Just recently, i had participated and became one of the winners on 2012 MMC 'Show Yourself' held by the ASEAN-KOREA Center, representing my country, Indonesia. The institution organizes the competition, annually, for young artists who is university students or young professional who is under the age of 30. It is aimed to provide cultural exchange and enhance mutual understanding between the young generations of ASEAN and Korea through new media. The winners from each country were invited to visit Seoul, South Korea for five days to attend the award ceremony with airfare along with accommodation provided during the stay in Seoul and bring home $300 as their prize.
The excitement was beyond everything! Until now such feeling of positivity still echo and I am truly grateful. It has been a wonderful five days full of life changing experience. I learned so many things in such short time and make friends with the most amazing heart warming people, they are the other winning participants, members of ASEAN country: Allysa Sing, Hassnal Adam Sulaiman, Chhun Borin, Jane Ch'ng, Nakrob Moolmanas, Ngoc Vo, Susan Zaw, Tor Kittisak, Victor Kaiba Villanueva, one winning participant from South Korea: Seung Min Jeong, and two kind hearted ladies from ASEAN-KOREA Center: Ahyun Song and Mino An. Those people mentioned has made my short trip to Seoul, South Korea memorable.
On the first day upon our arrival, we were taken to Sejong University residency where we all stayed during the visit, and had lunch right after at french cuisines restaurant. We barely knew each other and did not speak much to one another. I remember hearing Ms. Mino, one of the AKC staff that assigned to accompany and helping all of us, the 2012 MMC participant during our stay in Seoul, asking, why we were all still feel awkward to each other. As for me socializing is never an easy part, but with these people the ice melted eventually. We found out that we did enjoying the company of each other along the way and grew close to one another.
We visited Ilwoo Space, an art gallery, that is running a photography exhibition by Youngman Choi, called 'The Lot' where we get to meet the artist himself who gave us introduction to each of his pieces. We were all for instant gained lesson through his artistic point of view and process on creating. We also had the chance to meet Ms. Suejin Shin the 2012 MMC Director and one of the judges of the competition who is also the creative director of Ilwoo Foundation.
from left: Ms. Suejin Shin and Mr. Youngman Choi
Our second destination after Ilwoo Space is to another photography exhibition 'Thinking About René Magritte' — at 홍대 / KT&G Sangsangmadang. After that, we had our free time walking around Hongik Area / Hongdae, where we get to treat our eyes with Seoul's urban ambient located in Mapo-gu in the western end of Seoul.
