Myonghi Kang's art finds long-awaited recognition in Villepin exhibit

In its first exhibition in Korea, Hong Kong gallery Villepin showcases the works of 76-year-old Korean painter Myonghi Kang, who is known globally but relatively lesser known in her motherland. The exhibit "The Colors of Time" runs until Nov. 21.

Arthur de Villepin, co-founder and chairman of gallery Villepin in Hong Kong, left, and Korean artist Myonghi Kang, look at Kang's artwork in Kir, a studio in Seongsu-dong of Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, wher Kang's solo exhibit "The Colors of Time is being held. [VILLEPIN]

In a back alley of the industrial yet hip neighborhood of Seongsu-dong in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, the Hong Kong gallery Villepin is holding its first exhibition in Korea.

Established by Dominique de Villepin, a former French prime minister, and his son Arthur de Villepin, the gallery has been gaining attention among collectors worldwide for its carefully curated exhibitions. For its inaugural exhibition in Seoul, which is taking place at Kir, a factory-turned-studio in Seongsu-dong, the gallery decided to introduce none other than Myonghi Kang, a 76-year-old Korean painter whom the father-son duo believes is “relatively lesser known in her motherland compared to her global renown.”

Kang’s works — some very dreamlike, some very abstract, but all of which use bursts of many colors and shapes — are hung on rough concrete walls inside two buildings of Kir. The exhibit is titled “The Colors of Time.” It began on Nov. 3 and runs until Nov. 21.

The buildings of Kir had once served as a noodle factory as well as a repair workshop.

“This kind of venue, with Myonghi’s works, I believe vividly shows that contrast — that life could emerge in the most difficult environments,” said Arthur de Villepin, chairman and co-founder of Villepin. “That is what the artist is trying to portray through her works. She’s a witness of that throughout her life.”

Kang was the first Korean female artist to exhibit her works in top art museums and international institutions. She had a solo exhibition at Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris in 1986. Her last solo exhibit in Korea was at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul in 1989.

Born in 1947 in Daegu, Kang experienced the life of an exile during the Korean War (1950-53). She then moved to Paris and had to begin a life of an alien. Constantly trying to find the beauty in this world of crisis, she travels the world — from the Gobi Desert to the glaciers of Patagonia — and translates the beauty onto her canvas.

“She started painting at age three. It was the way for her to protect herself from the war, from the threatening environments. She found refuge in nature and developed a different way to look at nature. So if you look at her works, sometimes she uses brushes, but she also punches a canvas with her fist. You can feel the energy if you look at those paintings,” Villepin said. “For me, she’s the Joan Mitchell of Asia. There’s no other woman of her generation, apart from Yayoi Kusama in Japan, that have such a historical validation. There’s no other.”

Kang's latest work "Mur du voisin" (2023) [VILLEPIN]

After a tour around the exhibition during the opening event last week, Arthur de Villepin sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily to talk about Kang’s works, gallery Villepin and his passion for art. The following interview has been edited for clarity.

This is not only Kang’s first solo exhibit in decades but also a first for Villepin. Can Koreans view this as a signal of Villepin expanding to Korea?

Definitely. We’ve always been looking at Korea, and our dedication to Korea is permanent. We definitely want to bring more into Korea, and in fact we have more things planned for next year. In this first exhibition, we are showcasing Myonghi because we thought it’s important for her to come back to Korea after so many years.

Compared to her global renown, Kang is lesser known to Koreans. Why?

I think that has something to do with the generation. I think Korea is enjoying its moment now with K-culture, and it’s very young and very pop. It’s taking over the space, I would say. But at the same time, I think it’s also a reason why we are here in Korea. We are thinking this type of generation will be attracted to the type of art that Myonghi is doing now. She’s been doing this for a long time, but it’s not old and dusty. It’s unique. It’s in itself something completely modern. There’s this contrast, and I think that will appeal to the younger generation here. That ability to not just be reconciling the past and the roots of Korea but also looking at the future and being relevant in the future.

She’s lesser known because she has not been introduced as much as she should’ve been here. Now we are trying to do that. I think also, for years, let’s be honest, most of the artists that are known in Asia are men. Not just in Korea, but also in Japan. It was very hard for women. So I think it’s a question of time. If you think about it, it’s been about five years since all those famous European female artists became world-renowned. I think Korea has to embrace it and feel proud to have an artist like her, and make history with her. It’s time for Korea.

I’ve read that Villepin seeks to promote a gallery model that is “by collectors, for collectors” and that you only curate exhibitions of art you would collect. So if we look at the portfolio of the gallery, does it speak to your taste?

More than that. It speaks of my dreams, my inspiration, who I want to be and what I believe in art. I always say you are not going to choose a lot in your life. Your circumstances might disappoint you and change the way you live, but you have the right and the possibility to choose the art and the artists you are going to surround yourself with. These artists are going to be your friends that you are going to put in the most intimate places in your home.

They are going to become you, and you’d better ask yourself, do I want to collect the artist that my neighbor likes or that friend recommended to me or the one that I really love. I think that because, eventually, the artworks you surround yourself with will become who you are. I insist a lot on this because it’s not just about mirroring who you are right now, but also who you want to be in the future. I think this is really what art is about.

Arthur, left, and Dominique de Villepin in their gallery Villepin in Hong Kong [VILLEPIN]

Recently, young Koreans began collecting artworks after seeing them as investments, so rather than collecting art that they are drawn to, they analyze graphs and numbers. What is your take on this?

I’m very clear on that. Investment is not a bad word. Money is not a bad word. It’s just the way you put it. Keep the investment mind. But when looking at art, even for the investment sake, how are you going to look at it must be out of history. It must be out of how this artwork is going to be relevant in five, 10 or 20 years’ time. Because this will create value. You have to look at the capacity for an artwork to be kept in a museum and shown in a museum in 20 years from now. This will create value, which in turn becomes a great investment. But oftentimes, people put it the other way around. When cubism was sold at the beginning of the 20th century, it was not French people who bought it — it was Americans and Russians, and the main dealers were Germans. You have to have the eye to see what would work, and the key is to ask yourself, “Is it going to be a part of history?”

What artworks are you specifically drawn to?

I think artists that have value are the artists that help you live better. For example, If we talk about the late Zao Wou-Ki, the fact that he left china at the age of 28 to go to Paris, which was completely different to his hometown — that inspires me. People who are mentally depressed or having issues look at his paintings and find all the solutions there. What I find in his works is what I find in other artists as well, but through different experiences and stories. The same goes for Francis Bacon. He lived a life of chaos. But by painting, he made hope. That’s really, for me, true artists. They are the painters who help us to live better. The works of artists without this capacity to find beauty in the toughest moments sound like makeup to me. It’s the same for Myonghi’s works. In her works, I see struggle and pain, but I see beauty and I see the decision to believe in hope.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]