Art Galleries in Seoul
This past weekend I spent the whole entire day out exploring galleries. I started off with the teamLab: Life exhibit that was taking place in DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza). My friend and I had booked tickets two weeks prior, but then I came in contact with some people with Covid so I had to quarantine for two weeks. Finally, I was released and we could go.
I have actually been to another teamLab exhibit in Tokyo. I was wondering how this one would compare, because the one in Tokyo is huge. This one was also nice, but relatively small. The rooms were so pretty and the projections aren’t just a pre-recorded thing. They actually react to the people in the room. For example, there was one that had flowers and the flowers would bloom and grow around the person that was standing or sitting in that area. Another part of the exhibit was a butterfly room. The butterflies would appear from your shoes when you stomped on the ground. Overall, I still enjoyed the exhibit even though I have been to the original one in Japan.
My other friend contacted me while I was sitting in a cafe cooling off and he asked me if I would be interested in going to the area near Anguk Station to look at some cafes. I told him I was up to going and we decided to grab some lunch at Oreno Ramen. After eating, we came upon the gallery that is just around the corner and decided to stop in . The artist told us it was his first exhibition. Lee Dong Gu, the artist, took us to each painting and told us the inspiration for each piece and what it was meant to portray. He was really patient and tried his best to convey his meaning in his limited English with a mix of Korean. I was amazed by how much effort he had put into his art. I can honestly say, he is probably one of my favorite artists now. Each painting had a small crown in each picture. Whether very exposed or more blended into the photo, how the crown was filled in, partially filled in, or left blank portrayed the artist’s feeling of happiness during that particular painting’s creation. His exhibition was exploring his own definition of happiness and not the happiness that society has deemed to be happiness. It was super fascinating. His friend stopped by and he was so relieved since his friend spoke perfect English. It is definitely a memorable interaction in Korea.
After spending such a long time at that exhibition, we went to to art gallery we had initially planned on going to; Kukje Gallery. It was featuring some artist that had really interesting technique. When approaching the pictures, you could see that it was textured and not smooth. There were two separate buildings with photos in them.
The last gallery I went to was Hakgojae Gallery. It is located right next to Kukje Gallery. It is currently showcasing artwork done by six different artists. It was nice to see the wide range of styles shown in the building. I especially liked the artwork in the last room.
It was wonderful to actually see more of the art scene in Seoul. I am resolved to see more galleries in the near future. It is nice seeing what people have been creating, and to take inspiration and appreciate the small things in life that artists are taking their inspiration from.