the condition of the work and took restoration measures after the accident, they failed to quickly share the situation with the artist and take sufficient action.

They also apologized for making the work private without sufficiently informing visitors of the damage to the work and the reason for viewing restrictions, which could have been perceived as an attempt to conceal problems in the operation of the exhibition.

The Busan Biennale said it is taking steps to restore works and display them normally, and will announce the resumption of viewing at a later date.

‘10,000 Dreams’ is an installation and sound work with 12 ghost-like mannequins dressed in school uniforms placed on a lift. When the music starts, the golden tassels on the mannequins' mouths wave like tongues, their eyes glow, and they sing for 15 minutes.

With songs that tell the story of a child who must return home, a 95-year-old skeleton, and a girl who has shouldered a task for 500 years, it is a work that twists the obsession of Korean society, which places the nation's potential on individuals and demands constant achievement, into a black comedy.