How many times do university students have a chance to display their works in a large exhibition? It is a meaningful experience to students! ASYAAF gives them that chance. ASYAAF is an abbreviation for ‘Asian Students and Young Artists Art Festival’. Literally this exhibition is large scale to students.

ASYAAF was first held in 2008. This year is the 4th . During 3 years, 140 thousand spectators have come to ASYAAF and over 3000 works has been sold. Critics and art domestic world of art including gallery workers as well as pro- artists and general people are interested in this festival. In 2008, 5 nations including Korea and 105 universities participated in ASYAAF and in 2010, 9 nations including Korea and 130 universities participated. ASYAAF has grown in size each year. 2000 works of 777 promising artists of Korea and Asia are selected by judges consisted of specialists recommended by directors and planning members
ASYAAF is held in HOMA (Hongik museum of Art) ,Hongik university and this university is prominent for university of arts. Once you enter the front gate, you can see Hongik museum of art in Hong-Mun Guan surely.
In first and second floor, there are many works that many university students submitted. And as you can see there, stickers are attached to many works. The reason is that those works are already sold by ordinary people and artists. Their prices vary greatly. Many staffs are placed at every corner to explain the interpretation of works and mediate the purchase. They are Student Art Managers. SAM, or Student Art Managers program. It is an internship program through voluntary for those who dreams of being a curator or an art dealer. They have to take 4 classes to learn the attitude and their role before exhibition opening.

Let’s take a look at the structure of each floor.
On the first floor, In pavilion A, there are many works of young artists and university students made of not only dyestuffs and oil colors, but also wire and denim, unique materials.
Recently, thanks to the development of technique, without curators by using smart phone, it can explain the give interpretation of the works. If you take a picture of a bar code, you can see the explanation of art work. And there, many videos that are made by themselves and also performed by themselves are displayed. The most interesting work is the telephone that had a sensor (If a man approaches it, the phone is ringing a bell.) Answering the phone, we can hear a suggestive voice that is recorded by a certain woman. It was a work of art.
And another interesting masterpiece was a drawing like a photo.
Is this work a drawing? Or a photo?
Lee Ji-eon drew pieces of rainbow candy, and Mun Seon-young drew Chuppachupseu candies. Many spectators were surprised that it is actually drawn. Like this, many works made spectators feel excited. A certain person said “It is more interesting than other exhibitions because they makes me feel confused and cannot understand myself. ”
In pavilion C, there displayed the works of foreign artists .We can know that how world-wide the festival is as we can see the nations of the participating country.

On the second floor.
Many works are exhibited like the first floor. However, it didn’t display just the works of arts, but also many programs that people can participate in. In particular, there was ‘The Room of Artists’ that the amateur artists place their portfolios and their business card for people who have interest to buy their work. And there is a program for children ‘making the panorama dream box’ that they can make a colorful box. It can also be displayed in a souvenir shop in a hallway like other exhibitions.

On the third floor
Every day, different critics, professors, or artists give lecture to spectators for free in a room called ’Arist Story Time.’ And artists explain their works to people directly, and with artists, people can criticize their works and share their opinions works.

What is the meaning of this kind of festival?
At first, at the perspective of participating students, it is big chance that as identification of students, amateur artists across Asia in such a world-wide exhibition have the opportunity to submit art works. This exhibition makes their opportunities to get closer to their dream. By receiving a compliment to the artists, they can also receive confidence.
Next, at the perspective of spectators, especially university students, as students, many chances are limited but thanks to this exhibition, they can have confidence that they can also exhibit their works. And for those interested in art, they can get a chance to buy the splendid works inexpensively and they can know that the works of art are not sole owner of the rich. Also, for young children, they can get a wider perspective of arts and they can recognize that art is closer to us.
Finally, at the perspective of pro-artists, as you can see works that have stickers, that means works are already sold, many artists try to buy the dreams of students and raise their dreams. Besides, they can read the trend that many students make the work in these days. And by watching their works, you can get a good stimulation.

Why are these kinds of exhibitions needed? As you have read above, many pro-artists and amateur artists can communicate through many pieces of works. They have few chances of communicating with spectators, curators, critics, managers, collectors directly but this festival gives that chances. ASYAAF gives a stepping-stone for the students’ dream to come true. These minor changes promote the development of the whole culture encouraging future artists to communicate with the public and contribute to expanding the base of art.

 

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