"Bonjour, La France" introduces the artworks of 22 of the most representative French artists to the Korean audience. Said to be the first exhibition of its kind outside of Seoul, "Bonjour, la France" is currently on display at the Seongnam Art Center in Gyeonggi-do.
On the cover is Gaël Davrinche's "It's not me, it's you" (2015), a faceless parody of Mona Lisa. Gaël Davrinche recomposes the works of reference artists into a weird new image. The state of freedom and excitement is evident in his untamed signature strokes.
Daniel Firman is a representative of a new generation of artists who bring down the artwork from the wall and desecrate the sculpture. Our initial reaction to "Caroline" was one of surprise, thinking it was a docent resting her head against the wall. I reviewed some of Firman's works after the exhibit and grew to like his concept of human figures struck in precarious poses with their faces veiled.
Daniel Firman, Caroline (2014)
Another exemplary work is that of renowned French artist JR. For his project, “Unframed -- Ellis Island,” JR wheat-pasted photographs of real patients and staffs throughout the historic Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital. The hospital received a tenth of the millions of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island before it was abandoned in 1954.
JR, Unframed - Immigrants about to head back to their starting point (2014)
A dark corner at the end of the exhibition hall is where they play a film by Maxime Marion and Émile Brout. We sat there for a few minutes baffled by endless water-themed video footages taken from the most famous films in history.
The artists have designed an algorithm that allows a pre-programmed computer to show the scenes in random order -- from Piranha (1978) to the The Lord of the Rings (2001); The Ten Commandments (1956) to Titanic (1997). This explains why we saw a different set of film clips when we watched the movie a second time.
Émilie Brout & Maxime Marion, Dérives (2011-2014)
The overall imagery of "Bonjour, la France" is strange and thought-provoking. The challenge lies in understanding the works and what they tell about the human experience, expression, and history.
Period: July 29 - October 11, 2015
Opening Hours: 10:00 ~ 18:00 // Wed - 10:00 ~ 20:00 // Closed on Mondays
Ticket Prices: Adults - 8,000 ₩ // Children - 5,000 ₩
Venue: Seongnam Arts Center, Cube Art Gallery
Walk straight for 10 min from Imae Station (Bundang Line), Exit 1
