2011.5.14 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

DREAMS COME TRUE: THE ART OF DISNEY’S CLASSIC FAIRY TALES

Hangaram Design Museum

Today to Sept. 25: For the first time in Asia, viewers will have a chance to see the art behind the scenes of classic Disney fairy tale films from the entertainment giant’s 80-year history. Among the 600 pieces on display are original concept artworks, sketches, storyboards, final frame cells, background paintings and movie clips from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library. Included in the collection are works by famous illustrators such as Mary Blair and Kay Nielsen.

The exhibition is divided into nine sections, each of which is dedicated to each of the nine most beloved Disney films. The exhibition begins with its first animated feature film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937), and ends with the 3-D film “Rapunzel” (2010), its latest hit.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. It is closed on the last Monday of every month. Admission is 14,000 won ($12.88) for adults.
Go to Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit 5, and walk five minutes.
(02) 795-2011, http://dctexhibition.com

NEW ACQUISITIONS 2010

National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, Makgye-dong

To June 26: This exhibition features around 45 works of painting, sculpture, new media and photography by 24 iconic artists, including Korean artists Kim Tschang-yeul, Kim Sooja and American video artist Bill Viola.

Included in the collection is the world premiere of Kim Sooja’s video piece “A Needle Woman,” which has never been shown in its entirety. The video, which was three years in the making, consists of eight channels. Each channel shows Kim in a different city - Tokyo, Shanghai, Delhi, New York, Mexico City, Cairo, Lagos and London - and the videos all start and stop simultaneously. In each video, Kim stands as straight as a needle amidst the pedestrians on the street. As a whole, the piece portrays the artist’s growing distance from ordinary people.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Go to Seoul Grand Park Station, line No. 4, exit 4, and take the shuttle bus, which arrives every 20 minutes.
(02) 2188-6114, www.moca.go.kr

BLIND SPOT

Salon de H, Cheongdam-dong

To June 10: This is an exhibition of artists Lee Moon-ho and Han Kyung-woo. Exhibitions normally show what people see, but “Blind Spot” aims to portray what people do not see - their blind spots.

Media is everywhere, in the form of photos, TV sets, and in other confined spaces. What people normally witness through these square or rectangular screens is limited because of the controlled and restricted angle and space around the image. Artists Lee and Han flip over the unseen areas of these spaces, revealing their blind spots.

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
Cheongdam Station, line No. 7, exit 8
(02) 546-0853, www.artcompanyh.com

FRAMING EFFECT

Gallery Jinsun, Palpan-dong

To May 29: Korean sculptor Kim Byung-jin is known for reaching beyond the limits of sculpture with his use of drawing, sculpture, plane surfaces and three-dimensional forms.

For Kim, a “frame” suggests fixed limitations within boundaries, but “framing” represents movement, fluidity and change, while also emphasizing the temporality of boundaries.

Here, Kim plays with light and shadow by allowing the glare of the gallery lights to reflect off of the walls and onto his artworks. Within this context, Kim asks what the difference between shadow and reality is and explores the contradiction between existence and nonexistence and reality and illusion. His use of crooked wire strips and the ever-present shadows they cast blur the ambiguous boundaries in our world.

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays to Saturdays and from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Go to Gwanghwamun Station, line No. 5, exit 2, and take bus No. 11 to Samcheong-dong Police Station.
(02) 723-3340, http://jinsunart.com

*Information is culled from the galleries and other online sources.