2013.5.22 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

GEORGE ROUSSE: SPACE, FICTION,

PHOTOGRAPHY

Hangaram Art Museum of Seoul Arts Center, Seocho District

To Saturday: This is a solo show of the French artist Georges Rousse. He is well known for his paintings in architectural spaces, which are seen from certain vantage points as a complete geometrical figure suspended in the air. He also takes photos of them.

The exhibition consists of three site-specific installations, 17 drawings for the installations and 15 large photo pieces that capture his installations in various parts of the world.

Admission is 5,000 won ($4.50) for adults. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The museum is closed on April 29. Go to Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit 5, and walk five minutes.

(02) 580-1300, www.sac.or.kr

GIMHONGSOK: GOOD LABOR BAD ART

Plateau, Jung District

To Sunday: This is a solo show of Korean conceptual artist Gimhongsok.

Some of the works on display show what the playful artist calls “autonomous and original translation” with satirical tones. They include “Canine Construction,” which resembles the famous “Balloon Dog” by American neo-pop artist Jeff Koons, but unlike his expensive shiny creation, looks like it was made with black garbage bags. Gimhongsok presents works made of waste that remains after the production and delivery of sculptures and installations, reflecting his questions about “the center and margin.” With other works, Gimhongsok raises the issue of “hidden labor” of people who participate in the production and delivery of art but stand in the shadows behind the artist.

Admission is 3,000 won for adults. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and is closed Monday. Go to City Hall Station, line No. 1 or 2, exit 8, and walk for five minutes.

1577-7595, www.plateau.or.kr

PEOPLE AND PLACES: PAINTINGS BY

ALICE NEEL

Gallery Hyundai, Jongno District

To June 2: The solo show of Alice Neel (1900-1984) consists of 15 paintings by the American “psychological portraitist,” who was not recognized during her lifetime but has come into the international limelight in recent years.

Neel’s portraits, including “Sue Seely and Her husband”(1948) and “Jim Radowski”(1970), are not easily categorized. They have qualities of realism, but at the same time, those of expressionism.

Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Go to exit No. 1 of Anguk Station, line No. 3 and walk for 10 minutes.

(02) 2287-3500, www.galleryhyundai.com

FRANCE IN SONGEUN: THE FRENCH HAUNTED HOUSE

Songeun Art Space, Gangnam District

To June 8: Twelve young French artists and curator Gael Charbau have decorated the art gallery with fascinating French ghosts. The exhibition shows 41 works, including paintings, sculptures, installations, photos and videos.

It starts with a grand piano that makes a thunder-like sound regularly although no one is banging on its keys. This is a work by Stephane Vigny, who makes surrealistic art through unexpected and witty combinations of daily objects.

The works on display also include a group of trophy heads, which are grotesque hybrids of two or more animals, by Julien Salaud, and sculptures of four ghosts that make “The Invisible Family,” more humorous than frightening, by Theo Mercier.

Admission is free. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday. It is closed on Sunday. Go to Cheongdam Station, line No. 7, exit 9, and walk for 10 minutes.

(02) 3448-0100, www.songeunartspace.org.

KIM BO HIE: TOWARDS

Hakgojae Gallery, Jongno District

To June 9: This is a solo show of veteran Korean artist Kim Bo-hie, who is based both in Seoul and Jeju Island. Her 19 paintings feature green plants with subtle differences and an emerald sea bordered by a calm horizon from the turquoise sky - all scenes she has seen on the southern island.

She uses traditional Asian pigment for her paintings that appear to be created in Western style.

Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday. The exhibit is closed on Monday. Go to Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit 2, and walk 10 minutes.

(02) 720-1524~6, www.hakgojae.com

ROLLING! VISUAL ART IN TAIWAN

Seoul Museum of Art, Jung District

To June 16: The exhibition is part of an art exchange project since 2011 between the Korean museum and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. This show, intended to introduce Taiwanese modern and contemporary art to the Korean public, presents works by Taiwanese artists from the late 1950s to the present. Thirty-two works encompassing paintings, videos and installation art are on display to show important turning points of Taiwanese art.

Admission is free. The Seoul Museum of Art is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and to 7 p.m. on weekends. It is closed Mondays. Go to City Hall Station, line No. 1 or 2, exit 1 or 10.

(02) 2124-8800, sema.seoul.go.kr

A MORE PERFECT DAY: COLLECTION OF MUDAM LUXEMBOURG

Artsonje Center, Jongno District

To June 23: The exhibition features a contemporary collection from the Mudam, or Musee d’art moderne Grand-Duc Jean in Luxembourg.

The show consists of about 30 works encompassing painting, photography, video and installations. They are by 19 individual artists and two artist teams of various nationalities “who look differently at the world, but at the same time, keep a poetic and humorous distance to the world,” according to Enrico Lunghi, general director of Mudam.

Admission is 5,000 won for adults. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Go to Anguk Station, line No. 3, exit 1, and walk for 10 minutes.

(02) 733-8945, www.artsonje.org.

BILL VIOLA FROM THE MUSEUM

COLLECTION

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon

To Sept. 1: This exhibition introduces the “Tristan Project” by videographer Bill Viola. Two works from the project, which Viola created based on Richard Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde”, are on display. They are “Tristan’s Ascension” (2005) and “Fire Woman” (2005). According to the museum, “Tristan’s Ascension” describes the ascent of the soul after death in slow motion. A man’s limp body rises upward with a torrent of water which brings his soul to heavenly light.

Admission is free. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Tuesday to Friday and to 8 p.m. on weekends. It is closed Monday. Go to Seoul Grand Park Station, line No. 4, exit 4, and take the shuttle bus.

(02) 2188-6114, visit www.moca.go.kr.

By Moon So-young