So Hyun-Woo's exhibition "Ghost: Undefined Beings" explores the backside of the glamourous images produced by pop culture. On the outside, we have a cute toy constructed in the language of games and animation, but behind the facade lie the typical emotions of modernity - violence, fear of scarcity and anxiety. The artist highlights the gap between illusion and reality. Within this context, toys become symbols of innocence and cruelty; the beauty of the lie and ugliness of its consequences. Images serve as a tool for organising and replacing reality. The statues are made of stainless steel emphasizing the cold, industrial mood of modern life.
Leeum hosts "Tigers and Magpies", an exhibition showcasing 16th-19th century tiger and magpie folk paintings. This is an important subject in traditional paintings as tigers are believed to ward off bad luck. The oldest existing Korean magpie tiger painting "Hojakdo" (1592) will be shown for the first time.
"Feelings hard to discard" by Park Nahwoe explores what's left after something or someone is gone. The depicted objects are there to reference the invisible layers of time and the remnants of emotions. The aim is not to show what's painted but to direct the attention towards what's been left out (what is already gone). The interplay between presence and absence, between what has happened and what's left after is another manifestation of the transience of life. Viewers are invited to meet their own memories and play with the delicate balance of what we can hold on to vs what we have to let go of.
Artist Han Seok-Kyung spends time in a specific place, collects materials on the scene, and continues her artistic work based on them. Her show "Settled Wanderer" is a reference to the idea of human history as the history of migration. In the past, nomads moved physically to survive, in modern times, we move metaphorically through the internet, social media and other digital tools.
"The Bright Land" by Song Hwan-Ah features artworks created by layering natural pigments on traditional Korean paper. The title itself refers to a "place" where personal memories and historical events intertwine. The golden leaves expose the inner world seeping through the ritual facade.
Ju Young-Ae's solo exhibition "A Place Filled with Color" features textile art which creates a cosy and relaxing atmosphere. Stills from everyday home life invite us to dwell on the warmth of the inner space, the sanctuary-like nature of the house, the outer as a reflection of the inner. The fabric only serves to emphasize this feeling.
"2026 Cupid" is a joint exhibition by Tez Kim and Kim Eun-Joo both of whom explore scenes from contemporary dating practices. The show comes just in time for Valentine's Day and White Day and takes us through creative and cutesy renditions of typical love scenes and Instagram couple photos.
"Unsorted: Unsorted Beauty" by Song Jin-Wook is an exhibition that invites us to reconsider the standards of beauty and social hierarchies that we have become accustomed to. It aims to takes us back to the time before classification, standartisation and naming. Innovative renditions of books, plants, luxury goods, asymmetrical faces, and crowned animals playfully subvert the symbols of institutions, consumption and power to prompt a discourse on the origins of modern aesthetics.
