Artist John Akromfrah uses LG OLEDs at Frieze London booth

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Artist John Akromfrah uses LG OLEDs at Frieze London booth

Published: 10 Oct. 2024, 18:44 Updated: 10 Oct. 2024, 19:21

SHIN MIN-HEE
shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr

The LG Electronics booth at Frieze London presents ″Becoming Wind″ (2023) by John Akromfrah [LG]

LONDON — The LG Electronics booth at this year’s Frieze London highlights the climate crisis through the works of John Akromfrah.

The 67-year-old Ghanian-born British artist and filmmaker is screening “Becoming Wind” (2023), a video installation, on five 97-inch LG OLED Evo TV screens.

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His videos are bricolages that tend to be poetic and do not follow a straightforward narrative. The main motif in “Becoming Wind” is the Garden of Eden, which was reinterpreted by the artist through filming the natural scenery in South Africa during the Covid pandemic.

Such imagery is Akromfrah’s way of comparing the abundance and beauty of the Biblical garden with the current dangers stemming from the climate crisis. The contrast was also depicted through portraying some scenes in black and white, and others in color. Messages like “We need to be quick” are flashed on the screens, creating a sense of urgency and calling for human responsibility.

Although it has been exhibited before, it is the first time that “Becoming Wind” is being shown on screens with resolutions as high as the LG OLED, according to Ryu So-young, an independent curator who helped arrange the collaboration.

Akromfrah personally reached out to LG first, as he believed it was crucial for media art to be displayed on “digital canvases” that will properly guarantee the quality of its outcome. He’s very satisfied with the result, Ryu said.

Akromfrah was the representing artist for the British Pavilion at the ongoing 60th International Art Exhibition for this year’s Venice Biennale. He utilized the LG OLED TV for the show as well for his installations like “Four Nocturnes” and “Purple.” His work mainly explores themes like colonialism, diaspora, gender identities and the Black community.

Frieze London continues until Sunday at The Regent’s Park. Korean art galleries like Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, PKM Gallery and Johyun Gallery are also participating in the fair.

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