This month PKM Gallery is filling both its Jongno and Cheongdam-dong spaces with the works of two high profile artists.
Internationally famed Korean artist Lee Bul reminds art aficionados of her knack for the unexpected with a solo exhibition at PKM Trinity in Cheongdam-dong.
In addition to works shown at New York`s Lehmann Maupin Gallery in May and at Paris` Fondation Cartier pour l`art contemporain last year, Lee will also be showcasing a new series for the first time in Korea.
Lee catapulted to fame in the early 1990s. By the end of the 20th century, the prominent installation artist had already held a solo exhibition at New York`s Museum of Modern Art and shown at the Venice Biennale.
Sleek and modern, Lee`s installations bring an air of thought-provoking sophistication to PKM. On the flipside, Chinese artist Zhou Tiehai lights up the Jongno gallery with a tongue-in-cheek display of farcical art.
If Lee gained the attention of the art world with aesthetically pleasing yet malodorous compositions, Zhou landed himself in the New York Times and at the Venice Biennale with his ability to capitalize upon the skills of others.
Openly admitting that he delegates the actual act of painting to his assistants, the Chinese artist made his mark at the Venice Biennale in 1999 with a series of fake magazine covers before making his trademark Joe Camel paintings.
The Camel series, titled "Placebo," takes the head of Joe Camel - an iconic character from American cigarette ads - and places them in classical European portraits.
The art world loved it. They loved the cheek and wit of it and his blatant defiance, how he took existing iconic figures and paintings and combined them, without even picking up a brush himself.
But visitors will be surprised to find that Zhou`s true gems lie elsewhere. His graceful "Tonic" series and his brand new "Dessert" series supersede his signature works.
Revealed for the first time in Asia, Zhou`s "Dessert" series plays like a bad acid trip. Composed of 117 small oil and airbrushed acrylic paintings, they tell the fictional tale of a dessert called "Sabotajnik" and the dessert`s creator Mikhail Grouzenberg.
The compilation of paintings seems to recreate the spliced memories and thoughts of Grouzenberg, ending with the final result of all his volatile, disturbing and jagged experiences: a light cream cheese and tropical fruit cake.
On the basement floor, a series of black and white paintings of traditional Asian subjects - named "Tonic" series to highlight its meditative effects - reinvents the familiar genre. Magnified bamboo and lotuses ink themselves out onto a cream background. Once again, Zhou employs his art of deception. What appears to be the usual ink painting is actually an airbrushed acrylic. But the effect, nevertheless, is soothing and subdued.
Zhou`s solo exhibition runs through Oct. 18 at PKM Gallery in Jongro-gu. For more information call (02) 734-9467 or visit www.pkmgallery.com
Lee Bul`s solo exhibition runs from Oct. 16 to Nov. 20 at the PKM Trinity Gallery in Cheongdam-dong. For more information call (02) 515-9496.
By Jean Oh
(oh_jean@heraldm.com)
[출처 : 코리아헤럴드]
