[국제갤러리-이우환 전시 리뷰] 돌과 철의 대화

Dialogue between rock and steel

 

"Relatum-Dialogue" by Lee Ufan [Kukje Gallery]

Lee Ufan [Kukje Gallery]

Weighty rocks, large iron plates and sticks lay around in the first and second floors of Kukje Gallery in Sogyeok-dong.

We hardly ever give them a glance when similar objects are strewn around outdoors, probably in a nearby construction site; in the gallery, though, no one dares to touch them.

They are Lee Ufan's works. Lee is one of Korea's most renowned artists, and also known as a writer and a philosopher. Currently, he is holding a solo exhibition in his home country for the first time in six years.

It is also the first-ever show featuring his sculptures in Korea.

Many people identify Lee with his most famous painting series - "From Point" and "From Line" - which he sparsely painted basic dots, lines and brush strokes on the canvases.

Void, which is referred to as the beauty of the margin in oriental philosophy, is always spotlighted in Lee's works.

Another important concept in the works is "Monoha," a Japanese movement that criticizes modernism and illuminates the relationship between natural and artificial materials through visual art. In fact, it was Lee who theoretically established the concept in Japan in the 1970s.

At this exhibition titled "Sculpture," Lee is showcasing a three-dimensional version of Mono-ha. Like his paintings, the objects are sparsely laid out to emphasize margins.

The rocks and the iron plates symbolize opposites - nature and artificial. Yet, the two are like brothers, as both originated from nature.

They seem to be quietly gazing at each other, or perhaps deep in conversation.

"I just brought these rocks and irons which did not know each other together and let them talk. I am just a mediator," Lee said.

The only controversy about this respected artist has been in regards to his identity, because he is often known as a Japan-based artist in other countries.

He transferred to the department of philosophy at Nihon University in Tokyo while attending the School of Arts at Seoul National University because he decided he needed to have "a solid working knowledge of aesthetics or social beliefs as foundation" for his art.

Since then, he grew to be an influential artist in both countries. During the Biennale de Paris in 1971, in which he participated as Korea's representative, Lee joined some other participating Japanese artists and introduced the concept of Monoha to the European world.

The world was excited about this new concept and Lee held many exhibitions and won many prizes overseas. Japan is even planning on constructing a Lee Ufan art gallery.

Still, he never forgot about his home country. In 2001, he held an exhibition called "Nostalgie Coreene" in Musee National des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet in Paris, showcasing his personal collection of Korean decorative folk paintings.

So the usual question of whether he considers himself a Korean artist or a Japanese artist popped up again at the press conference last week.

"I am just artist Lee Ufan," Lee answered, adding that he only gets the question from the Korean press and that he does not see why that should be an issue.

"I lived 20 years in Korea, 20 years in Japan and 30 years in Europe ... I could not help being influenced by Japan. But I also am bound by my Korean roots, which I can't shake off even if I wanted to. If I am influenced by Japanese styles, the Korean culture in me had me focus on relationships."

The exhibition runs through Oct. 9 at Kukje Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For more information, visit www.kukjegallery.com or call (02) 733-8449.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

 

[퍼니퍼니조각전 리뷰] 웃음나는 조각들

안데르센의 동화 "백조왕자"...

만약 막내 공주가 오빠들을 구하지 않기로 결심했다면?!

 

아니면...

하이힐 굽이 말 다리라면?!ㅋㄷ

 

Fun sculptures let imaginations run

 

In Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale "The Wild Swans," the princess knits clothes with nettles picked from graveyards to free her brothers-turned-swans from their evil stepmother's curse. The original story, of course, ends with a happy ending where the princess and her brothers - who all return to human forms except for the last one who retains one swan's wing instead of an arm - all live happily ever after.

But what if the princess had suddenly decided not to rescue her brothers?

At the exhibition "Funny Sculpture! Funny Painting" underway at Gallery Sejul, visitors can find out what might have happened next.

This is the 8th installment of the exhibition, which the gallery has held every summer to support young and talented artists. Nine Korean sculptors and painters showcase their whimsical works this year.

Among the artists, sculptor Sohn Jung-hee is the one who imagined the twist in Andersen's story.

She made a sculpture of the princess lying on her stomach with a mischievous smirk, holding eleven leashes.

The princess had not freed her brothers but instead leashed them while they were still in the form of swans. The poor brothers, not knowing what to do, are panicking.

"She decides to keep her brothers as pets. Sohn wanted to tell the story about a girl who knows how to take advantage of others' weaknesses," said curator Lee Soo-kyung.

Kim Min-hyung, another sculptor, added tiny horse legs on women's shoes instead of heels.

"One day when I saw a woman running in her high heels, the image of a horse crossed my mind. The looks and the noise of the heels resembled a horse's hoofs," the artist said in a statement.

The shoes are lined up as if they are in a chic boutique but ironically and amusingly, looking from behind, they just look like a bunch of horses lined up in a row.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 14 at Gallery Sejul in Pyeongchang-dong, central Seoul. Admission is 3,000 won for adults and 2,000 won for students. For more information, call (02) 391-9171 or visit www.sejul.com

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

[볼 만한 전시] 조각의 고정관념을 깨는 소마미술관 전시 3가지 리뷰

특히 세 번째 사진,

둥둥 떠있는 박선기씨의 작품이 개인적으로 가장 마음에 들었습니다♥

가까이서 보면 까만 단추처럼 둥둥 떠있는 숯인데,

멀리서보면 저런 모양이 +_+

 

Who ever said that sculptures have to be big, heavy and stuck to the ground? The Soma Museum of Art in Bangi-dong challenges conventional concepts of sculptures through its three exhibitions currently underway.

The first, "Drawing Sculpture: Build House in the Air," shows that the sense of volume, which is known as one of the key ingredients of sculptures, may not actually be such an essential point.

The title of the show implies how the six participating Korean installation artists and sculptors tried to lift their works up in the air like drawings ready to be hung on walls.

Most of the exhibits are not on the floor but float lightly in the exhibition rooms, as if they defy the law of gravity. Of course, the materials had to be quite a bit lighter than usual.

Take Bahk Seon-ghi's "An Aggregate" as an example.

Bahk connected black charcoal on nylon thread and let it hang from the ceiling, making it appear like little black buttons sewed in the air. Seen from a few steps back, viewers will be surprised to realize how the whole thing forms a picture of a threaded needle entering a big black button.

Another artist, Jeon Kang-ok, literally experimented with gravity by carefully placing some stones on fine threads which look like they are pulled out from nylon stockings. The zigzagged threads sparsely fill a box-like-space about as tall as a person.

"If someone jumps beside it, the stones will surely fall down. So the whole sculpture is filled with tension. The artist wanted to capture the moment right before gravity acts on the stones," commented Go Chung-hwan, an art critic.

The next exhibition and also the third in the museum's drawing show series of this year, "Drawing Now 03 -- Wood Meets Paper" showcases Spanish artist Boris Curatolo and American artist Mary Sullivan's collaborative work.

Curatolo, who usually works with wood, and Sullivan, who is well-known for her unique use of paper, have been working together on the "Wood Meets Paper" project for several years. They have shown their work in Brooklyn and Madrid before coming to Seoul.

Curatolo bends soft poplar trees and Sullivan covers them thinly with her specially made Abaka papers. The duo's squiggly works laced all over the ceiling and walls are reminiscent of musical notes, giving the whole a musical feel.

"Lightness and playfulness are the key point of the work," said Curatolo.

"Some people actually started to dance a little bit while looking at it in Brooklyn. Of course, there was always music present in the studio when we made the work."

"Shoebox," the third exhibition currently underway at the museum, proves that small sculptures can be just as meaningful as big ones. The show is actually a traveling exhibition hosted by the University of Hawaii Art Gallery. It has opened in various spots in the world every three years since 1982, and Seoul is its 10th venue.

"For the ease and economy of a traveling exhibition, all works were ordered to be made small enough to fit into shoeboxes," explained chief curator Elyn Y. Park.

This time, the exhibition displays 81 sculptures by 81 artists.

Despite the size, or perhaps thanks to it, the sculptures demonstrate the artists' endless creativity. The works feature full-range themes, from personal experiences and humor to political and social issues.

"Shoebox" runs through Aug. 16 and "Drawing Sculpture: Build house in the air" and "Drawing Now 03 -- Wood Meets Paper" runs through Aug. 30 at Soma Museum of Art in Bangi-dong, southeastern Seoul.

Admission for all three shows is 3,000 won for adults, 2,000 won for adolescents and 1,000 won for children. For more information visit www.somamuseum.org or call (02) 425-1077.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young