Frames In and Out of Painting: Seungyeol Oh’s Solo Exhibition “Guttation”.. and More
One and J Gallery
Frames In and Out of Painting: Seungyeol Oh’s Solo Exhibition “Guttation”
From June 23 to July 23, One and J Gallery presents Guttation, a solo exhibition by Seungyeol Oh (b. 1981). The title ‘Guttation’ means the phenomenon that some of the water absorbed by plants is released back into the leaves. The energy perceived in the guttation, the power of liberation and excretion generated when something is tied up and released, leads to the exhibition.
The exhibition focuses on the relationship between the frame of a painting and the image inside the frame. The works in the exhibition are not placed in three dimensions like sculptures or installations but are all placed flat on the wall. But the flat works do not remain within the frame, but expand, taking on a composition in which the image inside the frame scatters into the space outside the frame. In < Interval Periphery > (2023), the artist changes the role of the white walls of the exhibition space by creating frames on the entire wall, while < Fortuitous Sonority > (2023) the shape of the frame is drawn inside the canvas. The works, which are clearly framed but also move out of and over the frame, create their own rhythm and energy.
In this way, Seungyeol’s works fill the exhibition space with movement and fluidity, providing the viewer with new sensations.
Peres Project Seoul
A Sharp and Warm gaze for Children and the Younger Generation: Ad Minoliti’s solo exhibition “Geometries of the Forest“
Ad Minoliti’s (b. 1980) solo exhibition Geometries of the Forest is on view at Peres Project Seoul from June 22 to August 10. Ad Minoliti is a contemporary genderless, non-binary artist who works in a variety of medium, including geometric abstraction, sculpture, and installation. The exhibition includes 15 new paintings inspired by forest ecosystems and children’s literature, highlighting new themes in Minoliti’s work.
The exhibition utilizes the gallery’s first and second floors to showcase Minoliti’s work, which combines ecological imagery with his geometric abstraction. The colorful paintings and wall drawings work together to make the exhibition space liveness. The artist critically engages with the symbolism used in children’s literature, toys, and cartoons, and invites us to rethink the prejudices that create normative views of young people and children. To this end, the artist blurs the distinction between species in images from children’s literature and deconstructs their narratives. The exhibition space also functions as an extension of Minoliti’s work, bringing together typically contrasting elements and revealing an inclusiveness that recognizes and accepts the interconnectedness of all beings.
Through the artist’s inclusive and ecological work, the exhibition can be a place to rest for those tired of being subjected to social norms, surveillance, and control. Furthermore, the exhibition is a preview of a new project that will be presented in a solo exhibition in Germany this fall.
Hakgojae Gallery
Modern and Contemporary Korean Abstract: “Seeun Kim& Yoori: Lucid Myster/ Dark Clarity” and “Sang-wooc Rhee: The Centenary”
From June 28 to July 29, Hakgojae Gallery presents Lucid Mystery/Dark Clarity, a two-person exhibition by Seeun Kim (b.1989) and Yoori (b.1994), and The Centenary by Sang-wooc Rhee (b.1923).
Lucid Mystery/ Dark Clarity talks about mysterious emotions and phenomena that are not clearly visible in the real world. The two artists try to capture this reality in their works and explore the reasons for their emotions. Seeun merges and edits the near and far, past and present, and captures the ever-changing reality. Yoori explores the world of language, approaching the world that cannot be expressed in words from the perspective of visual art.
The Centenary celebrates the 100th anniversary of Sang-wooc Rhee’s birth and looks at the artist’s unique place in the flow of Korean abstract art. In Seeking “Eidos”: Korean Abstract Painter 7 in February 2022, this exhibition highlights Sang-wooc’s work, which oscillates between calligraphic abstraction and lyrical geometric abstraction. Through his works, which aesthetically embody the splashed ink and empty space effects, the exhibition aims to capture the traces and trajectories of Korean abstract art history in a new way.
By juxtaposing Korean modern and contemporary abstraction side by side, the exhibition at Hakgojae Gallery will reveal aspects of art that appear differently across time, or that persist despite the differences between eras.
König Gallery Seoul
Jose Davila's First Solo Exhibition in Korea, "Men Catching Bird"
König Gallery Seoul presents Man Catching Birds, a first solo exhibition in Seoul by José Davila (b. 1974), from July 1 to August 5. Davila focuses on the specificity of the materials he uses, exploring their inherent contradictions and visualizing physical phenomena such as gravity, resistance, and exchange of forces. The exhibition presents two sculptures and ten two-dimensional works by the artist.
The sculptures and two-dimensional works in the exhibition interact with each other to visualize the world of Davila. Davila’s sculptures are not derived from a single mass, but are formed through a process in which disparate elements rely on each other. < Untitled > (2023), created for this exhibition, is also based on the juxtaposition and dependency of concrete, a man-made material, and volcanic rock, a natural material. The two-dimensional works express this relationship pictorially. ‘The Fact of Constantly Returning To the Same Point or Situation’ series focuses on the circle. He further explores the circle by intertwining it with chevrons, continuing his exploration in sculpture. In common, the works in the exhibition create relationships between disparate and diverse things.
The exhibition illuminates Davila’s oeuvre alongside works created specifically for the exhibition in Seoul. It will allow visitors to experience the precarious balance inherent in Davila’s work.
Gallery Kiche
Jiyoung Yoo’s Solo Exhibition “Traverse In Between” Deconstructs the Notion of Fixed time
JIyoung Yoo (b.1991)’s solo exhibition Traverse In Between is on view from June 22 to July 22 at Gallery KICHE. Jiyoung Yoo has been experimenting with the conventions of painting and distorting everyday units and structures that are often considered optimal. In this exhibition, the artist focuses on time.
Jiyoung presents about 20 new works in this exhibition, deconstructing the concepts and systems of time that have been devised since modern times. The artist does not understand time as linear and reminds us that the time we experience is artificially compartmentalized. The exhibition proposes to discover the gaps that have not been incorporated into the established system and sense it new. ‘Long-Distance Relationship’ (2023) series symbolically warps and contrasts each other’s different days to arouse every day’s non-linearity that can be only aware when interacting with people in other time zones. <Time Zone Panel> (2023) takes the form of time zones on a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) map to expose the arbitrariness of the time system and the contradictions it produces. Through these artworks, exhibition (space) also can be understood as a field of time that connects fragmented images to create a non-linear narrative.
Through Jiyoung YOO’s work, which aims to crack the system of time, the exhibition allows visitors to experience an imaginary time and space that is free from reality.
