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You might notice Rockefeller Center looking a little different come summer. That's because the landmark will play host to a special exhibition spotlighting Korean art through June and July, the biggest piece of which—literally—will be a large-scale charcoal sculpture towering at 21 feet in the outdoor plaza.
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Running at Rock Center from Thursday, June 8 through Wednesday, July 26, the exhibition is titled “Origin, Emergence, Return and is presented by the Busan-based Johyun Gallery, the gallery's first-ever exhibition outside of Korea. Throughout, modern and contemporary Korean art, including more than 70 works from the likes of Park Seo Bo, Lee Bae and Jin Meyerson, will be on view at the Rink Level Gallery, exploring three generations of Korean art from the 20th century to the present.
"All three artists investigate and challenge the notions of abstraction through unique materials–Park with hanji (traditional Korean paper), Lee with charcoal, and Meyerson with CG (computer graphics) and AR (augmented reality)," the gallery team said in a press release.
The exhibit will also extend beyond the 10,000-square-foot gallery space and into the center’s Channel Gardens outside, which will play host to Lee Bae’s 21-foot sculpture of stacked charcoal, marking the first time that a Korean artist will present in the iconic space. The unveiling of the site-specific piece will take place on June 8, with an artist talk with Lee from 5pm to 6pm to discuss the process and inspiration behind the piece, followed by an opening reception from 6pm to 8pm.
The Origin, Emergence, Return showing is part of a larger celebration of Korean culture and heritage taking place at Rockefeller Center in July, where guests can delve into Korean food, fashion, music and more. A weekend's worth of special events will take place between Wednesday, July 19 through Sunday, July 23, including pop-up activations in collaboration with retailers at Rock Center.
If you want to see the full exhibit for yourself, gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm, but viewings on Tuesdays are by appointment only.