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At the intersection of art and technology stands Haena Chu, a conscientious leader shaping influential roles at Art Center Nabi in Seoul and Curina in New York. With a meticulous and innovative approach, she has championed projects redefining how we experience and engage with art. Among her standout initiatives at Art Center Nabi are “A Butterfly’s Dream” and “Party in a Box,” which integrate Metaverse technology and AI.
Haena’s ability to weave new technologies into museum settings is demonstrated through specific achievements. “A Butterfly’s Dream” utilized Metaverse technology to illustrate the evolution of digital technologies in Korea, marking Art Center Nabi’s pioneering role as the first media art museum in the country. “Party in a Box” humorously engaged with the surge in delivery services during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring VR, AR, and AI to create a multi-dimensional experience. At Curina, she led impactful initiatives such as the COVID-19 Benefit Campaign and the Pride Undefined Collection, underscoring her commitment to social causes through art.
Pioneering exhibitions at Art Center Nabi
Drawing from the understanding that the digital world, often seen as universal, is deeply influenced by cultural habits and values, Haena’s exhibitions, “A Butterfly’s Dream” and “Party in a Box” at Art Center Nabi, reflect this insight. Reflecting on this, she explains, “Each culture has vastly different lived experiences and histories in reality.” In “A Butterfly’s Dream,” Haena traced the evolution of popular technology in Korea alongside Art Center Nabi’s 20-year archive, highlighting how tools of different eras framed contemporary philosophies. She notes, “Cellphones, though mundane now, inspired new theories on worldwide communication when they were first commercialized.” This retrospective approach helps contextualize modern technologies without nostalgia, aptly captured by the exhibition’s title, which references Chinese philosopher Chang Tzu’s story of dreaming he was a butterfly.
Similarly, “Party in a Box” addressed COVID-era experiences unique to Korea, particularly the rapid rise of delivery services. Returning from New York, Haena was struck by the affordability and speed of Seoul’s delivery services, raising questions about the working conditions of delivery workers. This inspired the exhibition’s website design, which parodied a popular delivery app. The selection process for “Party in a Box” focused on presenting a diverse range of works coherently, from games raising awareness about mental illness and pet abandonment to VR experiences of fictional alien planets. “This variety itself is a defining characteristic of the new media age,” Haena observes. By designing a custom website that included a “choose your own adventure” questionnaire, Haena satirized a world full of choices while questioning the consequences of those choices. She aimed to showcase the creative potential of new technologies and encourage artists to continue exploring and experimenting with their art.
Bridging technology and traditional art
Exploring digital technologies in traditional museum settings, Haena draws inspiration from the pervasive use of technology in our daily lives. “It’s more of a given reality of our time rather than a choice,” she states, emphasizing that museums have a responsibility to pose critical questions about these technologies and guide their development towards a healthier path.
Traditional museums serve as excellent testing grounds for new technologies, as seen with the metaverse-related projects she worked on at Art Center Nabi. Haena recalls, “There was this perception that it would be the new best thing,” but the fad quickly faded with the crypto crash and the limitations of current metaverse platforms. Motivated by the existential crisis during COVID-19, Haena aimed to push virtual technologies to their limits and explore their potential to foster a sense of belonging that offers something unique compared to in-person experiences.
Implementing new technologies like the Metaverse and AI in traditional museum settings presented several challenges, primarily in helping audiences overcome unfamiliarity with these tools. Haena explains, “A major challenge was helping audiences overcome unfamiliarity with these new technologies to stay true to the mission of inclusion.” For the Metaverse project, she and the designer had to learn on the go, often turning to unconventional means like Discord and Reddit to find “hacks” around coding roadblocks.
Similarly, for “Party in a Box,” incorporating AI, VR, AR, and games required rethinking traditional exhibition methods. An extra exhibition assistant was needed to help visitors use the Oculus headset and troubleshoot data-heavy games. To make the experience more interactive, audiences were given paper strips with “missions” during the opening event, encouraging active participation. Haena’s innovative approach highlights the need for museums to thoughtfully integrate technology to truly serve their audiences.
Impactful initiatives at Curina
During her time at Curina, Haena was deeply moved by the role of the queer club scene in New York during the height of COVID-19. “People supported DJs and nightlife through events like Club Carry that continued on Zoom,” she explains. Witnessing mutual aid as a new form of peer-to-peer solidarity, Haena reached out to For the Gworls to create a benefit collaboration. This initiative was a response to the shortcomings of larger fundraising efforts and aimed to directly support the community.
Additionally, the pandemic heightened awareness of disabilities and chronic illnesses, an issue close to Haena’s heart due to the anxieties faced by vulnerable individuals around her. This awareness inspired Curina’s collaboration with Lutte Collective, a group of chronically ill artists. Through these efforts, Haena not only raised significant funds but also fostered a sense of community and solidarity, reflecting her commitment to social awareness and support for marginalized groups.
Innovative leadership in art and technology
Haena’s philosophy on leadership within the art sector is rooted in the belief that successful leadership is about people, not just the objects they create. She states, “An innovative and effective leader in the arts sees their work as dealing with people and not just the objects they create.” This human-centric approach emphasizes art as a conduit between various groups—artists, audiences, curators, and supporters. Focusing on the human element, Haena believes leaders can foster qualities for success, transforming short-term experiments into sustainable growth and caring for employees’ and artists’ development.
A notable example of Haena’s commitment to long-term development is her upcoming project “Spokes Art,” aiming to revolutionize career growth within the art industry. “When you plan an exhibition, as important as the thematic content is what the participating artists and art workers will learn from the experience,” she explains. By focusing on learning and growth, Haena ensures each project contributes meaningfully to participants’ future endeavors. Her achievements, including the Museum Studies Scholarship and the Senior Thesis Award, underscore her contributions to the intersection of art and technology.
Selecting themes and artists for social impact
To integrate social issues into fine art, Haena believes it’s crucial to experience life outside the confines of art history. “While depth in research is of course valuable, art historians can lose sight of what it’s like to live in the broader world because they focus intensely on the topics that are narrowly important in contemporary art discourse,” she explains. To ensure her work remains relevant and socially aware, Haena immerses herself in diverse subcultures and disciplines, attending Afrofuturist performances, reggaeton dance parties, and transcore shows, and exploring new neighborhoods whenever possible.
By meeting and talking to different kinds of people who are expressing and living their genuine selves, Haena finds that “genuine themes of social awareness emerge.” This approach helps her select themes and artists for exhibitions that authentically promote societal issues, ensuring her work remains connected to the broader world and resonates with diverse audiences.
Global perspectives in art curation
Fluent in Korean and English and understanding German, Haena navigates and bridges diverse cultural contexts. She frames curation as a translation process, seeing the curator’s role as translating complex cultural networks’ deeper meanings. “I think a good translator and curator embarks from the understanding that there is no such thing as one-to-one correlation between expressions in two languages or cultures.” This allows her to create exhibitions resonating globally while acknowledging individual cultural narratives intricacies.
Haena’s philosophy goes beyond commercial presentations; she fosters long-term global art understanding, delving into cultural and historical contexts behind artworks. Her work with Korean contemporary artists exemplifies this approach. Haena believes for genuine appreciation of these artists, efforts must spread awareness of Korean history, culture, and language beyond popular media portrayals. “For Korean contemporary artists to be understood better in the long-run, spreading awareness on Korean history, culture, and language at levels deeper than commercialized content like K-pop or popular movies is as important as including Korean artists in exhibitions.” This perspective showcases her commitment to cultivating a richer, authentic appreciation of art across cultures.
Reflecting on her impact and legacy, Haena’s contributions extend beyond exhibits. Her innovative leadership blends traditional art with cutting-edge technology for social impact. As the future unfolds, she remains a pioneering figure, uniquely bridging these worlds. Her work inspires a deeper understanding of global art, fostering a more inclusive, socially aware sector.
