2009.5.5
For the past couple of decades, Julian Opie has been one of the world's most influential contemporary artists. Even if one is unfamiliar with his name, one would probably recognize his colorful and lighthearted characters with round heads and simple bodies shown in bold black outlines. Opie's works are included in the major collections of world famous galleries and museums such as Tate in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. |
Despite the high profile, one of his works' greatest charms is their accessibility. It would be hard to miss his works that often appear in everyday surroundings like the subway, bus stations or CD jackets. In fact, it was the cover of the popular British band Blur's album "Blur: The Best of" which he designed in 2000 that earned him much of his public fame.
Now, Opie is hosting his first solo exhibition in Korea at Kukje Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. It is not a rerun of his previous works, however, as he is showcasing 30 brand new pieces to the public for the first time.
Slim and stylish female dancers are painted on large canvases on the gallery's first floor. As usual, Opie's friends modeled for him. The dancers take the motif from (and are named after) Opie's acquaintances Caterina and Anne, who are a dancer and a ballerina.
Although the characters have been given names, they have a blank faces expressing "impersonality," in Opie's words. He tried to find the middle between personal and impersonal, something that could be universal.
"I wanted to draw people, so I looked for a language that would stand for them. One day, I looked at the lavatory door symbols and thought that was it, that was the universal language," Opie said.
The artist took the basics of the restroom sign figure and transformed it in his unique style to make it look like his friend. He painted it the way she stands, tilted its head a little like how she holds it, added a bag, and was amazed to find how it looked exactly like her.
"Seeing this, your brain engages into function. It has the possibility to be more realistic. Even from looking from far way, you can feel the person's presence with a shiver," Opie said.
Since the discovery of this special flair around 1998, Opie has continued to paint the simple figures. It is only recently that he started to add more things to them, including the eyes, nose and mouth.
The portraits upstairs, with all the face elements, give the viewers a nice surprise. Reminding of the portraits hanging around in Hogwarts School of Magic in the Harry Potter series, Opie's portraits on LCD or LED screens do not just hang on the wall but blink, turn their heads and their earrings sway.
In a way, they look similar to the elegant European portraits of the 17th century or the cartoon-like Japanese woodcuts in the 18th, only with much more modern techniques. Computers are hidden in the back of each screen to control the characters' movements.
Perhaps the biggest requirement to make such creative art is confidence. When asked for his opinion as to why his works are so popular, Opie promptly answered "because they are good," with a huge smile.
"When I see something I like, I feel a sense of engagement, energy and happiness. I feel like I want to do something like that too. It would be great if the visitors could feel that way about seeing my works," he said.
The exhibition runs through May 31 at Kukje Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 733-8449 or visit www.kukjegallery.com
By Park Min-young
(claire@heraldm.com)
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