This is a good time of year to discover Korean artists that you might not know of, both emerging and established, and see their new works in Seoul. Several international and Korean galleries are putting on interesting exhibitions of Korean artists as the new year starts. Here is a round-up of notable shows.
“Wonderland” at Lehmann Maupin
The American gallery is holding an exhibition of works by four Korean-born artists – You Gui-mi, Nahm Hyun, Yim Mie and Ken Gun Min – where paintings and sculptures unfold in brilliant compositions, gesturing towards a futuristic utopia saturated in vivid color. The exhibition takes its title from English author Lewis Carroll’s novel “Alice in Wonderland,” which describes a fantastic "wonderland" of anthropomorphic creatures. The exhibition was curated by Tae Um, a curator based in Seoul and New York. It runs through Feb. 24.
“Nostalgics on Realities” at Thaddaeus Ropac
The mega European gallery in Seoul has opened a second group exhibition of Korean artists. The exhibition was curated by Kim Sung-woo, former artistic director of Gwangju Biennale in 2018, who brought together paintings, drawings, sculptures and videos by six emerging and established Korean artists – Jesse Chun, Jung Eugene, Kwon Yong-ju, Minsun, Nam Hwa-yeon and Yang Yoo-yun. The exhibition invites the viewers to explore an intertwining of the past, present and the imagined futures. It runs through March 9.
“Sublime Beauty of Sosan” at Gana Art Center
Korea’s leading commercial gallery Gana Art Center sheds light on Korean art master Park Dae-sung to commemorate the artist’s overseas exhibitions at eight institutions, including Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Hood Museum at Dartmouth College in the US, over the past two years. Born in 1945, the artist is a pioneer in modernizing traditional ink painting. The exhibition focuses on Park’s large-scale landscape ink paintings created with his unique brush strokes, including those shown at the museums overseas. The exhibition runs from Friday to March 24.
