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| Visitors and reporters take pictures of British street artist Banksy's "Girl without Balloon," formerly known as "Love is in the Bin," during a preview at Paradise City, an integrated resort complex in Incheon, Thursday. Yonhap |
By Lee Hae-rin
INCHEON ― Making its Korean debut with a fresh identity, Banksy's iconic yet ever-transforming artwork has been unveiled as "Girl without Balloon" at Incheon's Paradise City resort.
The artwork, initially called "Girl with Balloon," became a worldwide sensation in 2018 when Banksy shredded it right after it fetched $1.4 million at a Sotheby's auction. It was subsequently renamed "Love is in the Bin" and resold for a whopping $25.4 million in 2021, a nearly 18-fold jump from the previous price from 2018.
Incheon's integrated resort is hosting the exhibition "Love in Paradise: Banksy and Keith Haring" with the support of international auction house Sotheby's, in celebration of the upcoming Frieze Seoul, including displaying the famed yet contentious artwork in Korea for the first time.
"We are extremely excited to present this exhibition in Korea … it's the first time these artworks have been staying in Korea and … first time with the new name of the painting, … 'Girl without Balloon,'" Sotheby's Private Sales Director of Asia and Hong Kong Nick Buckley Wood said during a press conference after the unveiling ceremony at the resort, Thursday.
The auction house selected the resort as an exhibition venue due to its "history of showing great art and presenting great projects to the public."
Paradise City, an integrated resort near Incheon International Airport featuring a five-star hotel, exhibition and convention halls, Michelin-starred restaurants and casino, has over 3,000 artworks on display, including those of Alessandro Mendini, Damien Hirst, Yayoi Kusama and many renowned and emerging Korean artists.
While the exact reason behind Banksy's renaming of the artwork remains a mystery, Wood speculated that the change likely stems from the destruction and recreation of the original piece. He added that Sotheby's only learned about the change of name and date while discussing the details of the Incheon exhibition with the artist's studio.
"The new piece started in 2021, which is when the old piece was destroyed. So we can only assume that Banksy wanted to change the name because the piece is a new painting," he said.
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| British graffiti artist Banksy's iconic piece "Girl without Balloon," formerly known as "Love is in the Bin," is displayed at Paradise City, Incheon, Thursday. Yonhap |
The exhibition is free and runs from Sept. 5 to Nov. 5 at Paradise Art Space with 19 Banksy works and 13 by Keith Haring.
Haring and Banksy are among the most renowned street artists who both used their satirical artwork as a means of social activism, shedding light on problems in contemporary society.
Visitors are required to make an online reservation via Paradise City's official website or Naver's online reservation system to gain entry.
In addition, Paradise City also hosts the fourth edition of the "Paradise Art Lab Festival," showcasing experimental digital media artworks of seven teams of Korean artists. This free exhibition features media facades, installations and virtual reality (VR) art and runs from Sept. 1 to 10.
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