'The World of Tim Burton' in Seoul turns the DDP Burtonesque

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'The World of Tim Burton' in Seoul turns the DDP Burtonesque

Published: 02 May. 2022, 14:54 Updated: 02 May. 2022, 16:47

The exhibition view of ″The World of Tim Burton″ [GNC MEDIA]

“It’s like being in a weird funhouse or a spaceship,” Tim Burton said of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in central Seoul on Friday.

The iconic American director, famous for his grotesque fantasy films, paid a visit to Seoul for “The World of Tim Burton,” his special exhibition that showcases over 500 of his unique works, ranging from drawings and photographs to sculptures from the past 50-some years.

Seoul is the first stop in the retrospective's world tour.

This is Burton’s second time holding an exhibition in the country; in 2012 he had an exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Art. He said one of the reasons he came back to the city for another show is because he is a fan of Zaha Hadid (1950-2016), the British-Iraqi architect who designed the DDP building.

Tim Burton stands at the entrance of his exhibition at the DDP on Friday. [GNC MEDIA]

“Ten years ago when I first came to Korea, I felt like an alien,” Burton said. “Now, with the opportunity to show my exhibition in this beautiful alien spacecraft-like building — I got very excited.”

On display are a number of puppets that were used in the making of films like the characters in “Edward Scissorhands” (1990), “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993) and “Corpse Bride” (2005), and the Oompa-Loompas in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005).

Brandi Pomfret, the chief curator of the exhibition, said that “The World of Tim Burton” focuses on “thematic presentation” and was much more “hands-on,” with Burton being more involved in the process.

[GNC MEDIA]

“You can find little bits in different rooms that have come up over and over again, and you can see where there’s characters and things that get drawn a number of times,” Pomfret said. “There’s a lot more handcrafted elements in this show […] And this one is now a much more intimate look and is closer to the drawings.”

Among the 10 sections of the exhibition, the final is a replica of Burton’s actual studio, showing heaps of his rough draft drawings on bulletin boards as it is the powerhouse behind everyone’s favorite gothic fantasy-horror — or Burtonesque film.

The replica of Burton's studio [SHIN MIN-HEE]

“I’m an adult, and I think part of the creative spirit is just to maintain that sense of a child,” Burton said. “I think, as an artist, you try not to stay a child but you try to keep that sort of feeling, and see the world in new ways and be surprised by things […] No matter what age you are, any artist wants to keep seeing things in a certain way like that.”

“The World of Tim Burton” continues until Sept. 12. The DDP is open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets range from 8,000 won ($6.30) to 20,000 won and can be purchased on Interpark or Naver.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]