[비즈한국] An exhibition showcasing a different side of artist Jeon Joon-yeop, famous for his 'whale' paintings, is set to open. The solo exhibition 'GAME OVER' by Jeon Joon-yeop will be held at Gallery Weer, located on the 1st floor of the Lotte Department Store Ilsan branch annex, starting September 1st. The exhibition features two works, both titled 'Game Over,' as its centerpiece.
Artist Jeon Joon-yeop first unveiled his work titled 'Cultural Landscape-11-Game Over' in 1983. The artist states that he created this piece inspired by futurist Alvin Toffler's book 'The Third Wave.' Using the then-popular arcade game Galaga as a motif, the painting delivered a warning about the 21st-century civilization of electronic devices.
By overlapping the Galaga game over the crowds flooding the streets of Myeong-dong, Seoul, the artist expressed a sense of fear and anxiety that one would not survive unless everything was converted to digital. Upon its release, the work caused a major stir and was acquired by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Now, 41 years later, what has changed in the 2024 version of 'Game Over'?
While the 1983 version expressed a negative perception of the digital age, the 2024 version embodies both positive and negative aspects. The artist remarks, “Over the past 41 years, I have developed a more positive view of the internet world, and I believe we should never abandon humanity's faith in science. Due to this shift in thinking, the 2024 version expresses both the positive and negative sides of the AI era.”
To paint this new work, Jeon Joon-yeop revisited the streets of Myeong-dong. Although the signs had all changed, the buildings and streets remained the same. However, the artist, who was 30 at the time, has now become a 71-year-old man. Thus, he infused the 2024 version with the sentiment of fleeting time.
Additionally, he painted his 30-year-old self and his current 71-year-old self among the crowd at the bottom of the work. Through this, the artist says, "I wanted to convey the emptiness of human time and the fact that the theme of this work has remained alive and relevant throughout these 41 years."
It makes one wonder what 'Game Over' will look like in another 41 years, in 2065.
The exhibition runs until September 30th, and admission is free.