Art exhibitions in S. Korea celebrate London Olympics

British-themed exhibitions encompass contemporary artworks to Beatles


Art may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of the Olympics.

But the quadrennial event can be the largest and most effective cultural celebration as many eyes will be on the host country for more than two weeks and the events will be remembered for much longer.

With less than two weeks left until the 2012 London Olympics, art galleries in Seoul are celebrating the big sporting event with art exhibitions on British themes.

British contemporary art

Gallery Hyundai will begin its “Cool Britannia” exhibition featuring artwork by leading British contemporary artists from July 24-Aug. 19.

“The artists are well-known internationally, but their works were difficult to view in Korea,” said Lee Hyun-jin, curator of the gallery.

The artists, mostly in their 40s and 50s, are part of the “Young British Artists,” who rose to prominence in the 1980s, and are characterized as youthful and having entrepreneurial talent.

These were the artists who were brought up under the “Cool Britannia” agenda by the former Prime Minister Tony Blair to give the country a more fashionable image back in 1997, she said.

The Seoul exhibition presents 17 artworks including paintings, sculptures and installations.

Antony Gormley’s human form statue “Another Time XIV” made in iron, Tracey Emin’s neon sign “Trust Me” and Marc Quinn’s “The Vortex of Desire” are some of the highlights. 

“Gormley is an artist who finds meaning in the relationship between his work and surroundings. He did many life-size sculptures, focusing on figures rather than details like eyes, nose and lips,” said Lee.

According to Lee, Gormley displayed 19,000 face sculptures at the World Ceramic Biennale in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, in 2005.

The “Cool Britannia” exhibition starts on July 24 and runs till Aug. 18 at the Gallery Hyundai in Jongno, Seoul. For more information, call (02) 2287-3500.

British Pop Art

Lotte Gallery presents more approachable art at its branches in Lotte Department Stores.

Lotte Gallery Jung-dong branch is showcasing British pop art and urban art, featuring paintings by famous pop artists including Ben Allen, Matt Lambert and Tristram Aver, Jim McElvancy and Emily Young.

The exhibition presents artwork that shows the diversity of the British art world. Pop art emerged in Britain for the first time in the mid 1950s, along with urban art, which originated as visual art produced in urban places such as streets and building walls.

“As the exhibition title indicates, viewers can feel the diversity in British contemporary art as well as its difference from Korean art,” said Lee Eun-ju, the exhibition assistant curator. 

Six paintings are on display including Ben Allen’s “Hope” series, Matt Lambert’s “All eyes on Superwoman” and Tristram Aver’s “The Creation.”

Lambert, Aver and Allen all are recognized by their distinct styles: Lambert is considered one of the most progressive artists, with creative composition, detailed drawing technique and bold colors; Aver is known for his unique style featuring visual information in the digital world as the main theme or materials; and Allen is famous for his intense color contrasts.

The “Mind the Gap” exhibition runs through July 18 at the Lotte Gallery Jung-dong Branch in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. For more information, call (032) 320-7605-6. 

The Beatles

Good news for Beatles fans in South Korea. Lotte Gallery in Sogong-dong, Seoul, presents Beatles-inspired artwork by South Korean artists and novelists. The exhibit also includes a collection of Beatles albums released in South Korea, newspaper articles, photos and even illegal copies of the albums distributed in 1960s.

Eight Korean contemporary artists including Goh Geun-ho, Kim Hyung-gwan and Kim Sun-doo and renowned Korean novelist Kim Hoon participated the exhibition each presenting artworks and essays to memorialize the English rock band.

Painters presented portraits of Beatles members in their own signature style. Kim Sun-doo drew them in classical Korean painting style; Kim Hyung-gwan represented them on a plate and Goh Geun-ho made mini-size figures of the Beatles in steel.

Novelist Kim Hoon wrote a short essay describing how the Beatles influenced youngsters who grew up under a strict authoritarian regime in post-war Korea.

“The Beatles freed us from military songs, hymns, trot songs, and helped me move forward from my puberty to adolescence,” he wrote.

The Beatles exhibition continues through Aug. 5 at the Lotte Gallery at Lotte Department Store in Sogong-dong, Seoul. For more information, visit http://blog.naver.com/gallerylotte.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)