2016.5.18 Museums & Galleries
Bexco, Busan
Friday to Monday: Art Busan has grown into the nation’s biggest art fair in terms of the number of participating galleries since its launch in 2012.
This year, 191 galleries from 19 countries including major Seoul-based galleries such as Kukje, Hyundai and Gana and foreign galleries such as Hong Kong-based Pearl Lam and Tokyo-based Tomio Koyama will participate in the fair. They will present about 4,000 artworks that encompass paintings, sculptures, new media works and installation works.
Several special exhibitions including a collective show of French artists to celebrate the 130th year of Korea-France diplomatic relations are scheduled.
Admission is 10,000 won ($8.50) for adults. Go to Busan Museum of Art Station, line No. 2, exit 7 or 9.
(051) 740-3530, artbusankorea.com
THE FAMILY OF THE INVISIBLES
Seoul Museum of Art & Ilwoo Space,
Jung District
To May 29: The exhibition features 210 photographic works from the collections of two French institutions - the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in Paris and Fonds Regional d’Art Contemporain Aquitaine in Bordeaux - as part of cultural events to celebrate the 130th year of Korea-France diplomatic ties.
As the title suggests, the large-scale photography show proposes an alternative to the monumental 1955 exhibition at the MoMA New York, “The Family of Man,” by presenting photos that focus on minorities or humans in out-of-the-ordinary conditions, based on the theory of the French philosopher Roland Barthes (1915-80).
The works on display include those by famous artists such as Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, Robert Doisneau and Nobuyoshi Araki.
Admission is free. The museum is closed on Mondays. Go to Seoul City Hall Station, line No. 2, exit 10 and walk for five minutes.
(02) 2124-8800, sema.seoul.go.kr
LEE JUNG-SEOB DIED
Seoul Museum, Jongno District
To May 29: The exhibition features paintings and drawings by Lee Jung-seob (1916-56). Lee, who died young and in poverty, is one of the best-loved Korean modern artists for his paintings that combine Korean motifs and European Expressionist styles.
The show includes “Fighting Bulls,” “Bloody Bull” and “Bull.”
“The title of the exhibition shows our intention to remove all prejudices about Lee, whether positive or negative, and to resurrect him, as his 100th birthday falls this year,” museum founder Ahn Byung-gwang told reporters.
Admission is 9,000 won for adults and includes admission to the other shows going on at the museum and to Seokpajeong, the summer residence of King Gojong’s father, behind the museum.
The museum is closed on Mondays. Take bus Nos. 1020, 1711, 7016, 7018, 7022 or 7212 to the Jahamun Tunnel stop.
(02) 395-0100, www.seoulmuseum.org
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Jung District
To May 29: The exhibition features a 150-meter-long (492-foot-long) ink painting in traditional East Asian style by Korean artist Moon Bong-sun. The painting, titled “Gangsanyeohwa” or “Picturesque Scenery,” depicts Baektudaegan, the range of mountains spanning the Korean Peninsula. Visitors can view the painting while reclining on the special chairs designed by Jihoon Ha, to follow the tradition of wayu in Korean or woyou in Chinese, which means “traveling in nature while lying down in a room.” It is the traditional way of viewing East Asian landscape paintings.
Admission is 4,000 won. The venue is near exits 1 and 2 of Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station, line Nos. 2, 4, and 5.
(02) 2153-0000, www.ddp.or.kr
APRIL, THE ETERNAL VOYAGE
Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art,
Ansan, Gyeonggi
To June 25: This exhibition in memory of the 304 victims of the April 16, 2014, Sewol ferry tragedy features works by 22 artists.
About two-thirds of the exhibits have never been shown to the public before. The diverse artworks include an installation piece made of various objects found at the port by artist Soun Hong; an installation of 304 twinkling points of light in a dark room by Jo Sook-jin; and a series of photos that show praying hands with one finger dyed red with garden balsam, which is the result of artist Sohee Cho’s project.
Admission is 4,000 won. The museum is closed on Mondays. It is a 20-minute walk from Exit No. 1 of Choji Station on line No. 4.
(031) 481-7000, gmoma.ggcf.kr
LIU WEI: PANORAMA
Plateau, Jung District
To Aug. 14: The exhibition features 12 pieces of works by Chinese artist Liu Wei ranging from his controversial early works to his most recent works. The 44-year-old is one of the leading artists in the generation next to the famous “Chinese Diaspora” and “Political Pop” generations under the influence of the 1989 Tiananmen protests.
“Liu Wei’s works, created from materials such as architectural debris and old books through labor-intensive handcrafting, examine the dystopic cities of China, and more broadly Asia, as sites of endless urban development,” said Ahn Soyeon, curator of the exhibition and deputy director of Plateau.
The exhibition will be the last exhibition at Plateau, a branch of the Samsung Museum of Art, as the branch is located in the Samsung Life building that will close after a 17-year history due to the sale of the building.
Admission is free. The museum is closed on Mondays. Go to City Hall Station, line No. 2, exit 8.
(02) 1577-7595, www.plateau.or.kr
THE ART HAS REMAINED
Whanki Museum, Jongno District
To Aug. 14.: The large-scale retrospective of the modern Korean master Kim Whanki (1913-74) features 400 paintings, drawings and collages by the artist.
Among the exhibits are a lot of abstract drawings and oil paintings on newspaper that show the artist’s continued experimentation and transition into pure abstract figuration. The result was Kim’s collection of dot paintings, which are now celebrated both by art critics and collectors. Dot paintings are also among the exhibits.
Admission is 10,000 won for adults. The museum is closed on Mondays. From Gyeongbokgung Station, line No. 3, exit 3, take Green Bus No. 1020 or 7212 and get off at the Buam-dong Resident Center stop.
(02) 391-7701, www.whankimuseum.org
GANA ART COLLECTION ANTHOLOGY
Seoul Museum of Art, Jung District
For an indefinite period: The exhibition celebrates the opening of a permanent exhibition room for a group of artworks donated by Gana Art, one of the nation’s leading galleries, to the municipal museum in 2001.
The donation, called the Gana Collection, consists of 200 paintings, sculptures and prints by 48 local artists related with the minjung art movement of the 1980s and early ’90s. The movement is represented by realist paintings with strong political or social messages against the Korean military regime of the ’80s.
The inaugural exhibition features 28 works by 24 famous minjung artists including Lim Ok-sang, Shin Hak-chul and Hwang Jae-hyung.
Admission is free. The museum is closed on Mondays. Go to Seoul City Hall Station, line No. 2, exit 10 and walk for five minutes.
(02) 2124-8800, sema.seoul.go.kr
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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