2009.4.28
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.
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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)
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