Jungju An, Hand in Hand with Amigos para Siempre, 26 September – 9 November 2025
Jungju An’s work from 2016 combines archival film materials from the Summer Olympics – in Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992. Referencing the official songs accompanying both events, the film echoes the distinctive ambiance of the era of rapid globalisation.
Following the Olympic motto ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’ the images in the film Hand in Hand with Amigos para Siempre of sporting glory reverberate with the enthusiasm accompanying South Korea’s economic expansion and political transformation that have overcome decades of post-war crisis and authoritarian government.
Jungju An (b. 1979 in Gwangju, South Korea) is interested in the language of propaganda and its impact on the individual. His inspiration comes from his own experience of growing up in a country which has been going through a systematic radical transformation. In his experimental videos and video installations, he examines diverse types of social performances, depicting mundane situations and public events, such as military parades, sports games, community gatherings and youth activities, deconstructing and transforming them into a sequence that acquires a new significance.
He draws on the memories preserved in the historical recordings, yet significant editorial interventions in the records break up the continuity of the narrative and provide a counterpoint to the nostalgic spirit of the work. The actions are frozen; they slow down or are compulsively repeated, stopping short of a crescendo of fulfilment. The final dissolution – a triumph? A failure? – is thus anticipated but never completed, leaving the viewer in a permanent state of bewilderment and suspense.
The film is supported by Han Nefken Foundation.
Practical information
The film lasts 8:30 minutes and is looped in our cinema when there are no other events.
It is free to watch the film with a paid admission to Kunsthal Charlottenborg.