Korean Stone Art Museum transforms into 'Sublime' new space

The Korean Stone Art Museum made a grand transformation into Museum Wave, a trendier art space targeting youngsters, earlier this month. What used to be an estate filled with all kinds of ancient stone statues deep in the hillside of...

"Evolver" (2022) by Atlas V [MUSEUM WAVE]

The Korean Stone Art Museum made a grand transformation into Museum Wave, a trendier art space targeting youngsters, earlier this month.

What used to be an estate filled with all kinds of ancient stone statues deep in the hillside of Seongbuk-dong in central Seoul has now been renovated to house media art and paintings by contemporary artists.

Owned and managed by WooriNet, it’s the local broadband provider business’s attempt to advance into the K-culture scene. Last year, the company acquired StART Art Korea, a commercial art company.

Museum Wave's opening show, “Sublime,” kicked off on June 17 with French media artist and producer Daniel Kapelian taking the helm of the exhibition. Five artists or teams were chosen to display their works in separate sections of the museum: Memo Akten and Eyal Gever, Jacky Tsai, Kim Taek-sang, Max Cooper and Kevin McGloughlin and finally, Atlas V.

The entrance to Museum Wave, which used to be the inside of the Korean Stone Art Museum in Seongbuk-dong, central Seoul [MUSEUM WAVE]

“It’s a very special place,” Kapelian told the Korea JoongAng Daily the day before the opening of the exhibition. “For me, it’s the garden. It’s a very spiritual place with all these stones. So we tried to keep the spirit of the old stone museum and [brought] the new modern and contemporary spirit.”

With “Sublime,” Kapelian said that he tried to convey the artists’ contemplation on the human condition and their nature. To do that, he intentionally selected artists that were previously “unseen in Seoul,” excluding Kim, who is Korean.

“I’ve been trying to make a very eclectic selection to show differences,” Kapelian said. “But I wanted absolutely to have a Korean artist because I believe that a new museum in Seoul should have international resonance, but also a local impact and involvement.”

"The Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber" (2023) by Jacky Tsai [SHIN MIN-HEE]

It is Tsai’s, a Chinese artist based in London, first time to show his works in Korea. Known for his use of multimedia like acrylic paintings, silk-screen prints, lacquer carvings on wood and even porcelain, Tsai combines imagery from the east and west in playful, pop art-like illustrations; for example, in many of his pieces Superman features among scenery involving Chinese Taoist fairies.

French studio Atlas V created the XR (extended reality) art installation “Evolver” (2022), which features a meditation session that requires visitors listen to an audio recording narrated by actor Lee Jung-jae in Korean, or Cate Blanchett in English, through headphones.

After the meditation, visitors can put on VR (virtual reality) gear and experience a journey of the flow of oxygen in a landscape similar to that of the human body. It’s the first time to be shown in Asia after premiering in New York and Geneva last year.

The gardens of the Museum Wave remain as the original Korean Stone Art Museum, with its many rock figurines that blend well with the natural scenery. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

After finishing the entire immersive experience, it’s time to head outdoors to the gardens with its many rock figurines that blend well with the natural scenery.

“Sublime” continues until Sept. 17. Museum Wave is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Tuesdays to Sundays. Tickets are 20,000 won ($15) for adults.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]