"Ha Jung-woo 20 Million Won, Ha Ji-won 5 Million Won"... Celebrities Hold Consecutive Solo Exhibitions Amid Booming Art Market

Jiwon Ha, Jungwoo Ha, and Others Hold Consecutive Exhibitions
Artwork Prices Comparable to Established Mid-Career Artists
Solbi and Koo Hye-sun Draw Attention with Music-Integrated Works
"Overvaluation by Fandom" Faces Critical Views

Actor Ha Jung-woo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Recently, the number of celebrities holding solo art exhibitions has been increasing amid the booming art market. Known as ‘Arttainers,’ a portmanteau of Art and Entertainer, their works are even being sold for tens of millions of won in actual transactions, surpassing the sales records of famous artists.

Actor Ha Jung-woo is currently holding a solo exhibition titled ‘At Home’ at Pyo Gallery on Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, since the 23rd of last month. Having started exhibiting in 2010, this is already his 14th solo exhibition. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ha Jung-woo, who became part of the ‘homebody’ crowd, focused on stories about his inner self. He displayed 35 works across two exhibition spaces on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Ha Jung-woo applied his unique colors and stories to various subjects such as people, objects, and animals. In one untitled painting, men dressed in luxury foreign brands like Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton wear sunglasses. Above the painting, the title of Quentin Tarantino’s debut film ‘Reservoir Dogs (1992)’ is painted like a slogan.

In another untitled painting, Austrian expressionist painter Egon Schiele (1890?1918) proudly displays his muscular body, draped in a cloak. Ha Jung-woo has often incorporated pop culture elements in his past works as well.

About half of Ha Jung-woo’s works have already been sold. A representative from Pyo Gallery said, "They are quite popular," adding, "The highest price is around 20 million won, and many have already made down payments." Industry insiders evaluate that the prices are on par with those of mid-career artists.

Ha Jung-woo, Untitled, 2020, Mixed media on cotton, 45 x 60 cm. (Photo by Pyo Gallery)

Singer and painter Solbi (Kwon Ji-an), who held her first solo exhibition in 2012, is also actively engaged in her art. She held a solo exhibition titled ‘Just a Cake-Piece of Hope’ at Insight Gallery in Insadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, from the 3rd to the 8th of last month.

Her work ‘Just a Cake-Angel’ attracted attention when it was sold for 10.1 million won (estimated price 5.5 million won) after 49 rounds of bidding at the Seoul Auction Special Auction on the 18th of last month. Her agency stated, "Among the flat works created using speaker objects by resident artists at Ghana Atelier, this is the highest price," and added, "It is higher than prices for artists currently gaining attention." Solbi has been active as a resident artist at Ghana Atelier, operated by Ghana Art Center, since last year.

Solbi included the decision rights for releasing her new song ‘Angel’ in the artwork. This is a new form of experiment combining art and music. If the winning bidder does not wish to release the music, it remains a private collection. However, the winning bidder recently agreed to distribute the music, so it is scheduled to be released this month.

Ha Ji-won's painting 'Super Cow 3'.

Actor Ha Ji-won, who has been painting as a hobby for five years, exhibited three abstract paintings from the ‘Super Cow’ series at the group exhibition ‘Uhaeng (牛行)’ held at the Signature Kitchen Suite Cheongdam Showroom Atelier in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, which opened on the 30th of last month. The abstract paintings express the characteristics of cows with vibrant colors and lines. One of the three works has already been sold. Although the exact price was not disclosed, it is known to be in the 5 million won range.

Actor Ku Hye-sun also held an exhibition titled ‘Under Seo Taiji’s lyrics: Ku Hye-sun’s newage’ at Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Seocho-gu, Seoul, from the 23rd to the 28th of last month. Ku Hye-sun presented collage-style video works that combined 17 songs by Seo Taiji with 25 new age compositions she created. Riding on the exhibition’s popularity, she will hold an ‘encore exhibition’ for two months in Sejong City this month.

Some view the influx of celebrities into the art market with a critical eye, pointing out that there is an aspect of overvaluation due to the so-called ‘celebrity premium’ and fandom. An art critic remarked, "It is disappointing to see exhibitions that are more superficial than serious approaches to art," and added, "Using the abstraction and interpretative nature of contemporary art and postmodernism as a shield to act like great artists should be avoided."

However, there is also considerable opposition arguing that the aura of celebrities in their works should be acknowledged. A gallery curator stated, "The artist and the work cannot be separated," and argued, "There are many positive aspects, such as art becoming more popular through celebrities."