The Costume of Painter – Phantom of Museum Au Bouguereau little thief – Oil and Lenticular on canvas by Bae Joon Sung.

Seeing art in Korea is about as difficult as finding kimchi at a Korean restaurant. Most buildings sponsor some abstract sculptures to decorate their buildings, while many other areas offer museum after museum. So why go to an art fair – to be surrounded by snooty, pretentious art whose price tags run into eight figures (Korean won, of course)? No – as a matter of course, most of the art seen here was neither snooty or pretentious art, but the prices on said art were still astronomical. The typical fair-goer is likely a person that appreciates art, and wants to see a wide variety of it without feeling any obligation to buy it.

Untitled, acrylic on linen, George Tjungurrayi, 2004

Smaller pieces: a series called “Reiterinnen”, tempera on wood, since 2005. Larger piece: Naoko, Sarah (II), oil on canvas, 2009. Both pieces from the Galerie Supper in Germany

Untitled #3 (soft) from Arvo Part’s Alina, Music for the Eyes series, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, by Robert Owen, 2008

Overstepping A/P, digital print, by Julie Rapp, 2001.

That seems like a plastic surgery that would be popular here in Korea.

Soldered galvinzed wire, by Neil Taylor of Niagara Galleries, 2008

Various wire sculptures – between the tables and walls, there were more than enough perspectives to see from.

Daybreak, Kim Seong Ho, oil on canvas, 2009.

An decidedly Impressionistic look at the big city.

The Blue Worldleach, Lee Szuhui, acryiic on canvas, 2008, part of the Artist Support Program / Artist Portfolio Presentation.

According to her artist statement, this piece “draws heavily on traditional patterns well known to Asians in an attempt to trigger shared memories among the viewers.

Two pieces by Youngdon Choi; on top, ‘A day’, digital C-print, 2008; on bottom, ‘A century’, digital C-print, 2008.

I especially enjoy abstract pieces that I can understand

No title given, Lin Tian Lu, of the Pyo Gallery in Korea.

Audrey Hepburn vs Gregory Peck, Kim Dong Yu, oil on canvas, 2009.

It’s the same picture over and over with different tints.

Title not given, Cheon Seong Gil, 2009

If you’ve seen any of the Coke polar bear commercials, this should make more sense.

Visual Vortex – Merlau Ponty III Yellow, by HC Berg, acrylics, 2007

One piece that made me go ‘Woah’ – try reading the English message against the curved mirror.

Several dozen international galleries were present, and a special exhibition of modern Indian art was also worth a view, but the majority of art is Korean.

Both pieces by Rohini Devasher; on left, Archetype, digital print with drawing on archical paper, 2007; on right, Chimera, 2008.

One piece from the exhibition of Indian art. Called ‘Failed Plot’, the exhibition focuses on “the idea of the incomplete picture. No matter how we frame the image, is it ever complete?” Think about the unfinished or incomplete things in your life and picture the exhibit through that lens.

E-Mc2 Part 2, LN Tallur, oil, 2008.

The art you’ve seen is a tiny percentage of both halls – with 168 galleries each featuring at least several pieces, the results can be overwhelming.

© Chris Backe – 2009

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