Shinan's 'Graffiti Town' brings renowned street artists to rural Korea

Arts & Design

Published: 24 Jul. 2024, 15:47

Shinan's 'Graffiti Town' brings renowned street artists to rural Korea

Dulk talks about his graffiti mural at an Aphae-eup administrative building in Shinan County, South Jeolla, on July 5. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

SHINAN COUNTY, South Jeolla — As a child, John Andrew Perello had never been to a museum. His parents never took him to one, so graffiti on the streets of New York City was the first art he ever encountered.

Years later, Perello would become JonOne, a 60-year-old Paris-based graffiti artist who’s made a name for himself internationally.

If it weren't for public art, he says, “I would’ve been an American eating McDonald’s in New York.”

Now, it's JonOne's turn to use his street art to give back by uplifting the lives of other people. He recently participated in the “Graffiti Town” project in Shinan County, a rural region in the southernmost part of Korea comprised of 1,025 islands. The project, with the help of the organizing committee for street art fair Urban Break, invites international artists to create large-scale street works across the county. Its philosophy is that graffiti should not be confined to urban areas and should be welcomed to places like Shinan where people can enjoy it alongside mother nature and its breathtaking scenery.

“This place can become like an open museum for people to come from all over the world to see art and enjoy themselves,” JonOne said.

Dulk's finished mural at an Aphae-eup administrative building in Shinan County, South Jeolla [SHIN MIN-HEE]

“It’s very important to bring the street art to these locations where it can really breathe, because in the big cities, you have many things around you that distort your view,” said Dulk, whose real name is Antonio Segura. Both the 41-year-old Spanish artist and JonOne were present during a news conference for Graffiti Town in Shinan earlier this month to explain the stories behind their works.

Dulk was in Shinan for roughly a month, starting in June, as the first batter to complete his graffiti piece. He covered the side of an administrative building in the county’s Aphae-eup with a mural, illustrating fantastical versions of wildlife native to Shinan, including a ghost crab, black-faced spoonbill, little tern and blue spotted mudskipper, as well as a tiger, which is considered a symbol of Korea.

The piece is in line with Dulk’s usual works that depict nature, as he is also an Expedition Expert ambassador for National Geographic.

JonOne speaks to press in front of the Palace Park apartment complex in Shinan County, South Jeolla, on July 5, before beginning work on his graffiti piece. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

JonOne and the residents of Shinan County, South Jeolla, pose together for a photograph in front of the graffiti artist's work at the Palace Park apartment complex on July 6. [URBAN BREAK]

JonOne’s finished piece is on the sides of two low-rise apartment buildings. Together, the densely-packed rainbow-colored scribbles make up the wings of a butterfly. The units — located in Palace Park, an apartment complex purchased by the Shinan County Office — will be leased to newlywed couples for only 10,000 won ($7) per month as an attempt to attract more residents.

The Graffiti Town project continues until 2026, and Urban Break expects to invite several more artists. In the meantime, 36-year-old Portuguese artist Vhils is set to visit Shinan in September to create a street artwork on the walls and grounds of a Nonghyup building. Unlike other street artists, who typically use spray paint, Vhils’ technique is based on drilling, carving on concrete surfaces, which will depict — in this project — the faces of famed figures from Shinan. Although specific individuals haven't been selected yet, the county is the birthplace of the likes of painter Kim Whanki (1913-1974) and Go player Lee Se-dol (1983-).

Graffiti Town is just one part of Shinan’s ongoing 144 billion won mission to transform the entire county into a “global art hub.” The county plans to build a total of 26 museums or landmarks — one per island — to boost tourism in the area.

Everything is purple on Purple Island in Shinan County, including the bridges and sightseeing carts shown here. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

The Purple Bridge on Purple Island, Shinan County, connects the Banwol and Bakji islands and allows visitors to cross over the mud flats on foot. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Purple Island is considered a successful example. The village that painted its buildings and bridges purple, and planted wildflower beds of the same hue, was named to the list of Best Tourism Villages by the World Tourism Organization under the United Nations in 2021. The island also saw 353,624 visitors last year, exceeding a 10-fold increase from 2018, which is the year it opened and saw 32,248 visitors.

The next biggest project is the Floating Museum, slated to open early next year. The attraction, as its name implies, consists of seven floating structures enveloped in mirror panels that reflect on the reservoir. Five commissioned pieces by contemporary Japanese artist Yukinori Yanagi will be permanently arranged inside the buildings alongside one temporary exhibition.

The county also teased more collaborations featuring artists and its islands in the future, including American artist James Turrell in Nodae Island, British sculptor Antony Gormley in Bigeum Island and Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson in Docho Island.

The Floating Museum is currently under construction and is slated to open early next year. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

The county went through a rough patch confirming the projects with globally renowned artists, as doing so was costly, but handled it smoothly.

“I asked Gormley to help us out a bit, calling him hyungnim [an affectionate way of saying ‘older brother’],” said Shinan Mayor Park Woo-ryang. “He then told us that he would design his piece for free — that it was meaningful enough that his work could contribute to healing visitors.”

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