"[1] Although the artists could not express openly their anti-government sentiments under the totalitarian Park Chung Hee regime, they produced consciousness-raising art with the goal of realizing a radical utopian vision of society through nonviolent change, a philosophy they described as 'muche'.
Under the guise of parodying imported art ideas of the Western avant-garde, The Fourth Group was able to stage their politically charged artwork within an oppressive society.
To begin the event, the members placed their hands over their heart, sang the national anthem, recited the pledge of allegiance, and paid a silent tribute to patriotic martyrs.
[3] Their performances included socio-political protests and institutional critiques to uncover the sinister realities of bodily control, suppression of the press, and other injustices present in Korean society.
[7] The Fourth Group's manifesto "Declaration and Doctrine," which was announced at its inaugural convention, outlined their goals of fostering a new era of society guided by muche.
With an emphasis on freedom of expression and communication, the group envisioned a complete revision of Korean society to return to Korea's "pure," "natural," and "unified" state.
[4] The phrase, "We were born on this land with a historical mission," borrows its exact language from the introduction of the Charter of National Education (which all Koreans had to recite, sometimes daily, during Park Chung Hee's regime).
By referencing Park's famous words from December 1968, and using evocative language like "liberation" and "unity," The Fourth Group sought to subvert and destroy the existing political order that dominated Korean society with oppressive nationalism.
Staged at a fountain located in Jangchungdan Park in Seoul, avant-garde fashion designer Sohl Il-gwang collaborated with Jung Kang-ja to create a dress for her made completely out of toilet paper.
In front of the same shop, Ko began to consume wine and bread (referencing the Christian Eucharist, which was well known in Korea due to high rates of religious conversion).
The fact that the only sustenance he could toil for was the bread and wine, symbolizing the body and blood of Christ, spoke to the histories of missionary and colonial occupation that subjugated Korea to imported ideologies and bodily restraints.
Planned to take place at the National Information Center August 20–24, the group prepared to host a seminar, a pantomime performance by Chung Chan-seung, and proclamation.
As suggested by the title, the unlabeled white powder was actually carbamime: a gastrointestinal pain reliever from America that enjoyed brief popularity in Korea in 1962 before its import was halted due to negative effects on the Korean pharmaceutical industry.
By directing participants to drink an indiscriminate powder and putting a condom on their bodies, the piece mimics the harrowing ways dictatorships can invade the most intimate realms of bodily autonomy.
Kim Ku-lim was named tongryeong (president); Chung Chan-seung, chongryeong (secretary general); Bang Tae-soo, poryeong (spokesperson); and Son Il-kwang, uijang (chairman).
[10] As reflected in the group's manifesto, its formation was a response to the compounding traumas wrought by the Japanese occupation, the Korean War, and Park Chung Hee's dictatorship.
Under Park's regime (1963–1979), Korean bodies were subject to long hours of labor, daily morning calisthenic drills, strict dress codes, and other tyrannies inducted by martial law.
[14] Although they avoided typical exhibition spaces controlled by the state in an effort to break down the walls between art and life, The Fourth Group's members were arrested on multiple occasions during their performances.