Kaohsiung’s metamorphosis from a quiet town to a major industrial hub began in the late nineteenth century under Japanese colonial rule.

In 1900, a railway was built between Kaohsiung and Tainan, which had previously been southern Taiwan’s most significant town. Shortly thereafter, harbor facilities for large ships began to crop up, setting the stage for the establishment of Taiwan’s first iron and steel mill in 1919. Steel production continued to increase with an additional steel mill built in the 1970s.

As the city’s high tech industries continue to glisten with an ever-growing luster, the Kaohsiung City Government is working to strengthen its cultural identity to showcase the crucial importance of steel.

Steel by the Sea

Perhaps one of the most notable depictions of the city’s cultural transformation is the Pier 2 Art Center, Kaohsiung’s premiere art district.

Two decades ago, the area was home to a cluster of abandoned warehouses. But in the early 2000s, the site was converted into a venue for artistic creation and experimentation by government authorities and members of local cultural communities.

The project has since led to the establishment of a sprawling campus of large, sophisticated spaces developed to host a variety of activities such as craft fairs and art shows. Included among them are exhibition venues and stores operated by emerging Taiwanese cultural and creative product designers like the Yan Chen Metal Workshop, which uses its retail space to sell jewelry and host metalworking classes.

In 2015, the Pier 2 Art Center also launched an artist residency project. Under the program, the city government subsidizes residencies at the site, typically for periods of about three months. As of this past March, 37 Taiwanese and international artists had participated in the project.

Celebrating Steel

The Kaohsiung City Government’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs has also organized a range of cultural events and art fairs at the Pier 2 Art Center, such as the Kaohsiung International Steel & Iron Sculpture Festival.

The biennial event was established in 2002 to celebrate the seaport city’s historical relationship with iron and steel. Like several of Taiwan’s other festivals, the Steel and Iron Festival features art that draws on materials vital to its local economy.

The event showcases the often overlooked aesthetics of iron and steel sculpture from an international perspective, integrating a number of specially commissioned works by metal craft artists.

Distinguished steel and iron sculptors from around the globe convene at the event where they fabricate new works over a two-week period from approximately 120 tons of materials provided by a locally based steelworks. Once completed, their ostentatious metal structures are installed along the pier, adding a renewed vibrancy to the city’s cultural landscape.

In addition to creating new works, participating artists also provide the public with insight into the subtleties of ferrous metal sculpture through public workshops and lectures. The festival also offer historical tours for those who want to learn more about the city’s relationship with ferrous metals.

Science, Steel and Spiraling Slides

The rapid growth of Kaohsiung over the past century was no doubt catalyzed by outstanding breakthroughs in technology. These advancements are not only celebrated through the city’s festivals, but also exhibitions at the National Science and Technology Museum (NSTM).

Opened in 1997, the NSTM aims to enrich citizens’ knowledge of science and technology, and record and present Taiwan’s related achievements. Exhibitions on scientific principles and applications that complement the local heavy industries not only create educational opportunities, but also enrich the culture of local industrial communities.

Since its establishment, the museum has since grown to be the world’s second-largest science museum, and is constantly adding attractions to allure even more visitors. Last year, for example, the NSTM unveiled a giant spiraling slide, which lets visitors slide from the top to the bottom in 12 seconds at a top speed of 67 kilometers per hour.

It enables visitors to not only experience the fun of sliding at a high speed, but to learn about physics-related subjects such as free fall, centrifugal force, friction and centripetal force. The slide helped draw about 800,000 visitors to London’s Tate Modern art gallery within three months following its launch in 2014.

The slide is constructed of acrylic glass and, appropriately enough for Kaohsiung, stainless steel.

As Taiwan’s steel city continues to transform into a capital of culture, it is certain that its steel roots will not soon be forgotten.

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POSCO endeavors to connect people and establish free communication between people and society through art. As part of such efforts, POSCO introduces a wide variety of exhibitions at the POSCO Art Museum. If you have any plans to visit Korea in the near future, or thinking about staying for a while, then you should definitely visit the Vertigo exhibition currently running at the POSCO Art Museum. It’s an opportunity too good to miss!

Australian Contemporary Art at a Glance

The Vertigo exhibition is a chance to take a comprehensive look into Australian contemporary art. Curated by Claire Anna Watson, Vertigo features work by ten contemporary Australian artists; Boe-lin Bastian, Cate Consandine, Simon Finn, Justine Khamara, Bonnie Lane, Kristin McIver, Kiron Robinson, Kate Shaw, Tania Smith and Alice Wormald. Presenting drawing, video, collage and sculptural works, the artists embrace diverse strategies in their attempt to make sense of the world around them, with dizzying results.

Vertigo, presented by Asialink Arts (funded by the Australian government), is part of an Exhibition Touring Program. The exhibition has already been greeted with enthusiasm in other venues in Asia including Indoneisa and Taiwan.

Following the touring exhibition’s success in Indonesia and Taiwan, the exhibition at POSCO opened on 24 July.

<During the exhibition, 10 young Australian contemporary artists will present a wide array of art, including neon signs, paintings, collages, drawings, videos and sculptures>

Director of Asialink Arts Lesley Alway says, “Reflecting on an accelerating world and its associated anxieties, Vertigo features a search for balance and a re-evaluation about priorities and possibilities for the future. At a time where we are connecting globally and searching for connections, dialogue about the way we live and envision the future has never been more important.”

△ Cate Consandine – Lash (2006)

Vertigo: The Exhibition
What does vertigo mean? If you look up the dictionary, it says, “a sensation of whirling and loss of balance; giddiness.” There is hardly another word that better reflects the identities of the 10 young, strikingly unique artists who participated in this exhibition. The artists, through their art, attempt to take the audience off guard and introduce a taste of chaos by making them experience the instability when one is faced with the unknown and the impossible. However, if you look at the artworks more carefully, you will realize that it is possible to overcome the fear and nervousness, and make sense out of the apparent confusion and chaos: Such an experience ultimately leads to the inner growth of the viewer.

“So what happens tomorrow?” Asks Claire Anna Watson, curator of Vertigo. “Lacking prescience, this is of course an unanswerable question that strikes at the heart of this exhibition. The bold offerings of the artists in Vertigo articulate the psychological repercussions and sense of dislocation that arises when considering the uncertainty of our world and its future.”

Do these works embody gravitas and signify a demise of hope? “They invite us to contemplate the volatility of humanity,” She answers.

[box] Vertigo @ POSCO Art Museum Exhibition Information

– Name of Exhibition : Vertigo – Chaos and dislocation in contemporary Australian art
– Exhibition Dates : 2014/7/24~2014/8/27
– Opening Hours : Mon-Fri: 10:00-19:00, Sat: 11:00-16:00 (Closed for Sundays and Holidays)
– Venue : POSCO Art Museum (B1 POSCO Center, 892 Daechi 4 Dong, Gangnamgu, Seoul, Korea)
– Fee : Free of Charge
– Artists : 10 Australian Contemporary Artists Boe-lin Bastian, Cate Consandine, Simon Finn, Justine Khamara, Bonnie Lane, Kristin McIver, Kiron Robinson, Kate Shaw, Tania Smith, & Alice Wormald
– Number of Artworks : 32 Works

For more information, please visit the POSCO Art Museum Homepage [/box]

Notable Artworks at Vertigo

The 10 artists participating in this exhibition are relatively young: most were born between 1970 and 1980. Nevertheless, these young, powerful artists are not only at the forefront of Australia’s contemporary art scene, but also making themselves known globally as well. From paintings and videos to sculptural works, the exhibition has a lot to offer in terms of both variety and intensity. Let us take a look at a few of the notable artworks available at the exhibition. 

#1 Justine Khamara – ‘Rotational Affinity’ (2013)

“In the past, I have sought to disrupt photography’s smooth, two-dimensional surfaces by building sculptures and collages entirely out of photographic parts. These works evoke biological processes of replication while also engaging with notions of self-representation in an era of instant, endlessly generative image production technologies. There is an undeniably psychological aspect to these works that is amplified by the fact that many of the sitters who appear in the photos are my close family members.” – Justine Khamara, on the ways he uses technological developments as an artistic medium.

#2 BONNIE LANE ‘MAKE Believe’ (2012) 

“By exploring emotional responses to the world in which we live, my predominantly video based practice focuses on universal human experiences from an often-existential perspective. My video pieces utilize the atmosphere and history of existing architectural spaces to create immersive environments to be stepped into. My artworks are often wholly or partly autobiographical, an amalgamation of experiences and memories, dreams and nightmares, fears and fantasies.” –Bonnie Lane, explaining her art philosophy.

#3 KIRON ROBINSON ‘I’m Scared World’ (2006)

“I use a range of mediums including neon, video, photography and installation to investigate the idea of doubt, faith and failure as constructive devices. My work continually chases ways of articulating, that which by its own definition is beyond articulation. [This work] explores the condition of experiencing and facing the idea of beyond from a position grounded in a contingent world.” – Kiron Robinson on how he tries to makes sense of the world through his art.

[box] Interview of Contemporary Artist Simon Finn

[Introduction] Born in 1976 at Melbourne, Australia, Simon Finn expresses the unmoving and the moving through drawings, sculpture and simulation technology. He is currently teaching classes on animation and game design at the SAE Institute of the Design Institute of Australia. He is also an award-winning artist who holds various exhibitions.

Q. What was the most impressing thing about Korea?
A. Korea is very beautiful, and there are lots to see. The most impressing thing about Korea was its food. Australian food is a bit bland; Korean food was powerful and unique. It was a very interesting experience.

Q. Could you please explain your art philosophy, and your thoughts on Korean Contemporary Art?
A. I am interested in new culture, human society, the environment, and technology. I think my interests blend in naturally into my work. I’ve had a chance to experience Korean contemporary art, and was very surprised to see there were a lot of interesting and unique ideas. Though my stay was short, it was a meaningful time getting to know about Korean culture and art. I’m going to spread the word about Korean culture and art when I go back to my home country.[/box]

The artists who participated in Vertigo are expressing their art philosophies in various ways. They are not satisfied with absolute beauty; rather, they try to communicate with the audience by showing them how they see today’s world with their own eyes. Can you feel the dissonance between dream and reality, the present and the future, and the feeling of uncertainty that arises?

POSCO Art Museum will continue to provide interesting and unique art experiences that leave the viewer thinking. Please look forward to more exhibitions in the future, and don’t forget to pay a visit when you have the chance!

SAM-DJSI is an international sustainability evaluation index developed by the Swiss sustainability evaluation institution RobecoSAM and U.S. financial information provider Dow Jones, and includes financial results as well as non-financial results in the evaluation criteria of global companies.

2,500 companies selected by Sam-Dow Jones based on highest sales are evaluated and analyzed by RobecoSAM based on the three categories of sustainability—profitability, environmental soundness, and social responsibility—where the top 10% in each industry are selected and announced.

Evaluation results are used all around the world by international institutional investors’ social responsibility investment funds and financial product management when considering a company’s current management results as well as future potential value.

In the 2013 SAM-DJSI evaluation results, POSCO, Taiwan’s China Steel (CSC), and Finland’s Outokumpu were selected as leading companies of the 31 companies in the steel category.  POSCO received 77 points in 2013, 3 points higher than last year, and was selected as a leading company for the 9^th consecutive year, a first in the steel industry.

POSCO particularly received 90 points in the environment criteria, the highest among global steel companies, and was recognized as an environmentally friendly steel company based on a management philosophy of environmental management.

In addition, by carrying out leading sustainable management in the global steel industry as well as overseas social contributions, its shared growth activities received high evaluations.

Its contribution to spreading sustainable management in the steel industry by providing sustainable management case studies to the World Steel Association to develop steel industry sustainable management practices also received good scores.

Based on these results, POSCO plans to continue to solidify its sustainable management system while also spreading it to and settling it within POSCO Family companies, growing future competitiveness of the entire POSCO Family.

Thank you very much for joining us today. Can you tell us about how you started working at POSCO?

I’d say I grabbed the opportunity at the right moment. I was working for a translation agency which I’d established after coming back from Taiwan, where I gave lectures at the Central Police University. One day, I saw an advert from newspaper saying POSCO was hiring overseas regional experts. It certainly drew my attention. Before applying for it, I was slightly hesitative because I heard POSCO was a bit conservative towards female employees. It took me some time to consider but eventually, I handed in my resume and got accepted.

It was a big challenge. Until then, I only had experiences at schools. Then, I thought it could be quite fun to work in a company. My career at POSCO began in the overseas investment and business department. There was a great degree of investments in China by POSCO during the time. My Chinese skill came in very handy and I was also an interpreter for the management. Later, I moved my post to Sales for heated carbon and stainless steels.

When did you feel most challenged while working at POSCO?

Few years ago, I was reassigned to Beijing Office when my parents-in-law were very unwell and my husband was the only child to look after them. Although my husband told me to seize the opportunity, I just couldn’t leave them behind and move abroad. I even thought of quitting the job because of this. But POSCO showed me a tremendous consideration and allowed me to stay put in Seoul. I am still thankful for POSCO as the company listened to my voice and understood the personal issue.

Could you share your ‘Know-Hows’ on communicating with young colleagues?

I often visit my junior colleagues’ Facebook accounts. You can see their thoughts and worries through SNS which can be quite helpful to understand the difficulties they are facing. Speaking with my eldest daughter is another way of enhancing my communication skills with young employees. She is familiar with thoughts of the young generations like her so I try to have more conversations with my daughter whenever I can.

What would be your advantages as a female leader?

I reckon my strongest attribute comes when I take care of each individual’s feelings carefully. Notably in marketing, which is my field, it could be a great boost if you care for clients with great delicacy so you can lead them into a right direction.

How do you keep the balance between family and work?

I personally think husbands should be great supporters. My husband is same age as I am and we are just like friends. We talk about concerns and worries about our works together. There are certain things you cannot share with colleagues but you can always speak to your spouse about, well, virtually anything.

Also, husbands need to help their wives to keep up with housework such as raising children. The majority of female workers tend to feel sorry for not being able to spend much time with their kids. But I think it really depends on how you put it. When my kids were about three or four years old, I always explained to them about what I was doing for work because I thought it was essential to let them know their mom was playing an important role as a member of society, not just working to gain financial rewards. We need to make our children to be proud of us, not neglected. Also, I try to emphasize their roles within a family for studying hard and being independent. My children have been behaving really well to me and I’m grateful for that.

Are there any advices that you would like to give to your female junior employees?

I’ve seen many women taking time-offs or quitting their jobs after getting married. I feel sorry when the female talents are forced to cease their careers because of the first 1 or 2 years of childcare after giving birth. When my children were babies, I was living with my parents-in-law and they brought the children up with so much love. Some say it’s hard to live with their parents-in-law but I think there are so many things you can learn and thankfully receive from them. We only need to talk and narrow down our differences and things will turn out to be fine.

What is your grateful moment as a member of POSCO?

I appreciate POSCO for trusting me and promoting my position to be the first female team leader, group leader and executive. The President of Overseas Corporation carries a tremendous responsibility of managing a corporate and I’m glad that the company offered me the role.

You’ve worked in marketing field for quite a long period. Do you have any special business skills to tip us off?

I focused on developing our small and medium-sized enterprise partners’ potentialities so they could overcome the market’s fierce competition. Also I put a lot of effort into understanding clients. Such efforts have resulted in improvements of the relationship between POSCO and the partners. For instance, there was a Japanese steel pipe manufacturer, which wasn’t participating in any meaningful business with us. Now, the firm has become one of our royal customers purchasing 90 percent of their purchases from POSCO. I managed to accomplish the success by researching their needs whenever I visited the firm. After a while, I realized that Japanese companies had limited knowledge of foreign trends and market condition as they were generally targeting domestic market. I provided them with information of export market because I was familiar with the area as a leader of the export team. The company could act faster than its competitors and generated profits with the resources I gave them and it naturally led to the firm’s trust in me.

Such achievement was feasible because I tried to assist them by developing their potentiality so they could overcome the market’s fierce competition. If I had only offered cheaper price or any other simplistic solutions, the success would not have been possible.

What are the essential attributes and attitudes you would suggest your fellow members to have?

POSCO is a manufacturing company so a firm discipline should be applied to all. Furthermore, our staff ought to possess a sense of ownership towards the company. You need to do your best, even if certain decisions could give you hard times. At the end of the day, you will realize it was worthwhile doing and satisfactory results will soon follow. This is a view I would like to put forward to, not only POSCO but also, our affiliates.

As for the last question, how do you see yourself after 5 or 10 years from now on?

If there’s an opportunity, I’d like to work as a marketing executive to develop myself by managing a broader region. Struggling markets like Japan at the moment would be the place I’d want to challenge. For a long term aim, my dream is to challenge myself as far as I can and keep advancing forward.

After the interview with Vice President Liang, POSCO could realize how important it is to love our work and devote ourselves to the company. This concludes our series of interviews with POSCO’s three female executives. POSCO wish their journey ahead would be leading them towards glorious success, setting the fine examples for POSCO and other female talents. As always, POSCO’s effort to cultivate female leadership marches on.