[Exhibition of the Week] Calypso·U Tae-gyeong Exhibition: Between Squares and Others

Poster for the Leisurely Breathing Exhibition. Photo by Art Space Et

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] ▲Exhibition "Leisurely Breathing" = Many people repeat the same daily routine mechanically every day, performing more realistic acting than actors and immersing themselves in a superficial environment like background music. They also forget the preciousness of small daily moments and obsess over trivial anger, spending exhausting days. In response, three artists Son Seohyun, Kim Hanul, and An Daeun question whether the pleasant moments rewarded by the flashy photos and media we easily encounter in such lives are truly what fills the heart over time, or if it is rather the dust of small memories contained in repetitive life. They present their works to the audience with the hope that even consciously, people take a breath and rest in the stimulating daily life where it is hard to control one's mind.

Artist Son Seohyun shows emotional restraint by applying precise and sophisticated pen drawings with appropriate rhythm and dynamics on vividly stacked colors, as if leveling the ground. The expression of complex emotions is shown by irregularly arranging various plants and then reviving life in the split blank spaces through symmetry. Through floating islands, the artist creates an unwavering unique landscape and refines it with the heart of gardening various plants.

Artist Kim Hanul draws beloved lives and tries to capture jewel-like fleeting moments (a baby's smile, the morning bird songs, the soft touch of skin). The pastel tones of pink and green show the fragile life of a child, and beautiful stories that seem to come from dreams intertwine with a raccoon given a special role, while growing plants softly and gently whisper on behalf of the artist. The gum-like daughter Tallemi will soon grow up, and the finite lives of beloved pets including the fluffy dog make one reconsider the cycle of fate, making life feel precious and beautiful.

Artist An Daeun recalls faded travel memories carefully classified in a drawer’s corner. By transferring the gap between stored photo records and memories in the mind onto canvas, the artist fills people's instinctive attraction to daily life. The works capture the vivid temperature of the travel at that time, creating a flexible mise-en-sc?ne that evokes latent pleasant sensations in viewers and expands the realm of senses. The exhibition runs until the 12th at Art Space Et, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Calypso War Poster. Photo by Doosan Gallery

▲Exhibition "Calypso" = The Doosan Curator Workshop special exhibition "Calypso Καλυψ?" begins with the story of the nymph Calypso from Homer's epic, The Odyssey. After the Trojan War, Odysseus lost his ship and companions in a storm while returning home and arrived at Calypso’s island at the edge of the world. Calypso promised wealth and immortality and kept him on her island for seven years so he could not leave.

The exhibition focuses on Calypso, who detained the stranger. How did she hold onto his time? The three curators find the clue in the meaning of the exhibition’s title, "Calypso." Calypso derives from the Greek word "kalypto" (καλ?πτω), meaning "to conceal" or "to cover," referring to a veil that hides something. The reason Calypso could hold Odysseus was because she was the power itself that conceals the truth.

"Calypso Καλυψ?" chooses "concealment" and "veil" as the exhibition’s methodology instead of speaking the truth, and contemplates ways to make a person who is "always ready to leave" stay longer. Along with works by Moon Sohyun, Mu:p, Park Yena, and Sin Wai Kin, all elements of the exhibition space?including pillars, weekly changing publications, and programs?overlap the exhibition’s time and space to prevent a clear overview and delay the time of those who want to leave. The exhibition runs until the 31st at Doosan Gallery, Yeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

P painting, Woo Taekyung, 2021, Oil and UV print on canvas, 162x520cm. Photo by Gallery Chosun

▲Exhibition "Woo Taekyung: Between Square and Square" = The title "Between Square and Square" represents the story of square-shaped prints and the images created between them. The exhibition is divided into the basement and the second floor, showcasing unpublished new works with different subtitles and formats by utilizing the exhibition space.

In the basement, the "P" series uses images parasitic on digital media, while on the second floor, the "Series" collection based on webtoons can be seen. Woo Taekyung’s work material consists of numerous images originating inside smartphones and the stories between those images.

The artist says these images are realized as tactile or flat paintings, then become digital images again, filling the canvas with various senses. Gallery Chosun prepared this exhibition so that new and diverse sensations are imagined and triggered through pairs of squares that are the same yet different. The exhibition runs until the 25th at Gallery Chosun, Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.