Art comes to life in two Seoul shows

Arts & Design

Published: 27 May. 2014, 20:17

Art comes to life in two Seoul shows

Renowned French artist Bernar Venet’s “GRIB 4”(2012) is now on display at Gallery Hyundai in Seoul. Provided by the gallery and Bernar Venet Studio

For those who have dreamed of drawing in the air and seeing the results gain material existence, two exhibitions ongoing in Seoul could prove exciting.

One is an exhibition at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul that features the conceptual sculptural reliefs of renowned French artist Bernar Venet, based on his own scribbles.

The other is Song Jin-su’s solo exhibition at Choi Jung Ah Gallery in western Seoul, which shows wire sculptures that will remind viewers of lyrical pen illustrations.

To create the reliefs, Venet, 73, well known for his wooden sculpture series “Indeterminate Lines,” doodled on hundreds of pieces of papers and selected a few among them. He then projected the drawings on 3.5-centimeter-thick (1.4-inch) steel plates and cut out the sketched lines with a torch. Through the process, 2-D drawings gained 3-D physicality.

A self-portrait of Korean artist Song Jin-su is part of his solo show at Choi Jung Ah Gallery. Provided by the gallery

“As an extension to his previous Indeterminate Lines series, ‘GRIB’ is inspired by scribbled lines and imbued with liberated energy that attests to the ongoing, indefatigable passion that governs his artistic practice of more than 50 years,” Gallery Hyundai explained.

Venet has worked in a wide range of media - from painting, sculpture and photography to performance, film, music and dance. This exhibition also includes paintings of mathematical formulas, graphs and diagrams.

In contrast with Venet’s abstract and conceptual sculptures, Korean artist Song’s wire sculptures take the familiar form of pen drawings depicting what we see everyday, such as a chair, a tree, a cat, a dog and people.

While the use of wire gives the work a corporal sense, it also creates an immaterial impression as it emphasizes the empty spaces within the work. Visitors will experience an idea of an empty house full of the phantoms that once occupied the space or visual memories of the people that once lived there.

*“Song Jin-su: Draw-ing” runs through Friday. Admission is free. Opening hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The gallery is located in the lobby of Hongik University’s Hongmungwan Building. For details, visit www.jagallery.co.kr or call (02) 540-5584.

*Bernar Venet’s solo exhibition runs through June 15. Admission is free. Opening hours are from 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. For more information, visit www.galleryhyundai.com or call (02) 2287-3500.

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