[Exhibitions of the Week] Minoru Nomata Solo Exhibition · Kim Soseon Invitational Exhibition and More

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

▲ Minoru Nomata Solo Exhibition ‘Far Sights (映遠)’ = White Cube Seoul presents the first solo exhibition in Korea by Japanese artist Minoru Nomata, titled ‘Far Sights (映遠)’. The central theme of this exhibition is the concept of the ‘sublime,’ with the artist showcasing paintings and drawings that explore human thought and the infinite expansiveness of the universe to which humans belong.

‘Far Sight-3’, 2009, 72.8×51.5cm. [Photo by White Cube Seoul]

In this exhibition, the artist reveals early works from the 1990s influenced by Japonism (the influence of Japanese art on Western art in the 19th and 20th centuries) and Eastern aesthetics, including the ‘Eastbound’ series, the ‘Far Sights’ series rendered in soft brown tones using cont? crayon, as well as the ‘Ghost’ and ‘Rectangular Drawings’ series.

Points of View-31, 2004.
[Photo by White Cube Seoul]

Notably, in the ‘Seeds’ series, the use of colored pencils, pastels, and charcoal combined with strong chiaroscuro (light and shadow technique) reminiscent of classical methods captures attention. The ‘Rectangular Drawings’ series and the mid-2010s ‘Ghost’ series depict phantoms of buildings that have already been demolished and exist only in memory.

Born in Tokyo in 1955, the artist has spent over 40 years developing a vocabulary of fabricated structures and topographical forms to create paintings that transcend time and space. The exhibition’s title, ‘Far Sights,’ means ‘projecting distant scenes’ in Japanese. The artist paints structures that rise dizzyingly above a low horizon line that blurs the boundary between Earth and the universe. Inspired by the atmosphere of AI-generated electronic music and landscapes from science fiction films and novels, these structures appear to float in midair, offering viewers a moment of suspended wonder. The exhibition runs until March 2 at White Cube Seoul, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Blue-eyed Minhwa Tiger, 65.2x91cm, oil on canvas, 2018 [Photo by Gallery Naeil]

▲ Kim So-seon Invitational Exhibition = Gallery Naeil hosts an invitational exhibition by artist Kim So-seon. The artist, who entered Seoul National University’s College of Fine Arts in 1963 and began her lifelong relationship with painting, encountered tigers in folk paintings around the age of 60 and has since devoted over 20 years to tiger paintings. Thus, she has spent one-third of her 60-year painting career with folk painting tigers.

When viewing the artist’s tiger paintings, it is important to note that they are oil paintings. She utilizes the weight and opacity of oil paint, while sometimes creating folk painting-style tiger oil paintings with a watercolor-like feel. The artist’s unique characteristic lies in her ability to digest traditional Korean folk paintings using Western oil painting techniques, sublimating Korean tradition, customs, and a certain national spirit into a global sensibility and form that can be appreciated worldwide.

Blue Dragon, 50x50cm, oil on canvas, 2023 [Photo by Gallery Naeil]

2024 is the Gapjin year. Gap represents wood, the east, and the color blue. Jin represents the dragon. Hence, it is the year of the blue dragon. The dragon symbolizes kingship and, along with the tiger, serves as a guardian spirit warding off evil. In folk paintings, the tiger is anthropomorphized as a guardian spirit and a being that repays kindness, while also symbolizing heroes or scholarly spirit.

The artist maximizes the expansion of new expressive realms by fusing the nationally significant motif of the tiger with a global form. The exhibition runs until January 31 at Gallery Naeil, Saemunan-ro 3-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Namibia Dune 45. 2023
Photo by Gallery Dos

▲ Jin Hyung-sik Solo Exhibition ‘Through the Wilderness’ = Gallery Dos presents photographer Jin Hyung-sik’s solo exhibition ‘Through the Wilderness.’ In this exhibition, the artist showcases photographs taken last September in Eswatini and Namibia, Africa.

Invited by the non-profit organization ‘Africa Jjillo’ based in Eswatini, the artist visited the country, filmed a royal performance at Eswatini’s first music school, and engaged in various activities such as helping children in slums. In Namibia, he walked the red desert with friends from ten countries while taking photographs.

Namibia Dune 45, 2023 [Photo by Gallery Dos]

Regarding this wilderness-themed exhibition, the artist said, “The wilderness is a harsh and barren place, but it is where people learn to help each other and cultivate gratitude to survive.” He added, “Through this exhibition, I want to share the emotions we all feel while passing through the wilderness.” On Saturday the 27th at 3 p.m., a congratulatory performance by three members of the Eswatini Orchestra will also be held. The exhibition runs until January 29 at Gallery Dos, Samcheong-ro 7-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul.