Art shows this week

Dutch stamp dealer, William van der Bijl, visited North Korea 24 times starting in 1998 in his search for propaganda posters and stamps. Last year, these rare stamps and posters were exhibited at the Seoul Museum of Art as part of their “NK Project.” William explained: “I am interested in any kind of art. North Korean political art, as well as their stamps, are drawn in a simplistic way: A person does not need to know much about art in order to understand ‘the message’ in their drawings. All the people look always happy and [there’s] always a big smile on their faces.” On a trip to North Korea in 2013, he was arrested and imprisoned for two weeks. Since then, William has been unable to return to North Korea—leaving behind friends and his stamp trading post. “I was never able to speak to any of [my friends] and [it] makes me very sad. I have a great desire to go there and meet them again, but this will be impossible in the current situation.”

Pyongyang is poverty-stricken and repressed, but here in Seoul, people are quite stylish and happy with an awesome selection of food to choose from. Stereotypical as it is, this is the most general image that many have of the North and South. Unlike the South Korean locals who make these claims without experiencing the North, German architect and photographer Dieter Leistner, who has been to both countries, argues that the conjured image is a cliché. 

Filled with numerous sewing needle factories and textile manufacturers that supply the neighboring Dongdaemun Market, Changsin-dong has been largely a working-class neighborhood since the 1960’s. It is in this historic district where artist Nam June Paik spent part of his early childhood, and where his memorial now stands. Located in a quiet and unassuming part of a narrow alley, the memorial is in the shape of a hanok, the traditional Korean house, making it visibly different from the rest of the neighborhood. One step inside the main entrance, you get an immediate glimpse of Paik’s artistic style, at the door, which is created from putting nine televisions side by side. The televisions depict scenes from history to capture the environment in which Paik grew up. Born in Seoul in 1932, Paik lived in Hong Kong, Japan, Germany and the U.S. throughout his lifetime, before returning to Seoul in 1984. His diverse life experiences are manifest in his artwork. The inside of the house is a simple L-shape with a small courtyard, allowing visitors a short but thorough look into the life of Paik as an artist. The memorial features a short history of Paik’ career with commentary from friends and influences, as well as his signature television art projects, such as Good Morning America and collaboration with soprano Sumi Jo. At the end, you can enter a room modeled after Paik’s apartment in Soho, New York, where you can watch the interactive biography, the Paper Theater. Nam June Paik...