[Exhibition of the Week] Munshin (文信): Toward the Universe · Nam-pyo Kim’s ‘Black Landscape’ Exhibition and More

Tattoo 'Self-Portrait', 1943, oil on canvas, 94×80cm, private collection. Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] ▲ Moon Shin (文信): Towards the Universe Exhibition = A special exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of sculptor Moon Shin's birth is being held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, until January 29, 2023. This exhibition highlights the artist's unique world of works that exquisitely encompass both primitivism and modernity, from his early paintings to his later sculptures. Co-hosted by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and Changwon Special City, the retrospective commemorates Moon Shin (1922-1995) and covers his life and artistic world across various fields including sculpture, painting, crafts, architecture, and ceramics.

The exhibition is divided into four parts. Part 1, "Into the Panorama," deals with Moon Shin's early paintings, marking the beginning of his art. Part 2, "Life of Form: Rhythm of Life," focuses on wooden sculptures he began producing in earnest after moving to France in the late 1960s. Part 3, "Thinking Hands: Craftsmanship," mainly introduces his bronze sculptures. Part 4, "City and Sculpture," presents Moon Shin's artistic world from an expanded perspective of city and environment. The exhibition runs until January 29, 2023, at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, Jung-gu, Seoul.

▲ Kim Nampyo ‘Black Landscape’ Exhibition = Kim Nampyo’s solo exhibition ‘Origin-Instant Landscape’ is his first show in over two years since ‘Geomjil’ held at Hori Art Space in November 2020. In this exhibition, the artist presents 15 new works that expand his artistic world. Created using a scratching technique with needles on synthetic hair (injo-mo), the works showcase an extreme delicacy that makes viewers question their eyes.

The artist began focusing on the ‘synthetic hair scratching technique’ 26 years ago. Completing a single work involves months of long time, effort, and dedication. The ‘black landscape synthetic hair paintings,’ which require tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of fine touches to achieve the desired scene, offer the audience a sense of wonder.

The exhibition is mainly divided into two parts. On the 3rd floor of Hori Art Space, paintings using the ‘synthetic hair scratching’ technique are displayed. The works are intentionally unframed so that visitors can directly observe how the fine synthetic hair strands, as thin as hair, are coordinated with the needles. The 4th floor iProunge features oil paintings. These black landscapes, with light restrained to the utmost, depict night sea scenes where waves ripple under a small amount of moonlight or convey the mystery of Mont Blanc’s peaks bearing traces of glaciers. The exhibition runs until September 30, at Hori Art Space, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Apartment, charcoal on wood panel, 181×66cm, 2021. Photo by Gaenari Museum

▲ Han Dongguk: Entrance Door Exhibition = Artist Han Dongguk creates deep black-and-white images focusing on the theme of ‘door’ using charcoal as his medium. After witnessing the death of a family member (grandfather) during his childhood, the apartment entrance door (玄關門) came to be perceived by the artist as a boundary between life and death. The entrance, originally the first gate of a Buddhist temple, uses the characters ‘玄’ (mysterious) and ‘關’ (to relate). The character ‘玄’ meaning deep darkness rather than simple black can be said to encapsulate Han Dongguk’s work in a single character.

Along with his entrance door works expressed in pitch-black darkness, the artist created works combining small panel units consisting of a single door and window, such as ‘Apartment’ (2021). Through this, he constantly confronts himself and attempts to distance himself from the self standing before the door. This exhibition is significant as Han’s first public presentation of his ‘gate,’ confirming his identity as an artist through a series of works that face his fears and return to the fundamental question of ‘life and death.’ In an era marked by ongoing infectious diseases, climate change, and war, this exhibition throws the artist’s profound reflections on life and death as a fundamental theme to each individual viewer. The exhibition runs until September 18, at Gaenari Museum, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do.