Last full day in Seoul. Logistically, I moved from one location to another, did laundry, and packed most of my luggage in preparation for my travels. After dropping my luggage, I headed out for some coffee and art viewing.
Aside from the extensive permanent showing of ceramics at Leeum Museum of Art, there were two shows of contemporary artists: Suki Seokyeong Kong’s “Willow, Drum, Oriole” and Kim Beom’s “How to become a rock.”
I started my visit with Kong’s exhibit. Her work incorporated elements of painting, sculpture, and textile. Materials ranged from metallic screens to woven or beaded wooden structures – flat and sculptural, by which I mean some were freestanding while others remained attached to walls and don’t necessarily meet criteria as either two or three-dimensional pieces.
The materials Kong repeatedly employed (plastic mats, the specific type of metal grating, their colors,) specifically recall to me Korea – as a place – as do the mountain ranges represented by curved lines, seen in “Mountain five #23-01”, 2021-2022, right).
The Mat series employed several of these elements, as shown below in “Mat #22-01.” Curved slopes crown the floor-to-ceiling freestanding structure. Brown screens occupy the lower “land” regions of the structure, while the upper screens are a green-blue reminiscent of distant mountains. The placement of the piece asserts its physicality, while simultaneously preventing viewers from accessing the area; it remains inviting however, due to the askew screens which read as “open” windows.
In Kim Beom’s exhibit, his focus on “animistic thinking, a belief in all extant matter” was displayed in drawing, painting, installation, and video. In the main entrance, a video chase was screened on the wall – appearing at first to be a cheetah hunting an antelope, but when you paused to watch, it became clear that it was the cheetah being hunted. This emphasis on consideration of sight itself, and the function of individual perception, was demonstrated throughout Kim’s work with surprising levity.
In “Landscape #1” (1995, marker on canvas, left) viewers are given instructions to “see” what words on canvas describe. These works reminded me of conceptual art from the 1970s, but without pretense? Accessible.
An excerpt from a written work, and source of the exhibition title, “How to become a rock” (right,) demonstrates the invitation for viewers to participate/relate to Kim’s work.
There were a lot of pieces that were difficult to document/capture – the video piece where Kim is “painting” with screams, resulting in a yellow on yellow canvas displayed outside of the screening area, had a full audience of tittering viewers. There were videos of Kim talking to all variety of inanimate objects, for various reasons. In all, it was an intriguing intro to his ouvre. Wonderful visit, I thoroughly both temporary exhibits!
I spent my evening in Hongdae, where the crowds were intense. I did get to see this bizarro photo op set up by a local clothing brand so braving overstimulation was totally worth it. Yes, those are giant, plush cats.
Like I wrote previously, you can visit a place repeatedly and it will never be the same. This time around I experienced a few new neighborhoods, was introduced to amazing artists, and spanned time at familiar spaces in the waning heat of summer. Of course it’s time to head home, my jet lag is wearing off – and so ends this adventure!
What&Where 2022-2026 
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