Gwangju Shinsegae Underground Passage Transforms into 'Media Art' Exhibition Hall

Collaboration Exhibition with Artist Lee Inam Held Until November 19

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] The underground passage of Gwangju Shinsegae is being transformed into a media art exhibition hall.

Local corporation Gwangju Shinsegae announced on the 16th that it will hold the exhibition "Image Fantasia: Gwangju Shinsegae × Lee E-nam Studio" in collaboration with Lee E-nam Studio, a cradle of media art, at the underground passage "Special Stage" until November 19.

Opened as a local corporation in 1995, Gwangju Shinsegae renovated the underground passage connecting the main building and the new building to enhance customer convenience, newly installing five large electronic display boards to create the "Special Stage," a space where media art works can be exhibited.

Through this, the underground first-floor passage has been transformed from a simple passageway into an exhibition space for enjoying culture.

The protagonist of the first exhibition held at the Special Stage on this day is artist Lee E-nam, who was born in Damyang and works in Gwangju, establishing himself as a world-renowned media artist.

Having studied at Chosun University and Yonsei University, he gained attention in the 2000s by presenting works that combine classic masterpieces like the "Mona Lisa" with the latest video technology.

As the artist wished to create works that visitors would enjoy for a long time, his works captivated both experts and the public, becoming a representative media artist of Korea.

Like "Light of Mudeung," installed at Gwangju Tollgate in 2020 and established as a landmark, Lee E-nam's artistic world, which permeates various living spaces, has come to the Gwangju Shinsegae Special Stage.

Gwangju Shinsegae and Lee E-nam have maintained a long relationship. The grand prize winner of the 2005 "Gwangju Shinsegae Art Festival," held since 1996 to support artists from the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, was none other than this artist.

A total of 11 works are presented in this exhibition. The main piece of the exhibition shares the same name, "Image Fantasia." Image Fantasia is a work in which various objects change their forms and unfold a "fantasia" within the screen.

For this exhibition, the artist presents a new 2021 version of the work, adding objects reminiscent of a department store as elements of the piece.

On the screen at the main building entrance where Image Fantasia is installed, "New-Empire of Light," which adds Lee E-nam's unique humor code to the surrealist painter Ren? Magritte's work, is also screened.

At the new building entrance, three works transforming traditional landscape paintings?Shinjanggoildo, Civilization Battle- Star Wars, and 2019 Reborn Light_Songhamang Waterfall?are screened.

In the indoor space of the new building, where three electronic display boards are installed, six works reimagining masterpieces by Western art masters familiar to us?Van Gogh, Monet, Klimt, and Seurat?into media art are presented, creating an atmosphere as if entering an art museum.

Van Gogh-inspired works "New-Van Gogh Self-Portrait" and "Van Gogh's Starry Night," Klimt's transformed masterpiece "New-Kiss," and "Monet Sunrise" are screened at the entrance facing the main building.

On the screen installed on a pillar, "Language of Happiness," a work transformed from Seurat's pointillism masterpiece, is screened. These works, created by adding the latest media technology and the artist's unique sensibility to classic masterpieces, vividly convey what makes Lee E-nam, loved worldwide, so charming.

The artist said, "The Special Stage is a space visited by many people for transit," adding, "I hope that art works encountered in everyday spaces during the difficult times of COVID-19 can offer a small comfort."

Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho sdhs6751@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.