[Exhibition of the Week] Kim Shin-wook Solo Exhibition 'Treasure Island' · Anselm Kiefer 'Autumn Herbst' etc.

Editor's NoteThis week's exhibitions introduce a variety of attractive shows from across the country that can be experienced over the course of one week.

▲ Kim Shin-wook Solo Exhibition 'Treasure Island: The Ghosts That Appear' = Museum Hanmi is hosting Kim Shin-wook's solo exhibition 'Treasure Island: The Ghosts That Appear' at Samcheong Annex.

Kim Shin-wook, Seonnyeotang, 2023, Inkjet print, 50x66cm. [Photo courtesy of Museum Hanmi]

The artist, who mainly explores and documents invisible realms through observation and collection using photography, focused in his previous work 'In Search of Nessie' (2018?2020) on the legendary monster 'Nessie' said to inhabit Loch Ness in Scotland. In 'Mentality of Disconnection' (2021? ), he tracked subjects such as the 'Korean Tiger' and the 'Northern East Sea Line,' making the main theme of his work the curiosity about how stories originating from specific subjects and places continue to have vitality regardless of their authenticity.

In this exhibition, the artist presents about 20 major new works from 'Treasure Island,' created over approximately one and a half years while traveling around the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and surrounding islands, along with an archive. The motif for 'Treasure Island' originates from an article about the Russian Imperial Baltic Fleet warship Dmitri Donskoi, which sank off the coast of Ulleungdo during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and reappeared in 2018 as a treasure ship used in a fraud scheme.

Kim Shin-wook, Gamaoreum Cave Fortification, 2023, Inkjet print, 50x66cm [Photo courtesy of Museum Hanmi]

Based on historical facts but focusing on the ghost-like sunken treasure ship in the East Sea that remains hidden, the artist is curious about how it operates in the real world in some way. He offers a journey exploring traces of the Pacific War, which are the basis of the treasure ship rumors. The exhibition runs until December 31, at Museum Hanmi Samcheong Annex, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Son Ji-young, Black Forest 4.
Photo by Page Room 8

▲ Son Ji-young Solo Exhibition 'Schattenwald [Shattenbalt]; Shadow Forest' = Page Room 8 presents Son Ji-young's solo exhibition 'Schattenwald' ([Shattenbalt]; Shadow Forest) starting from the 20th. This exhibition intensively showcases the artist's theme of 'the visible and the invisible,' which she has pursued during her work in Korea and studies in Germany, focusing on how the subject 'mountain' transforms into a shadow as the sun sets, through her unique paintings and sculptures.

In the artist's works, the visible and invisible are connected as sub-themes derived from a larger context such as light and darkness, reality and shadow. Majoring in sculpture, the artist develops and varies forms across different art genres, exploring how to conceptually approach and interpret the three-dimensionality and flatness of objects within these themes.

Notably, the sculptures and paintings presented in this exhibition are inspired by visual scenes the artist experienced in daily life. After moving into the Gyeongnam Creative Center in 2022, she recalls how the mountain she saw during daytime walks and the same mountain at night dramatically appeared completely flat despite its immense three-dimensionality, as light turned into darkness. She recreates the depth of shadows using multiple layers of Prussian blue oil paint to depict night in black tones.

Son Ji-young, Jjogaensan 1. [Photo by Page Room 8]

At Page Room 8, the exhibition space, the artist imagines the contours and cross-sections of Bukaksan and Inwangsan mountains visible from there, casting stones and actually cutting them to expose the cross-sections. In this way, the artist explores the visual forms that change as shadows existing in light and darkness either conceal or reveal objects, investigating these phenomena from both artistic conceptual and material perspectives. The exhibition runs until November 12, at Page Room 8, Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Korean Traditional Food Festival 'Experience the Taste of Authentic Korean Cuisine at HEREDIUM' [Photo by HEREDIUM]

▲ Anselm Kiefer 'Autumn Herbst' = The first museum exhibition in Korea of the master of contemporary art Anselm Kiefer, titled 'Autumn Herbst,' is held at Heredium in Daejeon until January 31, 2024.

Anselm Kiefer is regarded as a central figure in world art history, having been commissioned by the Louvre Museum in Paris to create a permanent installation, the first since Georges Braque.

This exhibition reveals 17 works inspired by the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke (R. M. Rilke, 1875?1926), whom the artist admired. Notably, new works never before shown in Korea are included, making this the largest-scale exhibition Kiefer has held in the country.

The artist expresses the imagery of autumn three-dimensionally using various objects such as clay, bricks, lead, and leaves. The shapes of fallen leaves seen throughout the works symbolize both the 'end' of a leaf and the 'beginning' preparing for new life.

Especially, Anselm Kiefer's message of "a new beginning blooming from ruins" resonates with the spatial significance of 'Heredium.' The Heredium in Daejeon, where the exhibition is held, is a restored site of the former Oriental Development Company Daejeon branch, which became ruins after the war and has been reborn as a complex cultural and artistic space. The exhibition also features a special audio guide with actress So Yoo-jin and educational programs for children led by professional educators. The exhibition runs until January 31, 2024, at Heredium, Indong, Dong-gu, Daejeon.

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