Australian and South Korean artists were recognized Feb. 16 at the opening of the inaugural “Cultural Conversations Project” exhibition.

Hosted by Gallery LVS, the opening welcomed the works of 14 artists across Australia and South Korea, with artists Yoon Jin-sup, Yun Suk-nam, Kim Ku-lim and Lee Kun-yong in attendance.

The project, conducted by the Australian Centre for Oral History, is an ongoing history archive, giving insight into the lives and works of contemporary Australian and Korean artists.

“(The project) will help to enhance our understanding of the richness and diversity of Australian and Korean art, and help to build new links in the visual arts sector of both countries,” said Paul Schofield, economic counselor at the Australian Embassy in Seoul.

Cultural Conversations Project, which began its planning in 2014, is a series of interviews accessible online that enter the worlds of each artist to learn about their life and work.

“There are three common themes -- war, colonialism and being on the sideline of the art scene,” said Bob Jansen, codirector and chief scientist of the Cultural Conversations project.

“Our criterion for selection is eminence. And that’s it.”

Each of the artists involved began their careers from the 1950s to the 1990s, by reflecting on their worlds as they underwent significant change. Through the development of selection committees in both Australia and South Korea, Jansen hopes the project will continue beyond his time, and allow more artists to share their stories.

Curator, critic and artist Yoon Jin-sup is heavily involved in the development of the program, and was the first South Korean to be interviewed for the project. His works, “Art & Stomach” and “Art and Sex,” can be viewed at Gallery LVS.

While his works of art explore a variety of different themes through creative use of materials from his world, Yoon said he had no particular preference for one style of art: “What I like? Personally I don’t care, all that matters is that we play, experiment with the world we live in.”

It is artists like Yoon who share their changing world creatively that encourage Jansen’s work.

“That’s what drives me. It’s the amazing stories, the story in their words.”

Jansen believes the project encourages linkage between the two countries and two art scenes.

“I think art is a really interesting way of crossing cultural boundaries. Because it is something we share,” Jansen said.

The Testimony software system Jansen developed allows viewers to experience oral history in a virtual sense. The audio track for the work is unedited, allowing the artists to tell their stories without input from any other individuals.

The system also offers a topic map across the archive that allows users to navigate between stories.

“Every interview has a thematic interface. I identify every person, race, exhibition and organization they (the artists) mention. We pull that out in a separate little map,” Jansen explained.

The project’s site has received over 150,000 page hits internationally since January 2015. The exhibition will take place at Gallery LVS until March 5 before moving on to the Korean Culture Centre Australia on March 16 and then onto the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

Each artist featured in the interviews will display between three to four artworks across both countries.

The project has been self-funded for the last 18 months, with sponsorship from the Australia Korea Foundation, the Australian Embassy and Korean Air.

The Cultural Conversations Project is available to view online at cultconv.com.

By Zoey Samios, intern reporter(zoesamios@heraldcorp.com)