Best art exhibitions to watch for in 2017
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An installation view of “Before the Beginning” at K Museum of Contemporary Art / Courtesy of K Museum of Contemporary Art
By Kwon Mee-yoo
This is going to be another busy year for the global art scene. In the first half, big international events are lined up, including the prestigious Venice Biennale, the quinquennial dOCUMENTA which will be co-held in Athens and Kassel for the first time, and the world's largest art fair Art Basel in Switzerland. Korean artists and galleries are heading outwards to present works to international audiences at the events.
In the second half of 2017, major Korean institutions will offer well-prepared exhibits of Korean masters and budding artists, as well as internationally established artists.
National Museum of Contemporary Art
This year puts Bartomeu Mari, the first foreign director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), to the test.
"When Art becomes Liberty: The Egyptian Surrealists" opening at the MMCA Deoksugung in April is the first exhibit led by Mari himself. It aims to rediscover the history of modernism through artists outside mainstream Europe.
"New Women" at MMCA Deoksugung from October to March 2018 will highlight modern femininity and how women developed their subjectivity through art.
Im Heung-soon, the Silver Lion winner at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015, will host a solo exhibit sponsored by Hyundai Motor at MMCA Seoul in November.
Other major exhibits include "Picasso and the Popular Arts and Traditions," a retrospective of British artist Richard Hamilton and an exhibition of Poland-born artist Krzysztof Wodiczko.
The museum also commissioned outdoor site-specific projects for each branch, which will bring together different generations of artists.
However, the MMCA postponed one of its major exhibits, "Andy Warhol: Shadows," without rescheduling as of Thursday. The traveling exhibit was slated for a February opening, but the museum said it is on hold for now.
Krzysztof Wodiczko’s “Hiroshima Project” / Courtesy of MMCA
Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art (SeMA) highlights architecture in autumn in collaboration with the International Union of Architects (UIA) Congress in Seoul. The architectural exhibit held from Sept. 3 to Nov. 5 will shed light on the status of contemporary architecture and the dynamics between art and architecture.
Other than the UIA exhibition, SeMA continues to give attention to Korean artists of different generations. Graphic designer Ahn Sang-soo will hold an exhibit from March 14 to May 14. Ahn's signature typographic design as well as Pati, his alternative school centering on design in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, will be introduced at the exhibit.
At SeMA's northern Seoul branch the Buk Seoul Museum of Art, the "2017 Title Match" exhibit (July 25 to Oct. 15) invites senior artist Kim Tchah-sup and young artist Jun So-jung to contrast their works and seek communication between generations.
Lee Yoo-tae’s “Research” / Courtesy of MMCA
Leeum
The Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, Seoul, focuses on the charms of Korean art in 2017.
Leeum's Kim Whan-ki (1913-1974) retrospective scheduled to run from April to August is highly anticipated among art connoisseurs. Kim is the pioneer of Korean modern abstract art and one of the most highly sought-after artists in Korea. His works are the most expensive pieces now, dominating the top five in prices paid for Korean artworks at auction, breaking the record four times in the past two years.
This exhibit will give a comprehensive look into the artist's view of art, combining Korean traditions with Western elements, featuring his early works to those from his twilight years as well as drawings, letters and photographs to help visitors understand the artist.
The next exhibit will shed light on the beauty of Korean calligraphy from September to December. This is Leeum's first attempt to put calligraphy at the center of an exhibition.
Calligraphic works from Leeum's extensive antique collection will be displayed next to contemporary artworks reinterpreting calligraphy to present refined pieces transcending time and space.
Kim Whan-ki’s “Song of Eternity” / Courtesy of Leeum
K Museum of Contemporary Art
The K Museum of Contemporary Art recently opened in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, aiming to become Seoul’s Museum of Modern Art or Palais de Tokyo, opens daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., maximizing accessibility for visitors.
The museum currently holds two inaugural exhibitions — "Before the Beginning and After the End" and "Lobbyist Show."
"Before the Beginning and After the End" sheds light on the use of color by Korean artists, featuring works of Park Saeng-kwang and Jeon Hyuck-lim. "Lobbyist Show" is held on the first floor of the museum, providing a new interpretation for the lobby, a first impression of the building.
Major galleries
The Kukje Gallery, which has been a vanguard of promoting Korean art within and outside the country, is packed with interesting exhibitions encompassing Korean and international artists alike.
The gallery begins the New Year with Ahn Kyu-chul in February and Dansaekhwa artist Kwon Young-woo's solo exhibit in March coincides with Art Basel Hong Kong. In May, artist and filmmaker Park Chan-kyong will reveal his latest work "Citizen's Forest" for the first time in Korea.
In the second half, exhibits of internationally renowned artists Paul McCarthy, Michael Joo and Joris Laarman are lined up.
Gallery Hyundai will host an exhibit of British conceptual artist Ryan Gander in March, introducing his works incorporating a wide range of materials in Korea for the first time.
Arario Gallery presents Japanese artist Nobuko Watanabe's "Beyond Color and Space" at its Cheonan branch from Jan. 17 to May 7.
A view of Dansaekhwa exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016 / Courtesy of Kukje Gallery
Korean art heads overseas
International attention on Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) continues and Yuz Museum in Shanghai will hold a major exhibit in September, featuring works of Kwon Young-woo, Lee U-fan, Chung Sang-hwa, Chung Chang-sup, Ha Chong-hyun and more.
Individual Dansaekhwa artists also have events across the globe. David Zwirner Gallery in New York hosts an exhibit of Yun Hyong-keun from Jan. 14 to Feb. 18. London's White Cube Gallery offers "ZIGZAG: Ecriture 1983-1992," a second exhibition of Park Seo-bo at the gallery, from Jan. 20 to March 11. Chung Chang-sup's works will be presented at Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Antwerp, Belgium, from Jan. 28 to Feb. 18.