In its 17th year, Maison Guerlain partners once again with Art Basel Paris, presenting the exhibition Good Morning Korea, In the Land of the Morning Calm. This showcase will feature a variety of South Korean artists, including renowned figures such as the late Nam June Paik, Lee Bul, and Anicka Yi.
Beyond its innovative fragrances and beauty products, Guerlain is committed to honoring heritage while embracing innovation. The brand believes in providing artists with a platform to display their creativity, highlighting the power of art to evoke and convey both personal and collective memories. South Korea was selected as this year’s focus due to its significant influence as a source of inspiration in the Western world, showcasing a rich tapestry of artistic ideas reflective of a burgeoning arts and culture landscape.
South Korea Through Art
Curated by Hervé Mikaeloff, the exhibition Good Morning Korea, In the Land of the Morning Calm encourages visitors to engage with memory through a sensory experience that weaves together visual art and scent.
The featured works illuminate the deep connections South Korean artists have with nature, technology, and contemporary societal challenges, offering a pathway through the evolving cultural landscape and diverse heritage of South Korea.
Nam June Paik
As a pioneer of performance and technology-based art, the late Nam June Paik was the first to present abstract visuals on television by manipulating images with magnets. He also was a key figure in the development of portable video cameras—now commonly known as “digicams.” Paik envisioned technology transforming art creation and sharing, predicting a future dominated by camcorders, live streams, and social media. He seamlessly blended Eastern and Western influences, leading to an ongoing exploration of technology’s role in our artistic pursuits.
Lee Bul
Lee Bul is celebrated for her striking, boundary-pushing artworks that confront themes of beauty, decay, and corruption. As a trailblazer in South Korea’s art scene, her pioneering performances and multi-sensory installations continue to motivate emerging artists. She has exhibited solo in major museums globally, including London’s Hayward Gallery, Berlin’s Martin Gropius-Bau, and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
In the exhibition, Lee’s pieces explore the complex ideas of perfection and the warped realities of modern identity, merging feminine shapes with mechanical elements to form cyborgs.
Anicka Yi
Anicka Yi delves into the hidden social dynamics associated with scent, crafting unique fragrances and embedding them into her sculptures. She continuously expands the frontiers of science, technology, and art, striving to create new, disorienting, and futuristic experiences that challenge conventional art perceptions. Her work has been featured in prestigious locations such as the Tate Modern in London and the Art Science Museum in Singapore.
Yi integrates algorithms in her holographic artworks, fusing visual patterns from past creations (her “visual DNA”) with organic and technological designs, provoking thoughts on the evolution of art in the digital era.
Omyo Cho
(OMYO CHO)
Starting her career as a novelist, Omyo Cho has since transitioned to creating artworks that reflect her literary heritage. Her creations range from sculptures to installations and VR videos, presenting nonlinear narratives. Cho’s works have been displayed in various group exhibitions, including the Surim Art Center, Ulsan Contemporary Art Festival, and Osan Museum of Art. In the current exhibition, her piece “Barrel Eyes” invites viewers to imagine a future where memories take tangible forms, reshaping our concept of time and memory.
The Good Morning Korea, In the Land of the Morning Calm exhibition will run from October 16 to November 12, 2024, at Maison Guerlain, located at 68 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris.
This article originally appeared on Esquire Singapore.
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