Fine art meets residential spaces as D Museum celebrates 10 years with new exhibition

D Museum in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, is celebrating 10 years with its latest exhibition, “Art in Life, Life in Art.”

Installation view of ″Split House,″ as part of D Museum's latest exhibition “Art in Life, Life in Art″ [D MUSEUM]

D Museum in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, is celebrating 10 years with its latest exhibition, “Art in Life, Life in Art.”

Spanning three floors, the exhibition is organized into three separate houses of five different imaginary personas. The space is filled with designer furniture and artworks placed like they're in an actual home, but as tempting as it may seem, it’s still an exhibition. So, no touching is allowed.

The intention was to explore how the home reflects the resident’s identity, according to the museum, owned and managed by the Daelim Cultural Foundation. It describes each house as “an art museum where daily life becomes art.”

The five personas vary across ages, occupations and interests. The only thing in common is the keen interest in art, hence the arrangement of paintings and sculptures by 70 artists including Kim Whanki, Park Seo-bo, Alexander Calder and Pablo Picasso.

Installation view of ″Terrace House,″ as part of the D Museum's latest exhibition “Art in Life, Life in Art″ [D MUSEUM]

Each “house” has a nickname. The first house, named “Split House,” is inhabited by a mother and her son and contrasts the two’s interior tastes. The mother, described as a tea sommelier in her 50s, prefers traditional and refined items, notably ceramics and wooden furniture, as well as masterpieces by Kim, Park and Lee Seung-jio.

Her son, who is a video director in his 20s, is a fan of Japanese animation and pop culture, as seen with the large-scale paintings by Saya Aokabi hung on the wall and the collection of art toys placed on shelves.

The next house, “Terrace House,” is the dwelling of a married couple in their 30s who both share a passion for nature and well-being. The space emphasizes its patio, which features patchwork sofas by Darren Romanelli. He describes his creation process as “clothing surgery.” Patricia Urquiola’s patterned, architectural chairs are also present in the space. The rooms are adorned with abstract paintings by Picasso, Suh Se Ok, Lee Kang-so and Claude Viallat.

Installation view of ″Duplex House,″ as part of the D Museum's latest exhibition “Art in Life, Life in Art″ [D MUSEUM]

“Duplex House,” on the top floor, is the home of a male gallerist in his 40s. Javier Calleja’s sculptures of bulgy, wide-eyed cartoon figures, like children's heads stacked on top of each other or a black cat, are hard to miss as they occupy most of the living room. The owner’s maximalist tastes are made obvious through paintings by Keiichi Tanaami, Noh Sang-ho, Masato Mori and Stickymonger.

“Art in Life, Life in Art” continues until May 18 next year. D Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays to Sundays, with hours extending to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Regular admission is 12,000 won ($8.50).

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