[비즈한국] I went to see the exhibition "Yoo Young-kuk: Mountains are Within Me," currently being held at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA). It is a large-scale retrospective featuring about 170 pieces of artist Yoo Young-kuk's work, commemorating the 110th anniversary of his birth. Despite it being a weekday afternoon, it was incredibly crowded. Starting on May 19th, it surpassed 80,000 visitors in just a month, and the cumulative total has now exceeded 190,000. This is exceptional, even considering the admission is free. While Yoo was a pioneer who spearheaded Korean abstract art, when did we (the average art layperson) become so deeply interested in abstract art?
The popularity of the exhibition lies in the artist's unique color palette and restrained composition. I’m certainly not the only one who wanted to visit immediately after seeing the exhibition poster, not because of the name, but because of the art itself. It seems likely that the star power of a famous celebrity also contributed to the exhibition's popularity. BTS's RM, famous as an art enthusiast and collector with a keen eye for art, owns one of Yoo’s pieces and loaned it for this exhibition (he also visited the gallery himself to view it carefully).
So, who was Yoo Young-kuk? Born in 1916, the artist was active during the same era as Kim Whanki and Lee Jung-seob, but was relatively less known to the general public. At the entrance to the exhibition, you can browse a brief biography of the artist, and his life story is quite extraordinary. Born in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, he enrolled in the Oil Painting Department at Tokyo's Bunka Gakuin to learn art and worked as a painter. However, after returning to Korea in 1943, his track record includes operating fishing boats and running a brewery to support his family.
His "Manghyang Soju," for which he personally designed the label, was a hit and his business flourished, so he could have lived a life of luxury as a wealthy man. However, he stated, "I don't want a gold paddy or a mountain of gold. I want to paint," before moving to Seoul and living the rest of his life as a painter. He painted like a machine at fixed times from morning until evening, and never picked up a brush after drinking. None of the unbridled or dissolute characteristics we often associate with artists can be found in him.
Perhaps because of the artist's history, the organization of the exhibition is also unique. Usually, a retrospective is arranged in chronological order from the artist's beginning to end. The Yoo Young-kuk exhibition begins by showing his 1964 works from his first solo exhibition at age 48, then backtracks to his early experimental avant-garde period, before moving through his peak abstraction years in the 1960s-1970s, and finally showing his profound abstract world of his later years.
The display space itself is also striking. Designer Yang Tae-oh, who was in charge of the exhibition design, used different methods to heighten focus on the works in each section. The avant-garde experimental works exude a strong presence against a dark background, and windows cut into walls draw works displayed outside into the view as another background, encouraging visitors to appreciate them both close-up and from a distance. In the Section 4 open-plan space with blue carpeting, smaller works are gathered together with large flat wooden platforms, encouraging a more casual viewing experience.
While it can't be perfectly quiet due to the large number of visitors, the energy emitted by the works is calm and deep. The sentiment of the artist, who said, "I like abstract art because it doesn't talk," is soaked into the exhibits. Even without prior knowledge or audio guide commentary, the lines, planes, and colors contained in the work reach out to you first. Take your time to look at the textures inherent in the canvas along with the colors, and the touches visible in unexpected places. This is an exhibition that would be good to look around as a whole, return to with commentary, and visit again after a significant amount of time has passed. In common parlance, it has the power to make you think. My companion said they wanted to come back in the autumn, and I feel the same. When I find myself wanting to visit the mountains in the depths of autumn, I think Yoo Young-kuk's 'Mountain' series will resonate even more deeply.
The exhibition works were loaned by the Yoo Young-kuk Art Foundation, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gana Art, Gallery Hyundai, the Hansol Foundation, Daegu Art Museum, Kukje Gallery, Jeonnam Museum of Art, Leeum Museum of Art, Samsung Life Insurance, PKM Gallery, and various private collectors. Naturally, the most popular piece with the public is the one from RM's collection. Like other works, it is simply labeled "Private Collection," but many people know about it beforehand and take proof shots in front of it. If you don't know, other visitors will often kindly point it out.
As the artwork itself is impressive, expectations for the quality of the art shop goods were high, and there are many satisfying items available. From limited-edition art cosmetics produced in collaboration with a beauty brand, to a soju glass set featuring the story of Yoo Young-kuk's 'Manghyang Soju', and tumblers with vivid colors in collaboration with a British lifestyle brand, there are several items that will pique your desire to collect. The display stand for goods, which uses the arched windows of the Seoul Museum of Art as a background and uses Yoo's 'Mountains' as a motif, is also very stylish.
This exhibition was co-hosted by the Chosun Ilbo, the Seoul Museum of Art, and the Yoo Young-kuk Art Foundation. It runs until October 25th, so there is still plenty of time to visit. It is also worth checking out the exhibition-related programs held on the second Friday of every month. Workshops and lecture programs are prepared, including a reading session in August with poet Park Joon. For those tired of the speed and noise of the world, moaning under stock market stress, and fearing AI, go and take a look at the abstract world of Yoo Young-kuk, which gives a deep resonance without saying a word. The museum is open until 8 PM on weekdays and until 9 PM on Fridays (closed every Monday). On-site docent tours are available daily at 11 AM for the first 20 people, and a paid audio guide featuring the voices of pianist Son Yeol-eum and broadcaster Peter Bint is available.