It is now time for K-Art. As the global art community turns its attention to Seoul this fall, contemporary Korean art will be showcased throughout the city. Major figures in Korean contemporary art, including Park Seo-bo, Yoon Hyong-keun, and Lee Kang-so, alongside internationally recognized artists like Seongdo Ho and Koo Jeong A, will present exhibitions that highlight the strength of K-Art. The excitement ignited by museums and galleries is spilling out into the streets. At the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), works by Nam June Paik and Yoo Young-kuk will illuminate the night, while biennales in Gwangju, Busan, and Changwon will soon commence.
Featuring 'That' Artist
On September 2, the Kiaf Seoul and Frieze Seoul will open simultaneously, with galleries and museums across the city prominently featuring Korean artists.
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will host the largest solo exhibition of renowned installation artist Seongdo Ho, starting August 27. This exhibition will showcase works from his student days to his current projects, exploring themes of space, memory, and identity. A significant number of his drawings, reflecting his thought process, will be unveiled for the first time in Korea, along with future-oriented insights centered around the 'Bridge Project.'
At the Leeum Museum, Koo Jeong A's exhibition 'Koo Jeong A: Ousmos' will open on September 5. This will be the largest solo exhibition of her work in Korea, encapsulating over 30 years of her artistic journey. Key elements of her art, such as glow-in-the-dark materials, skate parks, magnets, and scents, will extend beyond the M2 exhibition hall into the lobby and the traditional art exhibition space, weaving together various layers of her 'Ous' universe.
Returning to the scene are masters who laid the foundation for Korean contemporary art. This is a unique opportunity to witness the trajectories of artists who have explored diverse paths, from monochrome painting to experimental and people's art.
On August 21, the Park Seo-bo Museum opened in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, featuring the inaugural exhibition 'Park Seo-bo and Huong Do Dinh: Emptiness and Fullness.' This exhibition presents 42 paintings by the monochrome master Park Seo-bo and Vietnamese-born French artist Huong Do Dinh, highlighting their different materials and methods as they converge on the themes of 'emptiness' and 'fullness.'
The International Gallery in Samcheong-dong will showcase a retrospective of Park Seo-bo's 50-year career, opening on August 24. The exhibition 'Changing, Unchanging' will feature 40 works, tracing the evolution of his techniques from the 1967 'Pencil Drawing Method' to the 'Zigzag Method' using hanji paper, and his later 'Newspaper Method.' Visitors will be able to see the artist's own words, stating, 'I will be remembered as an artist who changes without falling.'
The Lotte Museum will present Lee Kang-so's solo exhibition 'Lee Kang-so: Emergence and Dissolution,' showcasing over 150 works that span more than five decades of experimentation. The exhibition will include new LED works based on his representative painting series 'Cheongmyeong,' along with over 30 'Throwing Sculptures' and 11 major series such as 'Cheongmyeong,' 'Untitled,' and 'From the Island,' as well as his first solo exhibition piece 'Dissolution.'
PKM Gallery will open 'Reimagining Yoon Hyong-keun' on August 26, featuring over 40 large-scale paintings and hanji works representing the artist's career from the 1970s to the 2000s. On September 1, 'Yoon Hyong-keun's House,' a recreation of the space where the artist lived and worked, will also open.
The Seoul City Archive will present the 'Oh Yoon Collection' to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the passing of Oh Yoon (1946-1986), a representative of people's art in the 1980s. This exhibition will shed light on his artistic world and creative process through the archive collected in 2024.
DDP Illuminated by Nam June Paik and Yoo Young-kuk
From September 3 to 13, the DDP will be illuminated every evening from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM with media art featuring works by Nam June Paik and Yoo Young-kuk.
Nam June Paik's 'The Break Point' combines real-time media art with live performances by artist groups, where the light and visuals on the DDP facade will change in real-time to the beat of music. Yoo Young-kuk's 'Finding the Mountain Within Me' will showcase the 'mountain' he has contemplated throughout his life, projected onto the organic surface of the DDP. The vibrant colors and rhythms of nature will be transformed into a constantly evolving landscape within the digital space created by young media artist Kwon Ha-yoon.
During Frieze Seoul, Frieze Week will unfold across the city, featuring exhibitions, performances, and various events at major museums and galleries, including the Leeum Museum, Song Eun, and Artsonje Center. The gallery-rich areas of Euljiro, Hannam, Cheongdam, and Samcheong will also host 'Neighborhood Night,' connecting domestic and international visitors with galleries, artists, and cultural figures.
Biennales will also take place in various regions, including Gwangju and Busan. The 16th Gwangju Biennale will open on September 5 under the theme 'You Must Change Your Life,' running until November 15. This theme, drawn from the last line of Rainer Maria Rilke's poem 'The Torso of Apollo,' questions whether art can change lives. Singaporean installation artist Ho Tzu Nyen will serve as the artistic director, showcasing works from 45 teams across more than 20 countries.
In Busan, Jeju, and Changwon, biennales will follow suit. The Busan Biennale, opening on September 29, will feature 46 teams from 22 countries under the theme 'Dissonant Chorus.' The Jeju Biennale, starting on August 25, will gather 69 teams from 20 countries around the keywords 'Exile, Myth, Stone.' The Changwon Sculpture Biennale, set to open on September 30, will showcase over 200 works from 74 teams across 14 countries, displayed throughout the city at venues such as Seongsan Art Hall, Jinhae Station, and Masan Fish Market.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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