• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.39
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• pp.413-450
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• 2015

Although cartoons have been recognized for their great potential and value, they have failed to bloom in Korea. This is because wrong perception and irregular distribution of cartoons have been repeated for the last several years. Presently, however, cartoons are escaping from chronic problems they have had for long and welcoming splendid chances now. From the mid- and late-1990's, there have been large-scale events having cartoons as their theme, and social recognition on cartoons is becoming more and more positive. Their contents are diversified, readers are increased, and they are escaping from stereotypes through harmony with other media. Lately, either large or small exhibitions for cartoons are being planned, and Korean cartoons are going overseas and producing exhibitions there. Particularly, visitors' appreciative eye is getting keener, and they begin to see them not as a genre underestimated as low culture like in the past but as a kind of art on which independent research is being actively conducted. One of the biggest factors that have allowed cartoons to be positioned as visual art is the form of exhibitions that combine them with other genres artistically. Especially the cartoon exhibitions being held these days are aggressively introducing various elements of the cartoon genre through the medium of exhibitions not just as a mere tool of seeing to help understand cartoon writers or works. The genre of cartoons is now regarded as an active subject that can reflect its own unique essence in this rapidly changing cultural environment and extend the range of it itself. The latest cartoon exhibitions are characterized by trans-genre and complex aspects in terms of their direction or organization according to the contents, space, or theme. This trend of cartoon exhibitions implies that they are subdividing, analyzing, and planning various factors not in a horizontal way that was centered around image as in the past. It means that cartoon exhibitions are evolving as a form of mobilizing, combining, and reproducing various methods. Although a number of cartoon exhibitions are being held with a variety of themes, there is still lack of research on cartoon exhibitions concerning their forms and contents. Therefore, this researcher sees cartoon exhibitions as a factor that allows cartoons to escape from negative recognition and examines various cartoon exhibitions, from Seoul International Cartoon Animation Festival to the ones that are recently held, to figure out the meaning of Korean cartoon exhibitions. Furthermore, this researcher will find out the factors of planning and popularity in international exhibitions or personal cartoon exhibitions being presently held and figure out new directions and potentials for Korean cartoon exhibitions based on that. To meet the needs of visitors whose expectations have become even higher, it is needed to try not just previous methods but experimental and original planning as well constantly. To realize that, it is necessary to keep providing a field of opportunity where cartoon works, cartoon writers, and visitors can communicate as in an exhibition. It is expected that this study will trigger research on cartoon exhibitions to be performed multilaterally and produce new discourse on cartoon exhibitions afterwards.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.48
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• pp.199-215
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• 2017

Recently, a drone is used for the general purpose application although the drone was builtfor the military purpose. A drone is actively used for the creation of contents, and an image acquisition. In this paper, we develop a 3D library module platform using 3D mesh model data, which is generated by a drone image and its point cloud. First, a lot of 2D image data are taken by a drone, and a point cloud data is generated from 2D drone images. A 3D mesh data is acquired from point cloud data. Then, we develop a service library platform using a transformed 3D data for multi-purpose uses. Our platform with 3D data can minimize the cost and time of contents creation for special effects during the production of a movie, drama, or documentary. Our platform can contribute the creation of experts for the digital contents production in the field of a realistic media, a special image, and exhibitions.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.36
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• pp.669-702
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• 2014

Today, in Korean modern fine arts, 'cartoon images' are utilized for their roles of the 'personas' of the artists, and as the 'texts' for the artistic discourses, while they play a role as a bridgehead between the public and art. In this study, we made a study, focusing on 'Atomouse' of Lee Dong-gi, in order to examine how the borrowing of the 'cartoon images' was made in the Korean modern fine arts, and what its period context is. 'Atomouse' of Lee Dong-gi is the first cartoon character that appeared in Korean modern fine arts, and it has acquired a symbolism of a subculture being acknowledged as art. In this study, we tried to find out what period contexts the changes of 'Atomouse' have, focusing on the private exhibitions of Lee Dong-gi, such as 'Smoking' Exhibition (2006), 'Bubble' Exhibition (2008), 'Double Vision' Exhibition (2008), 'The Garden of Uncertainty' Exhibition (2012) and 'Do Not Look Back with Angry Face' Exhibition (2013). Atomouse was born in the era of 'lack of pop' a change was attempted of it in the era of 'excess of pop' and its proceeding ended along with the 'settlement of the neo-pop'. From Atomouse started from the unconsciousness of the artist, we can find the 'identity' of the Republic of Korea, which was being influenced by the 'American and Japanese' culture, as well as the symbolism of a subculture being acknowledged as art, while it emerged as an icon to represent the Korean pop art of the time. Then, as the agony and self-examination of the artist was contained in it, its use was changed into the role as a persona and it was utilized as a tool to connect the and figurative worlds. In the end, the artist put an end to the proceeding of the 'Atomouse' at the boundaries of a persona and an alter ego, removing the creation with his own hands. In the process in which Lee Dong-gi created and changed 'Atomouse', the start-up and growth of the pop art are included in the history of the Korean modern fine arts, apart from a study of an artist. 'Atomouse' was not only painted on the walls of the subway stations in the form of public art, but it tried to closely communicate with the public through the collaboration with diverse media. It made the best use of the 'marketability' which a 'cartoon character' had at first, so that pure art was made a step closer to the public. So 'Atomouse' of Lee Dong-gi not only raised a subculture into the realm of high art, but lowered the door sill to high art. Through the study we could confirm what position 'Atomouse' of Lee Dong-gi, which started absurdly between parody and Hommage, takes in Korean modern art of today.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.45
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• pp.321-343
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• 2016

The purpose of this thesis is to look through the political and social background of China preparing for a new era after getting out of the Communist Party of Mao Zedong, rapid inflow of the Western modernism and the avant-garde art arising in China with the focus of art works of Xu Bing, which contributed to the expansion of printmaking of China. Particularly, 85 New Wave Movement arose by young artists since 1985 and the China/Avant-Garde Exhibition held in Beijing in 1989 are the two important issues which reflect a new change from the traditional Chinese art. The artists of 85 New Wave Movement, who pursued a historical revolution and novelty, worked very actively by leading private exhibitions. Since the Cultural Revolution, the government owned the National Museum of Fine Art Beijing had exhibitions on a large scale displaying various visual arts such as performing art, installation, painting, sculpture but the Chinese government interrupted exhibitions two time due to bold performing art and unconcealed installation. Some artists were even taken to the police when performing art. Under these circumstances, Xu Bing, who majored printmaking, produced one of his major works, Books from the sky(1988), while he was working on various experiments focusing on the production process of printmaking and its repetitiveness. Xu Bing devised letters, carved them in trees and finally created approximately 2000 characters. Going further he displayed it as installation work, which means the developed characters go beyond a printed form, for audiences. This made him earn favorable reviews since it was a form of western art coupled with Chinese contents 'Chinese character'. After he received unfavorable reviews, however, he went to America leaving his last work in China, Ghost Pounding the Wall, in 1990, which was not able to exhibited. In those days, China society was going through a chaotic era thanks to the extinction of the Cultural Revolution and Deng Xiaoping's(1904-1997) reformation after the debacle of Tiananmen Massacre. This study looks into Xu Bing's artworks from his initial print works until he went to the US in 1991 and examines how he performed experiments utilizing reproductivity and plurality of prints tinged with Chinese traditional elements, and ultimately became one of the avant-garde artists representing the period.