31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Gallery hopping in Seoul
Art arouses inspiration in life. And Johyun Gallery, Whitestone Gallery and Esther Schipper in Seoul are now presenting the kind of exhibitions that should be considered on your itinerary for stoking the flames of life's zeal.
Hyperrealism with emotion at Johyun Gallery
Johyun Gallery in Seoul, located at The Shilla Hotel, showcases a solo exhibition of hyperrealism artist Kang Kang-hoon, whose works explore portraiture and cotton — visual metaphors of intergenerational connections.
The exhibition features portrait paintings of his daughter, documenting her change and growth. Cotton is another crucial motif in his work: an icon of his late mother and the transcendent existence inherent in nature's objects, a visual bridge between generations.
Kang's work invites audiences to confront their true selves through his works that capture not only external features, but embody the emotional sentiment of each subject. The exhibition runs through July 13.
Japanese artist Aruta Soup's first show in Seoul
Japanese artist Aruta Soup, known for his distinctive fusion of cartoon culture, British black humor and street aesthetics, meets Korean audiences for the first time in Seoul at Whitestone Gallery.
The exhibition 'Insomniac City' refers to the restless urban scape of Shinjuku — particularly Kabukicho, a district in Tokyo known for its nightlife and shadowy allure. The artist captures the essence of contemporary urban life and human complexity.
After spending his teenage years in London, the artist returned to Japan and started to reflect the violence of urban life and inner human anxiety in his work. The exhibition at Whitestone Gallery in Seoul runs until July 20.
Conversation resonates at Esther Schipper in Seoul
Esther Schipper in Seoul shows 'Conversation II,' an exhibition of Prabhavathi Meppayil and Yee Soo-kyung, as the second presentation of the gallery's "Conversation" series in Seoul.
The two artists, one from India and the other from South Korea, engage in a dialogue through the language of contemporary art rooted in tradition. The exhibition offers the opportunity to explore how an encounter between two artists from distinct cultural backgrounds can enrich the discourse of contemporary art.
Meppayil's works that feature geometric patterns recall minimalist abstract paintings, but once viewed up close, patterns are seen created by repeatedly stamping hand tools used in the metalwork onto the surface, or the metallic lines sparkling beneath the layers of white gesso as a result of the artist's performative process infused with the warmth of human touch.
Yee's work, created with broken and fragmented pieces connected one by one to form new structures, resonate in tandem. The exhibition runs through July 12.
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