2012.4.12 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES
To April 29: This is the solo show of Michael Craig-Martin, 70, who is often called a pioneer in the world of conceptual art.
Most of the works on display are paintings of big alphabet letters and everyday objects such as a can, a lightbulb and a hanger rendered in vivid colors such as pink and yellow. The show features 19 of his latest paintings and one sculpture - a three-meter-high (10-foot-high) blue hammer of steel.
He created the paintings by arranging around 200 computer-generated images of objects and filling them with some of his 20 favorite colors.
Asked why he is working with a limited number of words, colors and images, he said at a press conference last month, “We use only a few words among many. Still, we can make subtly different meanings. It rings true for my works.”
In many of the paintings, the words and images in them have no special relations. The artist emphasized that the words and images are only representations - not the objects or concepts themselves.
Admission is free. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays.
Go to Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit 1, and walk 10 minutes.
(02) 2287-3500, www.galleryhyundai.com
DANSAEKHWA: KOREAN
MONOCHROME PAINTING
To May 13: This exhibition traces the stream of Korean monochrome paintings from the 1970s to the present day.
According to Yoon Jin-sup, a professor at Honam University who was invited to curate the show, the repetition of strokes or patterns in Korean dansaekhwa (monochrome painting) implies a repetition of the artist’s actions and is a kind of spiritual practice. In that sense, these paintings differ from Western monochrome paintings.
The exhibit features more than 150 paintings by 31 local artists. Among the participants is Kim Whanki, one of the most important figures in the country’s modern art narrative, best known for abstract paintings with numerous dots, mainly in cold tones. Also included is Lee U-fan, an artist who is widely recognized internationally.
Admission is 3,000 won for adults.
Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays and to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Go to Seoul Grand Park Station, line No. 4, exit 4, and take the shuttle bus.
(02) 2188-6114, www.moca.go.kr
DO HO SUH: HOME WITHIN HOME
To June 3: This solo show of Do Ho Suh, now one of the hottest Korean artists in the international art scene, features 43 of his works, including drawings and video. A good number of the works are sculptures and installations related to homes, most of which have only rarely been shown in Korea due to the difficulty of exhibiting such large pieces.
Among the works on display are life-sized sculptures made of translucent fabric, a model of a hanok (traditional Korean house), recreated apartment units, the facade of a Western-style building and other structures.
These spectacular sculptures feature surprisingly elaborate details, ranging from the decorative frames of the hanok’s doors to a basin in the apartment. But at the same time, they look like holograms or ghosts due to the ethereal quality of their materials. All of them represent the past homes of the 50-year-old artist, who has lived a nomadic life around the world, with bases in New York and London.
Admission is 7,000 won for adults. A day pass that includes admission to the museum’s permanent exhibitions is 13,000 won.
Hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays. A docent leads tours in English at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Hangangjin Station, line No. 6, exit 1
(02) 2014-6900, www.leeum.org
Information is culled from the galleries and other online sources.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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