2009.9.16 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

GALLERY HYUNDAI, Anguk

To Sept. 27: “Lee Kang-so: Oil on Canvas.”

Gallery Hyundai is currently featuring an exhibition of Lee Kang-so’s works from the last 20 years (1989-2009).

Lee ranks as one of the most distinguished artists nationally and internationally, in part for his ability to incorporate the Korean spirit in Western art forms. This show presents an overview of his recent paintings, where he experimented with the contemporary style.

Lee is best known for his large-scale monochrome landscape paintings, where he uses a few quick brushstrokes to depict mountain cliffs, hills, trees and other objects in nature. The artist is also famous for his primary subject material: ducks.

Lee uses fewer brushstrokes and colors in these pieces on display than in earlier works.

Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit 1

(02) 734-6111, www.galleryhyundai.com

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA, Seoul

To Sept 27: “Goguryeo Figures from Murals.”

Mural paintings from the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-A.D. 668) highlight the accomplishments and glories of ancient Korea. Now, the National Museum of Korea is shining the spotlight on the Goguryeo Dynasty by displaying copies of nine elaborate tomb paintings, part of a collection of 120 such works that the museum owns.

The goal of the exhibition is to rediscover the various people who shaped the culture of Goguryeo through tomb murals. Visitors can expect to see numerous early mural paintings of Goguryeo, portraying many types of people engaged in a variety of activities.

Ichon Station, line No. 4, exit 2

(02) 2077-9000, www.museum.go.kr

GAAIN GALLERY, Jongno District

To Sept. 30: “Stephen Gill: Hackney Flowers.”

In this exhibition, British photographer Stephen Gill showcases stunning images of flowers from Hackney, a borough in the eastern part of London where he currently lives.

Gill’s work fits nicely in the realism genre, as he attempts to represents today’s world in his pieces. Many of his photographs center on the ordinary, everyday scenes you’d come across in London - images that modern city-dwellers can relate to quite easily.

Gill has used many different artistic approaches in his series pieces. His “Hackney Flowers Portraits,” for instance, involve photographs of people wearing floral accessories and clothes with floral patterns.

In “Archaeology in Reverse” (2006-2007), he looks to capture signs of impending change by surveying the land and marking the areas scheduled for demolition.

Gyeongbokgung Station, line No. 3, exit 3

(02) 394-3631, www.gaainart.com

SEOMI & TUUS GALLERY, Cheongdam-dong

To Sept. 30: “Design Miami/Basel Moved to Seomi.”

Selected works by Korean artists who participated in the Design Miami/Basel show are currently on display at Gallery Seomi. The participating artists are Choi Byung-hoon, Lee Hun-chung, Kwon Dae-sup and Jang Jin.

Seomi Gallery is the first Korean exhibit space to display the works of these four well-established local artists and designers. Choi Byung-hoon is recognized as a pioneer in the realm of Korean art furniture. His works consist of wood compositions in the form of simple elliptic spheres and oval shapes that incorporate natural stone and horizontal wood pedestals.

Jang Jin opened up new doors in the field of ceramic arts, creating pieces that exude traditional Korean beauty. Kwon Dae-sup’s notable works include the Full-Moon Jars series, while Lee Hun-chung is known for designing furniture made from a beautiful combination of ceramics and cement.

The exhibition will be a combination of works from all four artists.

Cheongdam Station, line No. 7

(02) 511-7305, www.seomituus.com

GALLERY EM, Cheongdam-dong

To Oct. 10: “Lee Joo-won: Meet Unexpectedly on the Road.”

Lee Joo-won is showing his new works at Gallery Em under the theme “Meet Unexpectedly on the Road.” In these pieces, Lee tries to portray the emotions of greed and emptiness by using the shapes of people and nature. The human shapes represent people as inanimate forms similar to dolls who continually walk on the road of time. Nature takes the form of fire, rocks and plants, highlighting our capacity to feel emotions.

Lee believes that artists should attempt to express their inner feelings directly through an object rather than via the surrounding scene.

Lee portrays this in the unconventional media of acrylic on rice paper.

He tries to create an organic union between these materials and a unique texture on the surface of the paper by using the masking technique. Lee also attempts to incorporate the special and unique character of the rice paper in his works.

Cheongdam Station, line No. 7, exit 9

(02) 544-8145, www.galleryem.co.kr