From Mona Hatoum's first solo show in Seoul to rising Japanese and Chinese artists, Seoul is full of exhibitions in March
It seems spring has finally arrived in Seoul after the cold snap of the past few days. If the cold weather kept you away from galleries, it is now time for some gallery hopping. Here are three exhibitions in southern and central Seoul you might visit this sunny weekend.
White Cube Seoul
Mona Hatoum, a British Palestinian multimedia artist, is renowned for poetic and political works -- from site-specific installations to works on paper. Those who are not familiar with the artist -- this is the artist's first solo exhibition in Seoul -- may find the show at White Cube Seoul quite interesting.
Hatoum often transforms everyday items such as chairs, cots or kitchen utensils into sculptures that seem foreign -- even threatening. More than 20 key works by the artist spanning over two decades are on view.
Highlights from the exhibition include the earliest work exhibited, "Untitled (wheelchair II)," comprised of a stainless steel wheelchair, the handles of which have turned into serrated knives, subverting its function from an instrument of care to one that turns against the carer. The exhibition runs through April 12.
Perrotin Seoul
A stone's throw away from White Cube Seoul, Perrotin Seoul is showing works by Emi Kuraya, a rising young artist from Japan. The exhibition entitled “Happy Bunny” marks the second solo presentation of the artist in the city after 2021.
Through meticulous composition and refined technique, the artist portrays familiar urban landscapes and fleeting moments of adolescence, drawing audiences into the inner worlds of the artist’s subjects.
Once an aspiring manga professional who has become a rising star painter, Kuraya assimilates manga narratives on her canvas, contextualizing circumstances such as locale, social status, relationships and ineffable sensibility of girlhood. The exhibition run until April 19.
Whitestone Gallery
Chinese abstract expressionist artist Wu Shuang’s paintings on view in Seoul are inspired by the artist’s sensory experiences and emotions during her stay in the city. The leading Japanese gallery’s Seoul space, located in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, is showing the exhibition, “Else Where,” the first presentation of the artist’s works at the gallery.
The young artist explores the meaning of inner spirituality and freedom, employing an intuitive approach to her practice. More than 40 paintings on view at the gallery feature dynamic brushstrokes, layering colors in a way that generates a striking tension, which simultaneously achieves a delicate sense of harmony across the canvas.
Following the height of the pandemic, Wu has been dismantling spatial boundaries, incorporating new environments and emotions encountered on her travels into her art. Her time in Seoul follows this path, as she explores the dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity within the city, according to the gallery. The exhibition runs through March 30.
yunapark@heraldcorp.com
