[동유럽 그림] Nostalgic images of Eastern Europe

2009.4.28

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Eastern Europe has a troubled history, having suffered through the Cold War and cultural disperses.

Its people's emotional wounds and memories filter into their art in a nostalgic way.

Kukje gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul, is displaying works of Martin Mannig, Slawomir Elsner and Joanna M. Wezyk, three Eastern European artists in their 30s and 40s. It is one of the few exhibitions to feature Eastern European paintings in Korea.

Mannig brings up old, familiar characters from European fairy tales and legends, U.S. animations or Hollywood subculture. Only, the German-based artist offers a little twist so that the lovable characters appear violent, sexual and, most of all, a little creepy.

Take "Mickey Mouse" for example. The famous mouse adored by billions of children around the world is turned into a wrinkly old rat wearing a gloomy uniform. Look closely and you will spot that it has two left hands - one where it should be, and another where a right hand ought to be.

"It is based on the northern European maxim 'you have two left hands,' which means that you are very awkward and clumsy at using your hands," said Yi Gimo, senior director at the gallery.

"These characters were normally viewed as angelic, but Mannig tried to reveal their dualities, believing that both life and death, good and bad, and happiness and unhappiness co-exist in every character. Viewers will get to see the characters from a totally different aspect through the paintings," Yi said.

Some of Elsner's works are also based on his memories of childhood fairy tales. The Polish artist, currently one of the most popular in Eastern Europe, painted old walls where the paint is peeling off.

The remains of the paint, curiously enough, look like witches, dogs or other characters in Hans Christian Andersen's stories. Like the legendary writer, Elsner walked around in old neighborhoods, got inspiration from the walls and created his own stories on the canvas.

Wezyk, also born in Poland, projected her nostalgia for Poland's old churches and castles. At this exhibition, viewers can find her series featuring bedrooms of historical European figures such as Marie Antoinette or Nostradamus.

Some rooms are posh and some are simple, but they all have two things in common: they are empty and open to the public.

"Wezyk found double meanings in these bedrooms, which must have been the figures' private rooms but are now all publicly exhibited. Still, she made sure that their personal histories and intimate secrets made in the rooms will not fade away, by painting a lot of light thrown on the beds," Yi said.

The exhibition runs through May 17 at Kukje Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 735-8449 or visit www.kukjegallery.com

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[도자기 축제] World's biggest pottery festival offers arts, fun

2009.4.25

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When the sun warms up but the air still feels cold it means pottery festival season has arrived again.

The 5th "World Ceramic Biennale Korea" starts today, in three Gyeonggi Province cities - Icheon, Gwangju and Yeoju.

Started in 2001, the biennale has grown to become the world's biggest pottery festival. Various exhibitions, seminars, workshops and experience programs related to ceramics are held.

The three host cities are referred to as the "ceramic belt," since more than a third of the nation's ceramic houses are located there.

Each city usually hosts its own pottery festival every year, but they are partly combined with the biennale every other year.

Yu Gwang-yeol, Korean ceramic master

Icheon

If you want to see some ceramics and enjoy a family picnic, Icheon may be a good choice.

It takes about an hour to drive from Seoul to get to Icheon, on the way which one can stop by to see traditional Korean style houses owned by rich ceramists of the 1980s.

In no time, you will reach Seolbong Park, with its fresh green grass and lake.

Icheon World Ceramic Center, the main building of the biennale, is located beside the lake.

On the first floor of the center, entries and award winners of the "The International Competition" are on display.

More than 1,700 artists from 70 countries submitted 3,196 entries this year. With the grand prize of 60 million won, it is by far the most popular competition in the world ceramic society.

The exhibits come in all shapes and colors, from simple, pure and minimal white porcelain works to big and dark steel-like ceramics.

"All possible techniques and ceramic works based on every culture in the world can be found here. The exhibition projects the current world trend in ceramics," said Suh Jeong-gurl, director of the biennale's curatorial department.

Upstairs, visitors can see larger pieces at the "World Contemporary Ceramics - Adventures of the Fire" exhibition.

A gigantic ceramic piece that looks like a burnt tree greets visitors at the entrance. It is "The Holy Spirit of Grand Cedar" by Japanese ceramist Tsuyoshi Shima. Shima burned the inside of a Japanese cedar tree and used it as a mold.

"It is almost impossible to bake a ceramic that big, but the ceramist seems to be extremely talented in handling earth and fire," said exhibition curator Choi Jeong-hee.

"As the subtitle of the exhibition is 'Adventures of the Fire,' we've selected works that truly test the limits of ceramics. Some works sublimated what would have been considered as fatal flaws in the old sense into amazing characteristics," Choi said.

Before leaving the city, take your kids to "The 23rd Icheon Ceramic Festival" also running under the pavilions in Seolbong Park. Focused on young visitors, the festival provides clay play sections and hands on pottery programs.

Yeoju

Looking for tips to decorate your house with some chic and elegant ceramics? Then Yeoju is the place to go.

Yeoju World Ceramic Livingware Gallery, the main building of the biennale in the city, is holding the exhibition "Ceramic Space & Life" which is filled with delicate ceramics, plus, according to the curator, "touches of unique interior."

"Ceramics have infinite potential. Its history as a genre of contemporary art is not long, but more and more artists are advancing into the fine arts field with ceramics," said Suh.

Park Seong-chil, a well-known Korean interior designer, transformed the building's second floor into eight different places, each themed after the seven days of the week, plus a resting place.

The first seven rooms feature moon, fire, water, wood, steel, soil and light, corresponding to the days of the week. The interiors use clever materials, like roofs covered with "hanji" (Korean traditional paper), tables filled with water or walls built with charcoal blocks.

Outside, "The 21st Yeoju Ceramic Festival" is underway. Try spinning the potter's wheel and take home your own hand made potteries. The traditional ceramic kilns nearby are also worth a visit.

Gwangju

The biennale in Gwangju is more focused on royal ceramics.

Bunwon, or a branch, of the Joseon palace's ceramic kiln was located in Gwangju, which is why the place became so famous for royal ceramics," explained Suh.

In line with "The 12th Gwangju Royal Ceramic Festival," the biennale holds the exhibition "Bunwon Royal Porcelain" at GyeongGi Ceramic Museum.

Fifty white porcelains from the Joseon dynasty and another fifty made by contemporary ceramists are on display.

Like the typical image of Joseon white porcelains, which are still considered the best of Korea's ceramics, the Gwangju exhibition is calmer and perhaps a bit more noble than their counterparts in Icheon and Yeoju.

"Ceramics-Climax" in Ansan

If you are curious about contemporary ceramics, visit the exhibition "Ceramics-Climax" at Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.

It spotlights modernized formative ceramics that fit in the category of contemporary art.

Twenty-seven ceramists, including both the field's leading figures and up-and-coming artists, are participating in the event.

All works are very original and sometimes even whimsical. Kim Jin-kyung knitted thousands of white ceramic pieces together to make a dress. It may not be wearable, but definitely breaks traditional stereotypes about ceramic works.

Viewers can also see Paik Nam-june's video installation "Shaping the future with Earth." About fifty monitors are installed in an earthenware-like mound which is actually made with fiber glass.

Paik made the piece for GyeongGi Ceramic Museum to commemorate Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale in 2001, but it was moved to Ansan for this exhibition.

For those who are simply too lazy or busy to leave Seoul, wait one more week for another big pottery exhibition to be held right in the center of Seoul.

"The exhibition of 100 pottery masters from Korea and China" starts May 6 at HanKooK Museum of Art in Insa-dong.

One hundred renowned ceramic masters, 50 Korean and 50 Chinese, will exhibit 300 works. The masters, most of whom are government-accredited masters and some from prestigious ceramic families, have each established their own style of ceramics.

"The two countries are the cores of the world ceramic society. This exhibition will be an opportunity to see the past, present and future of the Northeast Asian potteries and also to recognize the new trend in world ceramics," said an exhibition official.

The 5th World Ceramic Biennale runs through May 24 in Icheon, Gwangju and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province. It takes about one to two hours by car to get to the cities from Seoul. A shuttle bus runs from Gwangju to Icheon and from Icheon to Yeoju. Tickets range from 1,000 won to 12,000 won. For more information, call (031) 645-0531 or visit www.wocef.com

"Ceramics-Climax" runs through July 5 at Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Admission is free. For more information, call (031) 481-7000 or visit www.gma.or.kr

"The exhibition of 100 pottery masters from Korea and China" runs from May 6 to 12 at HanKook Museum of Art in Insa-dong, central Seoul. Tickets are 20,000 won. For more information, call (02) 747-5634.

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[인도의 현대미술] Exhibition gives peek into today's India

2009.4.23

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A life-size elephant sculpture sits on the floor in an exhibition hall at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Its body is covered with bindis, ornaments in the shape of a water drop that Indian women stick on their foreheads.

This sculpture, named "The Skin Speaks a Language Not Its Own" by Bharti Kher, ushers in the beginning of the biggest-ever exhibition of Indian arts in Korea, "Contemporary Indian Art: Open Your Third Eye."

"We can't be sure whether the elephant is trying to get up or just settling down," said exhibition curator Kim Nam-in.

Like the elephant's ambiguous posture, the rest of the exhibits reflect the unstable, quickly changing situation in the nation of nearly 1.2 billion people.

Indian culture has been gaining more recognition recently thanks to Bollywood and its booming economy, and most recently, the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire." In step with the craze, Indian contemporary art is also being considered as a blue chip in the international art community.

"We've been holding surprisingly many exhibitions overseas in the last few years. What is so great about India? Come and visit, you will know," said N.S. Harsha, one of the artists who participated in the exhibition.

The same show was held at Mori Museum in Japan last November with the title "Chalo! India: A New Era of Indian Art." The content is the same - about 110 pieces by 27 Indian contemporary artists - but the Korean museum changed the arrangements of the exhibits and the exhibition's title.

"The third eye signifies bindi and also a new sense to enjoy art. India is a place where various people, religions and spirits collide and make different images which you will need to look at with your third eye," Kim said.

Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra created a posh room filled with syrup and wine bottles, flowery wall paper and embroidered picture frames and clocks - all probably mass produced in the United States. Young Indian boys smile in the pictures.

"It shows how Indians today live a luxurious life in Canada, America, or Europe, and how they had to sacrifice their younger days for such dreams," explained Kim.

Jitish Kallat expresses the gap between the rich and the poor in India in his work "Death of Distance." Behind a giant one Rupee coin, lenticular plates which show different messages according to the direction of the viewer are hung on the wall. Viewers can read an ad from one side which says "With 1 Rupee, you can call anywhere in India," and a sad story from the other, about an Indian girl who had to starve because she did not have a single Rupee.

Another exhibition on Indian art, more focused on Indian women, is currently running at Korea Foundation Cultural Center in Sunhwa-dong, central Seoul.

The show "Celebrating Women - Amrita Shergil Revisited" exhibits 31 paintings by contemporary Indian women artists. They are their interpretations of a national treasure - "The Three Girls," by Amrita Shergil.

"Shergil was the youngest and the only Asian artist to be an associate of the Grand Salon in 1933, which is one of the prominent art clubs in Paris. She was one of the greatest artists in India, who encouraged a generation of women to paint," explained Satish Sharma, second secretary of the Indian Embassy and the organizer of the exhibition.

"Women have come to occupy a better status and very central positions nowadays. This exhibition can be called a celebration about women," Sharma added.

Viewers can discover different characteristics of each Indian region reflected in the artwork. The skin colors, costumes and expressions of the three girls in the paintings all differ according to the regional base of the artist.

The exhibition "Contemporary Indian Art: Open Your Third Eye" runs through June 7. Admission is 5,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2188-6114 or visit www.moca.go.kr

The exhibition "Celebrating Women - Amrita Shergil Revisited" runs through April 30 at Korea Foundation Cultural Center in Sunhwa-dong, central Seoul. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.kfcenter.or.kr

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[여성에 대한 7가지 시선] Seven views on women at Gallery Hyundai

2009.4.21

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Many artists like to feature women in their works. They have different reasons: women are fragile, discriminated against, complex, motherly or sometimes simply beautiful.

At the exhibition "She - Another Gesture" at Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space in Sinsa-dong, viewers can view the works of seven young artists, each of whom casts women in a different light.

Kim Kyung-mi and Park Ji-hye depict the typical woman found on the main streets in Seoul - trendy and passionate about integrating into society. Sung Ji-yeon and Lee Joung-a, on the other hand, focused more on the complex internal aspects of women.

Ham Youn-joo did not actually feature women in her works but expressed femininity through delicately braided hair, wires and beads.

As the two male artists in the exhibition, Bae Chan-hyo and Jang Jun-seok took very unique approaches to women.

Bae, wanting to blend in with women, took self-portraits of himself disguised as a Western noblewoman from the Middle Ages. Through Bae's posture and expression, viewers can get a glimpse of the stereotypes that men have about the opposite gender.

Jang also expressed one of society's attitudes toward women - the one hidden between the lines when they are often referred to as "flowers."

He made several copies of the Korean word "ggot," which means flower, with colorful plastic, planted upside-down on the concrete floor of a pavilion.

"He used to throw performances, giving water to his ggot which he planted in the middle of the streets," said curator Ko Hee-kyung.

The exhibition runs through April 30. For more information, call (02) 519-0800 or visit www.galleryhyundai.com

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[동화책 속 세계여행] Welcome to storybook world

2009.4.16

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Do you remember the last storybook you read?

The exhibition "Voyage to the world of illustration" running at Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong invites you to the world of childish innocence.

More than 450 original storybook illustrations by 65 world-renowned illustrators, including Anthony Browne, Helen Oxenbury, Herve Tullet, and Korean illustrators such as Go Ji-young, Choi Sook-hee and Choi Hyun-mook are on display.

This is the second exhibition of the same title since 2007. Compared with the first time, this exhibition has doubled in size and the number of exhibits. The organizers had to connect two large pavilions to accommodate all the pieces that came from more than 10 countries.

The show spreads out in a winding maze-like space. More graceful than cartoons and easier to understand than complex contemporary art, the showcased illustrations easily catch viewers' eyes regardless of age.

They are not only for kids but also for adults, according to curator Anne Park.

"Most of the artists have already settled down in the commercial illustrations field, so their work is not silly at all. Many students who major in illustrations or design come to see them," Park said.

But the most excited visitors are naturally children. Some intently listen to the stories their mothers instantly make up based on the exhibits. Some run about, clutching a workbook which the exhibition hands out to all kids from three to 12 years old.

Children can make their own illustrations on their workbooks while looking around the exhibition. Aside from the exhibits, the 7,000 storybooks strewn around on the sofas in the "Imagination Library" section would also be good references for the young illustrators.

Various events and classes are offered for children everyday. Some require reservations in advance.

The exhibition runs through June 23 at Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. Tickets are 10,000 won. For more information, call (02) 585-9991 or visit www. sangsang2009.co.kr

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[김혜수,심은하 전시] Film stars get graphic at Open Art Fair

2009.4.10

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Actresses Kim Hye-soo and Sim Eun-ha will show their paintings at the Seoul Open Art Fair which starts at COEX in Samsung-dong next Wednesday.

Kim is among the country's A-list actresses while Sim, though she retired from acting years ago, continues to draw media attention.

The fair's special exhibition named "Star Arts Project" will also display artwork by other celebrities such as actor Kang Seok-woo, actress Kim Ae-kyung, singer Cho Young-nam, and TV presenter Lee Sang-byuk.

In response to the high level of public interest generated, the fair unveiled the two paintings in advance to the press last week.

Sim will display three paintings in Indian ink. The untitled works are serene and calm, just like the actress's image. "Her works have high quality," said an official of the fair.

This is not the first time for Sim to display her work to the public. While learning from painter Min Kyung-chan, Sim participated in another exhibition in 2003.

Sim has rarely made public appearances since she married in 2005. It is of great interest to the media whether or not she will show up for the opening ceremony next Tuesday.

Kim, meanwhile, will display three abstract collages. Her works also resemble her image -- sexy, confident and passionate. She created her work by pasting photo images onto canvas painted in intense red using broad, rough stokes. She is a self-taught artist.

Seoul Open Art Fair, exhibiting paintings, sculptures, photographs, engravings and installation arts in 105 booths, runs from April 15 to 19 at COEX in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul. For more information, call (02) 545-3314 or visit www.soaf.co.kr

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[공간국제판화비엔날레] Asian artists conquer print biennial

2009.4.10

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The ever-evolving art world, new forms tend to overshadow on more conventional art forms. Amid the flood of new genres, however, print art -- one of the oldest genres -- has managed to maintain its popularity.

More than 360 print artists from 48 countries have submitted 677 entries for the 15th SPACE International Print Biennial Seoul this year.

Korean artist Don Sun-pil's "Wound & Aggression" won the grand prize and "Excellent" awards were given to "Staircase G" by Keisuke Yamamoto of Japan and "Untitled NO.4" by Zhang Minjie of China.

Launched in 1980, the international event for print artists is recognized by contemporary art communities worldwide.

Including the awarded pieces, 100 juried pieces are on display at Seoul Museum of Art in Seosomun-dong, central Seoul.

The five jury members -- Carter Foster, print and drawing professional curator at New York Whitney Museum of American Art, Breda Skrjanec, adviser and print theorist at International Centre of Graphic Arts in Slovenia, Chichiro Minato, professor at Tokyo Tama Art University, Wu Chang Jiang, secretary general of Chinese Artists Association, and Korean print artist Kim Bong-tae -- agreed that the entries showed a high level of technical training.

"There were quite traditional things, and also very strong technical things. Overall, they were all works that require lots of training and print-making," said Foster at a press conference on Tuesday.

When deciding on the grand prize, the judges reached a unanimous agreement.

"The image was fresh, satiric and very experimental. The artist used lots of intense expressions that are not usually seen in traditional prints," said Kim Bong-tae.

The judges were surprised when they later found out that Don was only a junior at Hongik University who majored in print. They were not provided with any personal information about the artists during the screening process.

The "Excellent" prize winners were all more experienced artists. Keisuke Yamamoto skillfully expressed light and dark contrast and mythical ambience in his simple and minimal work while Zhang Minjie showed extraordinary talent in making such a fun and rhythmical woodcut, according to the judges.

Unexpectedly, all the prize winners turned out to be Asians.

"We only judged from the image of the works, so we did not know which work was by what artist from what country, but they seemed to have an international tendency that could be related to any culture," said Foster.

"When I saw Don Sun-pil's work, I actually thought it was by an American artist because I immediately thought of an American painter in the 70s. I do not know if the work contains any certain national aesthetics, but it could as well be related to Western traditions," he said.

At the end of the conference, the juries dismissed worries that the future was gloomy for print art now that digital images are replacing traditional pictorial images and prints.

"The question is not even relevant. It is a completely autonomous media, and there are many fine artists out there working in it," said Skrjanec.

"The quality of (print) works is very impressive and they are a part of contemporary art. It requires a long time in training and studying, you must devote your life for this art, but print is very important for the whole art history," Minato added.

The exhibition runs through May 10 at Seoul Museum of Art. For more information, visit www.spaceprintbiennial.org

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[조지 콘도, 마이클 스코긴]Portraits of a man-made America

2009.4.7

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Artists are often considered mirrors of society. Their works reflect the actions and minds of their contemporaries.

Two American artists, both introduced to Korea by the Seomi & Tuus Gallery, reflect on their country and people in the past eight years through their works, though in totally different ways.

George Condo's way is to paint portraits. But instead of selecting a model and reproducing the exact appearance, Condo pulls out the figures from his imaginations and deforms them to look like eccentric cartoon characters.

"I see them when I walk down the streets. I see their expressions and their feelings. The society creates the expressions giving them pressure," said the artist, who lives in New York.

"Let's look at it this way. In the last eight years during the Bush regime, there was a dehumanization of the population. There was a conflict in people's minds between what they were told to believe in and what they truly believed in. I wanted to express the conflict that is written on their expressions."

A fat superhero smoking a cigarette, a disfigured woman -- Condo's characters are ironic and grotesque. Condo says they are a "realistic representation of what is artificial."

"I Like You A Lot" by Michael Scoggins [Seomi & Tuus Gallery]

"The world is basically man-made. If you want to be a realist, than we have to represent what is man-made, what is artificial," he said.

The 52-year-old artist started his art career in Andy Warhol's factory, and was influenced by many great artists. His cubistic style reminds of Picasso's and his brilliant use of colors reminds that of Matisse.

"What Picasso did when he painted, was to go back and look at the works of the old masters. I do that too, and one of them is Picasso. I can't ignore him," he said.

Michael Scoggins is another American artist who captured the last eight years of America. The artist, who is in his mid-30s, chose to grow a couple dozen years younger to express it.

On what looks like a page ripped off from an oversized notebook -- at least six times larger than regular ones at least -- Scoggins scribbles stick figures and word balloons with pencils and markers like a 10-year-old.

Sometimes he colors them with colored pencils, crayons, or anything that could be seen in a kid's school box.

"The oversized notebook papers were to draw more attention. And since the mass produced papers are so much treated as disposables, I also wanted to question what is fine art by making the works on them," Scoggins said.

Let alone the size of the giant notebook papers, the contents themselves are fairly amusing.

"... the truth is, I've always had a HUGE crush on you. I think we would be good together. Now it's in the open. Love? Michael S," reads one of his works.

"It is ripped off at the top so you never know who I had the crush on," Scoggins said with a mischievous grin.

"Sometimes I like to play some tricks to the viewers. Art doesn't have to be serious all the time. Humor could be a good material," he said.

The humorous artist's works are mostly based on his personal life or childhood memories. For some of them he actually referred to his childhood notebooks.

But are his works all just simply pure? No way. Scoggins is a grown-up. The most intriguing part of his works is that they always have an adult twist.

Take "Good Guys Again" for example.

"Can we be the Good Guys again, please?" reads a yellow word bubble on top. "We'll see," reads a smaller blue one below. At first glance, it looks like a phrase some kid might have copied off from a comic book. But Scoggins actually intended to deliver a more serious thought.

"I was thinking about America after the last eight years, trying to move past it, wondering if we could be the good guys again after all that," Scoggins said.

"There are lots of layers on my works. The surface of them is easy, something everyone could enjoy and relate to. But if you can also get the underlying political messages, it can be more fun."

George Condo's exhibition runs through April 29 at Seomi&Tuus Gallery in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. Michael Scoggin's show runs through May 1 at Seomi & Tuus Gallery in Gahoe-dong, central Seoul. For more information call (02) 511-7305 or visit www.seomituus.com

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

[봄을 닮은 전시들] Flower fests beckon start of spring

2009.4.1

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Nothing hints at the start of spring like blossoming flowers.

In tune with the many flower festivals starting this week that will color the nation pink, white and yellow, a number of flower-themed exhibitions are expected to add to the spring flavor.

In Yeouido, the island soon to be covered in cherry blossoms, 63 Sky Art, the world's highest art museum, is offering the exhibition "In the Flower Garden."

About 50 flower-themed paintings, interactive installations and actual flower works by 40 Korean and foreign artists like Kim Whanki and Andy Warhol are on display.

The exhibition is divided into four parts. While the first division, "Beauty Garden," shows relatively ordinary flower paintings, the second and third, "Fantastic Garden" and "Re-creation Garden," exhibit abstract and reinterpreted paintings, plus installations featuring flowers.

Among the exhibits, Lee Lee-nam's eight-fold screen looks like a traditional Korean screen but is actually fully digitalized. Flowers bloom and fade while the weather changes according to each screen. Most astonishingly, butterflies and birds passing through the folded screens as if those were a single object.

The final part, "Play Garden" is the most unique.

"We have lots of children visitors who like to touch and participate in the artwork. So this time, we've prepared a special section with many interactive installations," said Woo Ji-kyung, curator of the exhibition.

Try to catch the bird projected on the screen in Seo Hyo-jung's "Bluebird in the Cage." The bird swiftly slips through your fingers. The surrounding flowers also react to the viewers' voices and movements.

Mioon, an artist group, made an interactive video installation which visualizes real-time stock transactions and price fluctuations in four countries -- Korea, the United States, Japan and China -- into tree-like images.

More flower-themed exhibitions can be found at the so-called "Insa-dong Street" in central Seoul, which covers not only Insa-dong, but Gwanhun-dong and Gyunji-dong. Many quality art galleries are crowded in that area.

Topohaus, an art gallery in Gwanhun-dong, will offer Kim Jung-soo's solo exhibition "Blessing" starting April 8. Kim, known as "the azalea artist," has for many years been hosting an exhibition around this time of the year, when the azaleas are in full bloom.

"The azalea is the most Korean flower, which signifies the love for our mothers," stated Kim at the press conference last week.

"Korea only got to live this much thanks to our mothers' devotion. In the olden days when our mothers went off to the mountains to dig up the spring greens, they enjoyed their only luxury of seeing the vast field of azaleas, playing with them and eating them. Even then, the mothers never forgot to bless their families with the azalea petals," he said.

Though it is such a meaningful subject, not many artists succeed in painting the flower because it is extraordinarily difficult to express the exact colors. It was not easy for Kim either. At the exhibition, viewers will be able to see the results of Kim's 20-year-effort in azalea paintings.

Just around the corner from Topohaus, Dongsanbang gallery in Gyunji-dong is showcasing Oh Yong-kil's flower paintings.

Currently an art professor at Ewha Women's University, Oh is one of the most renowned oriental painters in Korea. This is his 16th solo exhibition.

Using Chinese black ink and oriental painting techniques, the artist delightfully created spring scenery typically seen in Korea in the olden days. The images are not real, but recreated versions of Oh's memory.

"Flowers are always good to paint, but sometimes the surroundings change. I painted the flowers on the spots where I wished they still were," Oh said.

"I enjoy painting spring flowers because I like spring when nature wriggles itself out. I hope the viewers can also feel the spring's freshness through my paintings."

"In the Flower Garden" runs through Nov. 15 at 63 Sky Art in Yeouido, southwestern Seoul. Tickets are 12,000 won for adults, 11,000 won for adolescents and 10,000 won for children. For details, call (02) 789-5663 or visit www.63.co.kr

"Blessing" runs from April 8-21 at Topohaus in Gwanhun-dong, central Seoul. For details, call (02) 734-7555 or visit www.topohaus.com

Oh Yong-kil's solo exhibition runs through April 7 at Dongsanbang gallery in Gyunji-dong, central Seoul. For details, call (02) 733-5877.

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)