Heyri Art Valley: Art on the Border

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Heyri Art Valley: Art on the Border

Written by Aveleigh Gateman

Tuesday, 22 September 2009 00:00

South Korea is possibly the most optimistic country on earth. They have reason to be, given the amazing rate of development and economic growth they have experienced in the last 30 years. They also have a great need to be optimistic, as they continue to share a border with the temperamental regime to the north, which has separated them from their families and friends for the last 55 years. As South Korea has become richer, the government has ensured that the built up infrastructure could one day be easily linked to the rest of the peninsula. But it's not just the government that is optimistic. Some of the most hopeful of South Korea's residents decided to establish a village not five kilometres from the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas.

Photo: Aveleigh Gatemen

For many years, the valley beside the Han River contained nothing more than barbed wire and dilapidated bunkers left over from the war. That is until these people, artists and cultural activists, built an artist village called Heyri Art Valley as a place to promote the culture of a united Korean community. Over the last 10 years, Heyri has transformed the border city of Paju into a symbol of optimism and peace. The founders of Heyri have started a movement to bring life and art to a land that was nothing but desolate a few short years ago.

In the Korean language, 'Heyri' is a farmer's folk song, traditionally sung after a long and tiring day of work. The artists who founded Heyri felt it was the perfect name to represent how they felt. After so many years of ongoing tension in this region, they put in a 'hard day's work' to create something productive. Now the name 'Heyri' signifies the power of art and the hope that the two Koreas will one day reunify.

Heyri has nearly 400 artist members, who work in such diverse mediums as painting, print, ceramic, mosaic, sculpture, film, photography, jewellery, and drawing, among many others. Heyri's artists have the freedom to create anything they can imagine. For the artists who live there Heyri is not just their home, it is their community, their inspiration, and their studio. They feel fortunate to be able to live and work in such a place.

Visitors get a taste of this feeling, too. In my experience it is impossible to leave Heyri without feeling inspired and content. Heyri is open to everyone who loves art. Visitors can experience the creative process of producing art by attending a workshop or visiting the mosaic or ceramic galleries that encourage guests to create their own work. Or they can talk with the artists themselves to better understand the art they see. Visitors can come for a day, or stay overnight in one of the many guest rooms and guesthouses run by the community members. If you spent a week exploring Heyri, you might have time to see everything. There are over 50 museums, galleries, and studios. They showcase everything from photography to currency to books. You would see influences from many sources, including Korean history, Buddhism, Christianity, something from almost every corner of the world. You could easily stay within the village limits for the entire week, as there are restaurants and cafes that offer a diverse selection of Korean and foreign food throughout.

This village is made up of some 150 buildings. Each building houses at least one artist (many of whom live there with their families), as well as a gallery, studio, museum, or café/restaurant. Most of the artists run businesses out of their uniquely designed building. The buildings were constructed using environmentally friendly materials and designs, maximizing the use of natural resources such as sunlight, water and shade. In fact, every element of Heyri is a product of much deliberation by its residents to make the town as environmentally friendly as possible. The tallest building in town is no taller than three stories, so the view of the mountain or the glow of the setting sun will not be obstructed. Heyri's roads are all curvy because they are intentionally left in their original forms. It is difficult to find a straight or even an organized road. There are a lot of unfinished edges that make the structures and their interiors feel organic and in harmony with the environment that surrounds them.

Photo: Aveleigh Gateman

I have been volunteering at Heyri for nearly a year. Each time I visit, I go to a new gallery or business and help out with anything they need. I usually end up just greeting visitors, but I've also brought my highly desirable English language skills with me to do editing for promotional materials or internet research. Mostly, the owners and artists are just content to have me visit their gallery. They like to show me around, tell me about their work or business, and practice their English with me. I'm always treated more like a guest than a volunteer. Gallery owners often give me tea and treats and tell me to sit down and take everything in. Each time I visit, the experience is completely new and unique. A few of the places where I've volunteered include:

Time Capsule Museum

This museum is a personal collection of pop culture: toys, games, appliances, uniforms, magazines, books, posters, traditional clothing, and tools reflect the changes in daily Korean life over the last 100 years. The items are placed out, without a case or glass, in order to encourage guests to pick things up, look at them, and learn how to use them. The young daughter of the owners is eager to show people around and demonstrate her knowledge of the English names.

Lime Tree Café

This café is attached to a film and photography gallery that acts as a permanent exhibition space for the owner. His family runs the café, and his daughter has taken over its daily operations. She designed the entire space, aiming to create a cozy and comfortable place. It includes a small outdoor garden and patio. They serve delicious western style sandwiches, coffees and fresh fruit juices.

Hanhyanglim Gallery

This gallery has two sections. The first floor contains a large personal collection of traditional Korean Onggi, which are clay pots used to make and ferment Korean foods like Kimchi. Upstairs there are temporary modern ceramics displays. When I visited they were displaying the "Korean Pyroplastic Line" by American artist Brad Evan Taylor. His work is made using rice straw and bamboo in addition to clay and is an experiment in changing matter with extreme heat. The effect he created was a ceramic wave.

Chai Gallery

Photo: Aveleigh Gateman

This gallery showcases modern art from various artists. Currently they are displaying the work of a Korean university student, who paints representations of nipples. The owner of the gallery showed me this latest installation on opening day, and, while I was sure the paintings were in fact nipples, I was worried that I was missing something is translation. The gallery is next to a café, which serves visitors drinks and desserts.

Green Sense Ceramic Gallery and Restaurant

This space combines a gallery with a restaurant. The restaurant is known throughout the village to have wonderful food and atmosphere. The gallery is in the shape of a triangle, and the windows run along the floor. There is a lot of natural light as a result. If you walk up to the restaurant you will notice a large collection of empty wine bottles, as one of the owners is a wine lover. You can walk through the restaurant and along the brick walkway that reaches up the hill behind the building. The owners built it all themselves, and they have created a beautiful little sanctuary.

The artists who have built Heyri have turned it into one of the most unique and peaceful spots in all of Korea. My experiences at Heyri have shown me a different side of the Korean peninsula. The South Korean hope for a unified future is not just evident in politics, but in the community of culture and art being created here. Heyri is an exciting place that exhibits a new paradigm of art in its creation, communication and development. I hope that the magic of Heyri will become more accessible to the foreign community of Korea and to the international art world. This massive communal art project is not only an important fixture in the future of Korea but also in helping the rest of the world to understand the Korean perspective.