[Exhibitions of the Week] Sung Taejin Solo Exhibition 'All My Days and That Time' · Jean Marc Tommen Solo Exhibition 'Eclipse' and More

Editor's NoteThis week's exhibitions introduce a variety of attractive shows from across the country that can be experienced over the course of one week.

▲ Seong Tae-jin Solo Exhibition 'All My Days and That Time' = Igiligu Gallery is hosting a solo exhibition by artist Seong Tae-jin titled 'All My Days and That Time.' The exhibition explores the intersection of popular culture and contemporary art, creating a space to deeply examine the essential human characteristics of our lives through popular icons.

The exhibition conveys messages of human hope and faith through paintings and installations, using a narrative structure that combines various elements including 'Taekwon V.' Centered on the popular symbol Taekwon V, the artist explores the fundamental humanity of our lives. By humanizing the robot from the animation, the work reexamines the value of decisive moments that are often overlooked in daily life.

The works carry a warm gaze toward socially indifferent and marginalized individuals, while delivering the joys and sorrows of life to the audience in a satirical yet deeply moving manner. The artist completes the works through a repeated process of engraving text and images on traditional wooden panels. This unique method reflects the patriotic spirit of our ancestors who engraved the Tripitaka Koreana, integrating personal aspirations and the spirit of Korean culture into the art. By unifying contemporary social realities and production techniques, the artist reinterprets Taekwon V as a symbol of Korean energy.

'Life goes on' Acrylic and ink on embossed wood panel, 150x100cm, 2023 [Photo by Lee Gili-gu Gallery]

One of the exhibition highlights, the rocket punch engraved on a wooden panel, symbolizes the possibilities and hopes of our uncertain lives. The image of the rocket punch floating through space visually expresses the infinite energy of life, encouraging viewers to discover the unfinished beauty and potential within their own lives. By exploring sincere human hope and faith, the artist attempts an artistic response to the cultural and social issues we face in modern society by combining personal experience with the rich symbolism of Korean culture.

Within the paintings, the artist sometimes offers opportunities to reflect on intangible and tangible values and cultural memories that must be cherished despite social indifference, alienation, and the technological advancements of our time. The exhibition runs until January 13, 2024, at Igiligu Gallery, Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

DELTA 2, 2022, mixed media on canvas, 137x122cm
[Photo by Art Side Gallery]

▲ Jean-Marc Tommen Solo Exhibition 'Eclipse' = Art Side Gallery presents Jean-Marc Tommen's solo exhibition, which condenses a long exploration of balance between visual expressions and conceptually expands the spatial limits of the canvas through unconscious line drawings. This is the artist's first solo exhibition in Korea, following the 'Tome 2' exhibition at Art Side Gallery Beijing in 2014 and the 'Three French Abstract Artists' group exhibition at Art Side Gallery Seoul in 2016.

Jean-Marc, originally from France, graduated from ?cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and currently serves as the dean there. He actively participates in solo and group exhibitions in France and took part in the 'Sillage' abstract exhibition at Cheongju Museum of Art in 2019. In 2023, he created a monumental abstract fresco commissioned by the city of Montreuil, France, and is planning several large-scale mural projects within France.

In the exhibition, the artist presents his earlier work 'Corridor, Delta' alongside the black-and-white series 'Eclipse,' demonstrating subtle differences in expression through gradation and contrast. This can be seen as a potential approach to creativity in his work. The pieces invite viewers to imagine all seemingly fragmented elements as spatial, architectural, and natural phenomena, with the colored paintings creating a stronger sense of space and the black-and-white works providing a sense of distance to express inner emotions.

Eclipse 1, 2023, mixed media on canvas, 119x91cm
[Photo by Art Side Gallery]

The artist compresses the balance between ruptures, fragments, and visual expressions of color planes, conceptually expanding the spatial limits of the canvas through unconscious line drawings. In other words, he extends the canvas from a mere space for drawing to a space for conceptualizing and writing about the subject. His work encompasses both painting and drawing. The dynamic quality created solely by rhythm and pure formal elements is a key characteristic of his work. This intersectionality is regarded by the artist as the essence of abstraction. The works are composed in a seemingly accidental but intentional manner, reflecting the world as the artist perceives it.

The artist, who states that "abstraction is a universal message that can share culture, language, and expression," hopes that visitors will take their time to view the works. The exhibition runs until the 29th at Art Side Gallery, Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.