A new vantage point on trademark scenes

Veteran artist Chang Hwa-jin’s “Window”(2010) series hangs at the Kumho Museum of Art in central Seoul. Provided by the museum

A corner of the floor at the Kumho Museum of Art has been covered with tiles of geometric patterns that have a vintage feel.

In fact, they are not real tiles but a group of square canvases on which the patterns of Jeonggwanheon’s floor tiles have been reproduced in acrylic. Jeonggwanheon is the oldest “modern-style” building in Deoksu Palace, central Seoul, of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

The reproduction of tiles titled “Modern Taste” (2013) is one of the latest works by veteran Korean artist Chang Hwa-jin and part of his solo show going on at the museum east of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul.

“Modern Taste” is not the only reproduction of historical architecture in the exhibition. Chang’s “Red Brick House” series depicts various parts of the 105-year-old Seodaemun Prison, which is now a museum, in dry manner.

“I have had interest in architecture built and demolished for political reasons and individual memories tangled with them,” the 64-year-old artist told the reporters at a preview last week.

The exhibits include works inspired from the Japanese Government General Building, built in 1926 during the 1910-45 colonial period and demolished in 1995, and Sungnyemun Gate, whose restoration after a 2008 arson attack will be complete soon.

Individual spaces have also been reproduced in works on display. In the “Window” series, each canvas portrays a certain window frame carrying a complex set of images. The windows and images seen through them have been separated from the original architecture and relocated into the new context of gallery spaces so that viewers can focus on them with a fresh perspective.

By Moon So-young [symoon@joongang.co.kr]

The exhibition continues until April 28. Admission is 2,000 won ($1.76) for adults. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Go to Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit 1, and walk 10 minutes. For more information, visit www.kumhomuseum.com or call (02) 720-5114.