Road to the Digital Art
Understanding digital art comes with the studying of a pioneer, Tak Young-kyung, who is the first to practice digital art in Korea and has done it the longest too. His challenge is to create art pieces on "digital canvases", which was surprisingly inspired by the purchase of the Power Mackintosh 9700. He purchased the computer at a very high price in the early 90s for its known reputation of multi-functions, but what anchored his eyes on the monitor screen was one of its charming software, Painter 2.0. "This was a time when users had to deal with computer lag, for example, when I drew a line it did not show at the time of creation. Although the speed was quite slow, but I could complete my work much faster than painting with oil," he recalled. From the 9700 to the G3 to the IMAC, he was quick to adapt to the brand new hardware and software for perfecting his art work. Now Mr. Tak uses the professional drawing pad.
"My drawing grew with the advancement of IT. Painting software got better and better at each version, brush speed got faster, and finally the tablet pen was released." About 450 types of brushes and an infinite number of colors and canvases- now any artist can own them all through possessing a single computer- all renewable and reusable. The question is, can digital art ever gain the popularity of Art Nouveau (1890-1905), and be recognized as a "new art" or "youth art" Korea is not quite ready yet, to say yes.
Road to the Museum
Mr. Tak's passion for digital art is shown through his achievements of the last few decades. Not only did he educate many students at the Apple Center and JR Center of Digital Arts, he also exhibited his art works every three years with his own expenses since the early 90s. He is still hungry for apprentices, pupils, and companions because mostly retirees and professionals come to learn from him rather than the young generation with an open mind.
Thus, President Bok Ki-sung of the Road to the Museum is going to exhibit Mr. Tak's art work in May of this year. This year is very significant and rewarding for Mr. Tak who has been putting a lot effort to re-forest a desolate valley in the foothills of digital art. The exhibition for Tak Young-kyung's DigiArt World will have its grand opening on May 16 at a museum called Road to the Museum, which is the biggest museum in Insa-dong, Seoul. Although he has completed more than 300 pieces of artwork, a total of 43 artworks are chosen to be exhibited this year in categories of abstract, concrete, and semi-concrete. To contact the museum email at go-museum@hanmail.net, phone (+82)2-738-9199.
Road to the Future
"Although digital art is not yet generalized in Korea, I believe in this art. Digital art can be widely applied to industrial design, commercial design, and animations," he stated. The Korea DigiArt Association is soon to be officially established in Korea, and the digital art gallery is in the works too. "With the revived spirit, I am determined to dedicate my last drop of passion to share my philosophy, creativity, and originality with as many people as possible. And I hope the next generations will continue loving and studying art regardless of benefits and money. That is when an artist can truly express his/her thoughts, feelings, and creativity in freedom and it will bring true comfort and impression for many to appreciate, whether it is digital or not," Mr. Tak expressed.
Profile of Tak Young-kyung
A total of 14 private exhibitions and 20 team competitions
1999.11.7-11.15 Korea Digital Painting Exhibition and the 2nd Regular Members Exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Art sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
2002.5.26-6.25 Tak Young-kyung presented his gallery at the Korea 2002 Flag Art Festival: Poetry of the Winds at the Seoul World Cup Stadium
2004. 4.19-4.25 Tak Young-kyung Digital Painting Invitation Exhibition and the 6th Regular Members Digital Painting Exhibition, Chungpa Gallary at Sookmyung Women's University, Korea
2004.1.2-10.7 Korea-China Art Invitation Exhibition organized by the Yanji Museum of Art, China
Love Dokdo Invitation Exhibition, Dream Gallary,Korea Korea-China Art Fair, Qingdao Art Museum, China
2006 Yanbian International Art, China
2006 Uzbekistan Expo (Special Exhibition at the 3rd Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art)
2006.8.3-8.7 Korea-China Art Fair, Korea Town in Qingdao, China
2006.12.12-12.17Tak Young-kyung presented his gallery at the 2006 Asia International Art Salon that was organized by the Korea New Fine Arts Association
2007.10.4-12.30 Digital Painting Invitation Exhibition at Jinburyeong Museum, Korea
2009.4.29-5.5 Tak Young-kyung Digital Painting 60th Birthday celebration Exhibition in Insa-dong, Seoul
