A peek at Haring’s pop art
Even if you have not have heard of the name Keith Haring, you will probably recognize the artist’s style -- works composed of simple and active figures, black bold lines and vivid colors.
The late American artist is remembered as one of the greatest pop artists of the 20th century and also an activist who cared much about many social issues. Haring established the Keith Haring Foundation in 1989, a year after he was diagnosed with AIDS. The foundation’s mandate is to provide support to AIDS organizations and children’s programs. He died the following year.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Haring’s death, Asia’s biggest retrospective exhibition on the artist kicks off today at Soma Museum of Art under the title “Pop: Art Super Star Keith Haring 2010.”
Prints dominate the show with 130 pieces out of the 150 exhibits in total being silk screen prints, etching prints and lithographs lent by the Keith Haring Foundation in New York. Three sculptures are on loan from Korea’s Arario Gallery.
“A big exhibition on Haring’s drawings is simultaneously underway in Vienna, Austria, so it was difficult to bring the drawing works to Seoul. But you have to know that the works here are not minor works. These are in fact very important part of his oeuvres as one of the most significant points about his work was reproducibility. The prints here are all limited editions signed and numbered by the artist,” said Julia Gruen, executive director of the Keith Haring Foundation.
Except for the absence of Haring's painting works, however, the exhibition is still good to go. Haring’s works are fun and cheerful and there are more than a hundred of them to lift the spirits. Videos and photos of Haring when he was alive and active will be a delightful gift for many of his fans as well.
Among them, a video that features Haring exploring New York’s underground, drawing his “icons” -- pregnant women, dogs and babies -- on the matte black paper of blank advertising panels lined up on the subway platform wall is very amusing.
“One day, riding the subway, I saw this empty black panel where an advertisement was supposed to go. I immediately realized that this was the perfect place to draw. I went back above ground to a card shop and bought a box of white chalk, went back down and did a drawing on it. It was perfect -- soft black paper; chalk drew on it really easily,” Haring had said.
Between 1980 and 1985, Haring produced hundreds of these public drawings, sometimes creating as many as 40 in one day. This seamless flow of images became familiar to New York commuters. The subway became, as Haring once said, a “laboratory” for working out his ideas and experimenting with his simple lines.
“I was always totally amazed that the people I would meet while I was doing them were really, really concerned with what they meant. The first thing anyone asked me, no matter how old, no matter who they were, was what does it mean?” Haring had said.
Though Haring’s works usually do contain serious messages on issues such as racism, religion or AIDS, it is really up to the viewers to decide their meanings, explained Gruen.
“Haring didn’t like explaining his works because he thought viewers should interpret the works with their own imagination. He thought it was important that viewers are not passive,” said Gruen.
A tip for enjoying the exhibition: Pay attention to the music played in the museum. It is, in a way, selected by Haring himself because it is the very music he used to listen to while working. The music was lent by the Keith Haring Foundation as well.
The exhibition runs through Sep. 5 at Soma Museum of Art. The museum is located in Seoul Olympic Park. Tickets are 12,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for adolescents and 8,000 won for kids. For more information, call (02) 3210-4222 or visit www.haring.co.kr.
By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)
The late American artist is remembered as one of the greatest pop artists of the 20th century and also an activist who cared much about many social issues. Haring established the Keith Haring Foundation in 1989, a year after he was diagnosed with AIDS. The foundation’s mandate is to provide support to AIDS organizations and children’s programs. He died the following year.
 |
| “Untitled” |
Prints dominate the show with 130 pieces out of the 150 exhibits in total being silk screen prints, etching prints and lithographs lent by the Keith Haring Foundation in New York. Three sculptures are on loan from Korea’s Arario Gallery.
“A big exhibition on Haring’s drawings is simultaneously underway in Vienna, Austria, so it was difficult to bring the drawing works to Seoul. But you have to know that the works here are not minor works. These are in fact very important part of his oeuvres as one of the most significant points about his work was reproducibility. The prints here are all limited editions signed and numbered by the artist,” said Julia Gruen, executive director of the Keith Haring Foundation.
Except for the absence of Haring's painting works, however, the exhibition is still good to go. Haring’s works are fun and cheerful and there are more than a hundred of them to lift the spirits. Videos and photos of Haring when he was alive and active will be a delightful gift for many of his fans as well.
Among them, a video that features Haring exploring New York’s underground, drawing his “icons” -- pregnant women, dogs and babies -- on the matte black paper of blank advertising panels lined up on the subway platform wall is very amusing.
“One day, riding the subway, I saw this empty black panel where an advertisement was supposed to go. I immediately realized that this was the perfect place to draw. I went back above ground to a card shop and bought a box of white chalk, went back down and did a drawing on it. It was perfect -- soft black paper; chalk drew on it really easily,” Haring had said.
Between 1980 and 1985, Haring produced hundreds of these public drawings, sometimes creating as many as 40 in one day. This seamless flow of images became familiar to New York commuters. The subway became, as Haring once said, a “laboratory” for working out his ideas and experimenting with his simple lines.
“I was always totally amazed that the people I would meet while I was doing them were really, really concerned with what they meant. The first thing anyone asked me, no matter how old, no matter who they were, was what does it mean?” Haring had said.
 |
| “Andy Mouse” Keith Haring Foundation |
“Haring didn’t like explaining his works because he thought viewers should interpret the works with their own imagination. He thought it was important that viewers are not passive,” said Gruen.
A tip for enjoying the exhibition: Pay attention to the music played in the museum. It is, in a way, selected by Haring himself because it is the very music he used to listen to while working. The music was lent by the Keith Haring Foundation as well.
The exhibition runs through Sep. 5 at Soma Museum of Art. The museum is located in Seoul Olympic Park. Tickets are 12,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for adolescents and 8,000 won for kids. For more information, call (02) 3210-4222 or visit www.haring.co.kr.
By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)
trackback from: claire의 생각
답글삭제키스해링 전시 리뷰 A peek at Haring’s pop art Even if you have not have heard of the name Keith Haring, you will probably recognize the artist’s style — wo..