Museum plans to open large solo exhibition of German art master Georg Baselitz in August
Having reopened after a recent renovation, Sehwa Museum of Art has unveiled exhibitions that challenge visitors to move beyond passive viewing and engage with art through sensory experience.
In an age when technology makes it easy to store memories and sensory experiences are becoming increasingly limited, two exhibitions, "Invisible Hands, Startling Colors" and "The Silhouette of Memory: Form, Image, Perspective," seek to awaken senses that are gradually being forgotten.
The museum — operated by the Sehwa Art and Culture Foundation under Taekwang Group — underwent a spatial remodeling last year and reinforced its curatorial team with Ma Dong-eun, a former curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, who was appointed deputy director.
"We aim to bring greater vitality to the museum by attracting a wider audience through diverse, participatory programs. We have prepared exhibitions that offer new ways of reconsidering how we see and perceive," Ma told press on Wednesday.
The museum is located in the Heungkuk Life Insurance Building in central Seoul, widely known for the iconic 22-meter-tall kinetic sculpture "Hammering Man," by American sculptor Jonathan Borofsky. The museum occupies the second and third floors of the building.
With no obvious entrance or exit, visitors must push through a bookshelf that is actually a hidden door. "The Silhouette of Memory: Form, Image, Perspective" invites audiences to explore memories deeply embedded within the self.
Three artists — Seo Sung-hyeop, Lim Soo-sik and Kim Bo-min — explore how memory is shaped through the senses. Their works include installations using wood and sound, photographs inspired by chaekgado, or traditional Korean bookcase paintings, and paintings that revisit classical landscape perspectives.
Kim, who has trained in traditional Korean painting, layers scenes from both the present and the Joseon era in depictions of places in the capital.
At first glance, the works resemble classical landscapes, but closer inspection reveals modern buildings set within historical settings. Through this juxtaposition, the artist suggests ways of remembering and imagining the passage of time.
On the second floor, "Invisible Hands, Startling Colors" follows, inviting visitors to actively engage with the works through touch and interaction, becoming part of the experience rather than simply observing it.
The museum plans to host a solo exhibition of Georg Baselitz in August, a leading figure of neo-expressionism and one of the most influential artists in postwar German art, known for his distinctive practice of painting figures upside down to challenge conventional ways of seeing.
"Considering his age, it remains uncertain whether the artist will visit Korea, but the exhibition is expected to draw significant attention as a rare major solo presentation of Baselitz’s work in the country," Ma said.
yunapark@heraldcorp.com
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