2013.11.13 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

TAKASHI IN SUPERFLAT WONDERLAND

Plateau, Jung District

To Dec. 8: This is the first retrospective in Korea of Takashi Murakami, one of the world’s hottest contemporary artists.

The Japanese artist says his works are based on the subculture of “otaku,” a Japanese slang term that refers to an obsessive fan of adult comics and animation. The 39 pieces of the exhibit includes paintings and sculptures of flowers innocently smiling in cartoon style, called the “Cosmos” series, and his sculptures of girls typically found in Japanese animations with baby faces and voluptuous bodies, called the “Miss Ko²” series.

Admission is 5,000 won ($4.66) for adults. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It is closed Mondays.

Go to City Hall Station, line No. 1 or 2, exit No. 8 and walk for five minutes.

1577-7595, www.plateau.or.kr

FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD Hite Collection Gallery, Gangnam District

To Dec. 14: This is an exhibition of work by seven painters from around the world - Hurvin Anderson from Britain, Frederic Bruly Bouabre of the Ivory Coast, Marcel Dzama, who is based in New York, Bernard Frize from France, Tim Johnson from Australia, Amikam Toren, who is based in London, and Zhang Enli from China.

“The exhibition highlights each internationally renowned artist’s practice and imagination that happens two dimensionally within the four corners of the rectangular painting,” the gallery said.

Admission is free. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Sundays. Go to Cheongdam Station, line No. 7, and exit No. 14.

(02) 3219-0271

JESUS AND THE DEAF SHEEP Seoul Museum, Jongno District

To Jan. 19: Why not paint Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Apostles in hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) with Korean appearances in Korean settings? That’s what Kim Ki-chang (1914-2001), one of the most important artists in Korean modern art history, realized. Kim, better known by his pen name Unbo, made 30 paintings that depict the life of Christ from the Annunciation to the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension in the traditional East Asian style, in 1952, during the 1950-53 Korean War. Now, the 30 paintings are part of the collection of the Seoul Museum. The museum is exhibiting them with another 30 paintings by Unbo to celebrate Christmas and the 100th birthday of Unbo, which falls next year.

Admission is 9,000 won for adults and covers admission to Seokpajeong, a hanok (traditional Korean house) behind the museum that was once the summer residence of King Gojong’s father.

Hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

Take bus Nos. 1020, 1711, 7016, 7018, 7022 or 7212 to the Jahamun Tunnel stop.

(02) 395-0100, www.seoulmuseum.org.

By Moon So-young