《uni form: Broken Twill》 is an exhibition by fashion designer and contemporary artist Choi Chul-yong, which dismantles the institutional framework of the uniform and reconstitutes it with new meaning. Unlike conventional exhibitions, this project is conceived not only as a presentation of the artist’s individual works but also as a “core-group curatorial exhibition” organized in collaboration with experts across diverse fields.

The title “uni form” is intentionally divided into two words to highlight the tension between “uni” (one) and “form.” This gap destabilizes the fixed image of the uniform as a symbol of conformity and discipline, while at the same time opening up the possibility for new subjects and exhibition formats to emerge. The key concept underpinning this is “Broken Twill,” a term originally derived from weaving techniques that involve deliberately interrupting or twisting repetitive patterns. Choi employs this structure to visualize the ruptures and resistant rhythms latent beneath the polished surface of the uniform.

The exhibition presents a wide range of Choi’s series. Among them, Density of Order examines how individuals are anonymized within crowds through monochromatic images, exploring the ways repetition and arrangement construct discipline and the boundaries of existence. Tremor of a Gaze : Poetics of the Broken Twill deconstructs the historical, material, and symbolic structures of the uniform through the weaving pattern of broken twill. Secret Voyage into Abyss: 12 Stories reflects on unconscious tensions and emotions produced through everyday objects and bodily gestures, extending the uniform as a metaphor for the “social body.” The exhibition’s centerpiece, Blue Scars in Memory—a monumental painting over ten meters in scale that dominates the subterranean gallery—collides symbolic images such as unicorns, pistols, military uniforms, milk, and the color “Alma Brown” to reveal the scars left by both personal memory and collective experience. Through these varied perspectives and experimental techniques, Choi makes visible the vibrations of different sensory registers and interpretive gaps, probing the layered orders, ruptures, and traces of existence embedded within and beyond the uniform.

The exhibition further expands the notion of the uniform by inviting works by international and Korean artists. Hito Steyerl interrogates the museum institution itself as a “battlefield,” questioning structures of form, gaze, and power. Anton Shebetko documents LGBTQ+ soldiers in Ukraine, revealing the tensions concealed by military uniforms. Emilie Brout & Maxime Marion appropriate the language of commercial media to examine entanglements of love, labor, data, and identity. Moon Hyungmin reimagines figures from school textbooks as sculptures, showing how social roles erase individuality. Son Guyong captures the fluidity and vitality of unfixed existence through black-and-white video works structured by repetition and rhythm.

《uni form: Broken Twill》 situates the uniform as a departure point for cross-disciplinary reflection on fashion, art, institutions, social structures, and identity. Functioning beyond the conventional boundaries of a “solo exhibition,” it serves as a platform where diverse works interweave, and will extend to P61 in Berlin in the future. By treating the uniform—long regarded as a symbol of unity—as a site of fissure, the exhibition invites us to reconsider the patterns of the world we inhabit and wear.

Date | August 28 (Thu) – September 28 (Sun), 2025

Venue | Total Museum of Contemporary Art (entire venue)

Opening Reception | August 28 (Thu), 2025, 3:00 PM

Artist | Chul Yong CHOI

Invited Works | 5 works/series
• Is the Museum a Battlefield?, Hito STEYERL, 2013
• We Were Here, Anton SHEBETKO, 2018–2020
• A Truly Shared Love, Émilie BROUT & Maxime MARION, 2018
• Textbook Project, Hyung Min MOON, year unknown
• At the Park, Koo Yong SOHN, 2024

Core Group | Chul Yong CHOI (Fashion, Contemporary Art, Curation), Sun Kyu HA(Aesthetics, Theory, Critical Writing), Ma No AN (Graphic Design, Publishing), Do Yeon RYU (Subculture, Media Platform), Hoon Cheol KO (Photography), Nathalie Bo Seul SHIN (Artistic Direction, Curation), Hyun Min YUN (Curation), Yun Kyung LEE (Research)

Video Footage | Ji Won JUNG

Assistant | Hye Sang KIM Dong Hyun LEE

Coordinator | Min Seon KIM Seo Yeon KIM Chae Ryung LEE

Space Design | Kkotssul(Mee Hye LEE) Seokundong(Ji Won KIM)

Graphic Design | Ahn Graphics

Photograph | Studio Wimiry

PR and Marketing | VOKE

Modeling and Mockup | Eun Young LEE

Translation | Supremetrans Tae Deog GHIM

Art Handler | S-ART(Dong Chun JUNG)

Exhibition Technician | Suck Ho KANG

Media installation | Miji Art(Keun Su PARK, Sang Hun PARK, Sang Rock PARK)

Total Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA)

Director | Jun Eui NOH

Chief Curator | Nathalie Bo Seul SHIN

Museum Administrator | Yoon Hee WEON

Curator, Educator | Hyun Min YUN

Curator | Min Seon KIM

Coordinator | Seo Yeon KIM Chae Ryung LEE

Host/Organizer | Total Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA)

Co-organizer | P61 Kelterborn Collection

Sponsorship | The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange / 2025 Kore·A·Round Culture