The news arrived this morning via mutual friends that much loved artist, curator, writer and publisher Emil Goh has died suddenly of a heart attack in Seoul. He was 43. After moving to South Korea on an OzCo residency in 2004 and settling there permanently, Emil made an impact on the Seoul art scene as a teacher and lecturer and as an exhibiting artist. Tributes from friends and family on his Facebook page are testimony to his status as one of the art world’s great guys. Emil was equally well known in Australia, exhibiting widely in a variety of artist-run and commerical galleries, and his tireless enthusiasm for contemporary art, fellow artists and his genuine, warm and friendly personality will be deeply missed. Farewell a great friend of the art life.
Update via Studio BBQ:
Just got a sad news from Wendy Gan about Malaysian Chinese artist Emil Goh:
“Emil passed away suddenly on the morning of 7 September 2009 in Seoul. He had a seizure of some kind in the morning. The ambulance was called but his heart had stopped beating by the time the ambulance reached the hospital. His girlfriend was by his side. This has been a huge shock. He was still young and with no health problems that we knew of. We do not yet know what exactly happened. I hope you will remember him for the enthusiastic foodie and wonderful artist and designer that he was. He had a keen eye for the mundane but quirky beauty of small things and his vision, his sense of humour and his mind that bubbled over with intellectual curiosity and delight in the world will be sorely missed by all of us.”
Update 2: “This Friday there will be a service for him in Seoul. 11 September 09 at the St Francis of Assisi Catholic chapel in Seoul (707-10 Hannam-2Dong, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul 140-210, Republic of Korea. Tel +82-2-793-2070).” via email.
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