Melancholia reflects on “depression” as a discursive category that has haunted our bodies in manifold forms and interpretations over the past century. It examines the mechanisms of social regulation, norms, repression, and control imposed upon the body, as well as the structures of belief that sustain reality. At the same time, it traces the trajectory by which the collapse of such convictions engenders a personal void that resonates with collective, social, and historical loss. The participating artists, each in their own way, explore the places, forms, and realities where today’s melancholy dwells, investigating “depression” on multiple scales – personal, collective, and historical –.

Credit

Participating artists : GIM Ikhyun, KIM Daum, LEE Dong Hyuk, JANG Jinseung
Curated by KIM Sung woo
Text by KIM Sung woo
Space construction : Mujindongsa
Media technician and installation : Smart Interactive
Photo by CJY ART STUDIO (CHO Junyong)

Supported by Arts Council Korea, 2025 ARKO Selection Visual Art