At the Johyung Gallery in Insa-dong Seoul
By Art Editor Lee Sam-sun, Reporter Ms. Kim Soo-bin
Even in a difficult situation where the domestic and international art markets are considered to be ‘frozen’ due to the global recession, galleries and artists in Insa-dong, Seoul, a number of hard-working artists are showing their works.
From February 28 to March 5 this year, a number of artists join a group exhibition.
The artists showing their works are as follows:
Zion Khan (aka Bae Hee-kwon), Lee Tae-gil, Park Kyung-hee, Lee Hwa-yu, Choi In-soon, Choi Kyu-sun, Shin Jeong-ju. Choi Seon-mi. Park Young-hee, Jeon Hyun-hee, Kim Ji-hee, Kim Jung-sik. Jeon Hyun-hee, and Sophie Oh.
A total of 14 artists participate in the exhibition entitled, “Shining Soul of Art”
The artists in this exhibition are established painters, ranging in age from 80s to 40s, who are passionate about their art.
Art starts from self-fulfillment and practice. That's why they stick to their work and work passionately even in difficult situations.
They continue their creative activities stead-fastly and sometimes foolishly based on craftsmanship without compromising with the trends or worldly things.
Sometimes they are rewarded with attention from connoisseurs who have a rare eye for the art. This way, shouldn’t we think that those who work hard with an empty mind are the true artists?
In this sense, it is time for public support under the premise that the existence of artists should not be viewed as an act of self-defense, but should be accepted and considered as public assets, who can create tremendous economic effects and opportunity gains.
In addition to the coronavirus pandemic, localized wars in the Middle East and Russia, and the climate crisis caused by environmental changes, are pushing the world into a deeper recession, and the art world is the one that is suffering the most amid rising inflation and a frozen domestic market, especially the art galleries.
Under these circumstances, artists unite and work for self-rescue measures such as increased cooperation, but in order for the art world to take a further leap forward, bold support and investment from the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism and other offices of the government are urgently needed.
This is because only those who can afford it and have enough surplus money can afford to buy paintings and have the psychological space to appreciate them, but in a difficult situation, even mid- to low-priced paintings become unaffordable.
Despite the difficult situation of galleries and the art world, artists continue to work hard and their enthusiasm does not wane.
Also, most importantly, the lives of artists can be enriched and art culture can be developed when the support base that enjoys and consumes art culture is thick.