Intersection of spirituality, art
Exploring how an artist’s spirituality and philosophy are embedded in their art is an intriguing aspect of fully appreciating one's oeuvre. The following exhibitions in Seoul offer visitors the opportunity to contemplate not only the creator's spirituality woven into their art, but also their own inner world.
Korean art master Lee Kang-so at Thaddaeus Ropac
Following his major exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Thaddaeus Ropac Seoul is offering a comprehensive showcase of Lee Kang-so’s works at an exhibition titled “Dwelling in Mist and Glow.”
The exhibition marks the artist’s first show at the gallery after the European gallery last year announced it would be representing the artist. Encompassing Lee’s paintings, prints, sculptures and installation, the exhibition offers a glimpse into his decadeslong artistic career.
Lee has developed an intuitive approach, starting his career as an avant-garde artist in the 1970s. Borrowing the title of the exhibition from a classical Korean poem written by Yi Hwang, a 16th-century Confucian scholar, Lee’s art resonates with the poet’s sense of unity of nature. The exhibition runs through Aug. 2.
Chinese abstraction artist Zhou Li at White Cube
Chinese artist Zhou Li has a solo exhibition in Seoul for the first time at White Cube in Gangnam, featuring 14 new paintings made over the past year.
Expressive line-making and abstract forms in her paintings often emerge from meditative reflections on emotions, encounters with people or events with an introspective and fluid process, the gallery noted on the artist’s works.
After studying oil painting at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, China, in 1991, Zhou moved to France, where she lived and worked until 2003. Her works are considered in dialogue with contemporary Western art and Chinese calligraphy masters, such as seventh-century artist Zhan Ziqian and fourth-century writer Wang Xizhi.
The exhibition, “Seeing the World in One Flower, a Universe Unfolds,” is on view until Aug. 9.
Abstract art since 1970s at Lehmann Maupin
Prominent abstract artists McArthur Binion, Chung Sang-Hwa, Stanley Whitney and Yun Hyong-keun are brought together at Lehmann Maupin’s exhibition “Nemo,” curated by Tae Um.
The artists at the exhibition have explored abstraction in depth since the 1970s, spanning cultures and geographies, responding to turbulent times in their respective countries through their own distinctive approaches.
The exhibition title “Nemo” originates from the Korean word for square, while simultaneously referencing the Latin word that means “no one” or “nobody.” In this context, “nemo” functions not only as a geometric shape, but also as a symbol that transcends boundaries of identity and narrative, the gallery noted.
"Nemo" runs until Aug. 9.
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