Key exhibitions to see in 2019

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) opened its Cheongju branch last December. The MMCA Cheongju serves as a gallery, and storage and restoration laboratory space. Courtesy of MMCA

First Hockney exhibit in Korea to open in March

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Last year, the Korean art market enjoyed a boom ― for the first time, over 200 billion won ($180 million) was siphoned into art auctions. The vitality in the market is likely to expand to the art field in general as museums and galleries are packed with exhibitions of Korean and international artists, coinciding with historic occasions.

Argentine artist Leandro Erlich's "Batiment" will be on view at the Seoul Museum of Art in November. Courtesy of SeMA

International big names

The most anticipated exhibition in Korea in 2019 would be the most expensive living artist's first-ever solo exhibition here. Hockney is known for his paintings of swimming pools suburban Californian homes in high-keyed colors and his 1972 painting "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" fetched a whopping $90.3 million at Christie's in November 2018, showcasing the British Pop artist's iconic style.

The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) will hold the Hockney retrospective slated for March 22 in collaboration with Tate Modern in London. The exhibit will feature some 130 works by Hockney, including "A Bigger Splash" (1967) and the "Hotel Acatlan" series (1984-85).

The SeMA also invited Argentine artist Leandro Erlich for a solo exhibition at its branch Buk-Seoul Museum of Art from Nov. 26, featuring Erlich's installations employing optical illusion such as "Batiment."

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) commissioned American neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer for permanent installation of a stone sculpture at its Gwacheon branch along with LED sculptures at Seoul branch in November.

Works of the late Danish artist Asger Jorn, known for his CoBrA group activities, will meet Korean visitors at the MMCA Seoul in April.

Kukje Gallery will introduce artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset's whimsical works in March and Swiss-born artist Ugo Rondinone's large-scale sculptures in May.

Tomas Saraceno, who presented "Our Interplanetary Bodies" at the Asia Culture Center in southern city of Gwangju in 2017, will hold a solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai in October.

"Ecriture No. 011107" by of "Dansaekhwa" (Korean monochrome painting) artist Park Seo-bo, who will hold an exhibition at the MMCA in May. Courtesy of MMCA

Modern Korean masters

Gallery Hyundai sheds light on Korean ink-and-wash painting masters Yi Sang-beom (1897-1972) and Pyon Kwan-sik (1899-1976). The gallery said it is part of their continued effort on promoting the importance of Korean traditional art, following a major "minhwa" (Korean folk painting) exhibition in 2018.

International art community's attention on "Dansaekhwa," or Korean monochrome painting, continues in 2019.

The MMCA hosts an exhibition of Park Seo-bo, a founding member of the Dansaekhwa movement, in May at its Seoul branch, featuring his iconic "Ecriture" series. Kukje Gallery will present a Ha Chong-hyun show at its newly opened Busan branch in May.

Minjung art movement painter Min Joung-ki, who recently brought into spotlight as his work "Bukhansan Mountain" was hung behind North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, holds a solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery, starting Tuesday.

The MMCA opened its Cheongju branch, which doubles as the museum's storage as well as gallery space, last December. At the new branch, the museum will present more visitor-friendly works in its visible storages. Currently, "A Day for Counting Stars: The Story of You & Me" is on view.

The Seoul Museum of Art will present the first solo exhibition of David Hockney, the most expensive living artist, in March, featuring his famous 1967 painting "A Bigger Splash." Courtesy of SeMA.

Centennial of March 1 Movement

The year 2019 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Movement and the establishment of Korea's provisional government. The MMCA and the SeMA are holding exhibitions to remind people of the historic significance.

The national museum is holding three exhibitions at its three branches in September with over 500 pieces of art by 200 artists. Titled The Square, each branch specializes in different themes.

At the MMCA Deoksugung, The Square, Liberation will explore the turbulent history of Korea from the 19th century to the independence movement and liberation from Japan, while The Square, Liberty at the MMCA Gwacheon examines Korean history from 1945 to 2000. The Square, Aspiration at the MMCA Seoul is more future-oriented, centering on the role of the public square in modern society.

At the Nam-Seoul Museum of Art, A World for All (working title) will open March 1 to mark the 100th anniversary of the independence movement. The exhibit will expand the spirit of the March 1 Movement to a postcolonial perspective of contemporary art with artists from diverse countries such as Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Turkey, Denmark and the Republic of South Africa.

Korean artists abroad

Three female artists ― Nam Hwa-yeon, Jung Eun-young and Jane Jin Kaisen ― will represent Korea at this year's Venice Biennale from May to November. Handpicked by curator Kim Hyun-jin, the three artists will focus on women and gender-diversified narratives in the context of East Asia.

Along with the opening of the world's largest contemporary art event, the MMCA will hold a pop-up exhibition of Korean artists, selected among the candidates for the annual Korean Artist Prize, at the Navy Officer's Club, Arsenale in the canal city.

The Yun Hyong-keun Retrospective, presented at the MMCA Seoul last year, will travel to the Fortuny Museum in Venice in May, also coinciding with the Venice Biennale.

The late media art guru Paik Nam-june will have a solo show at the Tate Modern in October. Titled Nam June Paik: The Future Is Now, the major retrospective will feature his video works and large-scale installations as well as his collaborations and exchanges with avant-garde artists and musicians, rediscovering Paik's vision foreseeing the importance of mass media and new technology.