Calder's 'Black' world comes to Korea

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Black mobile and stabile sculptures of Alexander Calder (1898-1976) grace the white cube of Kukje Gallery K3 in central Seoul at an exhibition named “Noir.”

Some of them hang from the ceiling, while others rise from the floor. Black metal sheets and wires create exquisite balance in various shapes. Though there are only six works on display, they are enough to represent the quintessence of Calder’s world of art.

The American artist originated the concept of the mobile sculpture and presented solids without mass in his wire works. This exhibit features works from the late 1930s to ’60s, showing how color and property of matter affected his pieces.

Alexander S. C. Rower, chairman of the Calder Foundation and grandson of the artist, visited Korea last week to celebrate the opening of the exhibition and the 30th anniversary of Kukje Gallery.

These works were hand-picked from Calder’s oeuvre by Rower himself. “The idea was to choose only abstracts works in black, without color,” he said.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is the 1954 work “Black Mobile with Hole.” Spinning slowly in the middle of the gallery, this piece exudes simple beauty of balance, creating new perception of space through holes on the faces.

Other sculptures have been selected regarding relationships with the “Black Mobile with Hole.” They all have different characteristics as well as similarities to the main feature.

“Escutcheon” is another 1954 work made from metal and wire, hanging on the wall, while “Black Beast” (1940) is related to gravity, unlike mobile sculptures pendent from the ceiling. “Descending Spines” (1956) portrays the graceful artistry of a wire sculpture.

Rower said this is a mini-museum type of exhibition, each work chosen in relation to the space and other objects. “Take some time in the gallery to see the diverse vocabulary of art in Calder’s works and interactions between the sculptures,” he said.

Spending time with his grandfather in childhood and extensively studying Calder’s works throughout his life, Rower showed tremendous affection and profound knowledge of the works, saying he could talk forever about the artist’s world.

Though the pieces look like the result of complicated mechanics or physics, Rower considers the sculptor’s understanding was more like “intuition.” The grandson said time and space are essential ingredients of Calder’s sculptures.

“Being in front of a mobile is different from that of a painting. You experience the relationship between the object and the environment — temperature, humidity, light and people in the room. The actuality of the moment is crucial,” he said. “It will be a different experience if we see the mobile five minutes later or five years later.”

Rower was wearing a bold gold necklace actually made by his grandfather. Calder left approximately 1,800 pieces of unique jewelry. “He did not design it but made it. He thought objects get imbued with his energy and declined mass production of his jewelry,” he said.

The same idea could be applied to Calder’s sculptures and explain why the tight white cube of K3 is filled with energy coming from his six works. “If you believe people have more than five senses, you will start understanding Calder’s art world. Of course, you will still enjoy Calder if you only have five senses,” Rower said.

The exhibit runs through Aug. 17. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.kukjegallery.com or call (02) 735-8449.