The Art of Seoul
I typed "lingerie stores" into Naver maps. Apparently, I was ten minutes from a pair of crisp white knickers. Forty minutes later, I was wandering around in circles in Louis Vuitton. Up the escalator again. Prada pants, anyone?
The concierge sent me to Venus on the eighth floor. Love, attraction and desire flashed in front of my eyes. The problem was that Venus specialised in padded matching sets. Padding-wise, I'm doing fine on my own, thanks.
They say going commando is freedom, right?
Mainstream retail therapy doesn't seem to exist here. Well, maybe it does, but I can't find it. I pulled out my "naver gonna get there" map again and discovered I was fifteen minutes from a market. So, downmarket it was.
As I approached the sock stall, I pulled up my dress slightly and pointed at my knickers. "Ah, panties," said a nice lady. She directed me towards a lingerie stall. Now we were getting somewhere.
A not-so-nice lady proudly revealed her latest panty curated drop. Everything looked alarmingly large, but this wasn't the time to get picky knicky. I grabbed a knicker bundle and reached for my card. Big mistake. She whipped my loose-fitting lovelies out of my hand and gave me the international finger wag. No cards allowed.
Out came the "naver gonna get there" map once more. Faced with the choice of finding cash or heading back to the bins, I chose the bins (My hotel is by the bins, but that's another story.)
This adventure has left me writing in what I'd describe as "lightly dressed." For the record, this isn't supposed to be soft porn. For that, you'll have to visit my Instagram feed.
Every journey I take in Seoul seems to leave me completely lost. A change alphabet, take away the K, and I'm popped or pooped or both.
So, you can imagine my fury when it took me three hours to find the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), only to come face to face with Damian Hirst's shark again.
Damien Hirst - "The Physical Impossible in the Mind of Someone Living" 1991
"The Physical Impossible in the Mind of Someone Living", created in 199. Hirst forces us to stare directly at death. I have seen Chomper three times now: at the Saatchi Gallery in 1991, at the Tate Modern in 2012, and yesterday, only this time I wanted to punch him on the nose.
It was a changeover week at the MMCA, so the permanent collection wasn't open. I enjoyed the concrete courtyards and clean lines. I might try to go back before I leave, that's a thought.
Just a short walk from the MMCA (TF) is Gallery Hyundai, and, much to my delight, Katherine Bradford's first solo exhibition in Korea, titled "Living a Dream", was on.
This was more vulnerable, dreamlike scenes of swimmers and floating figures. Her work has a softness that contrasts with the architectural-led gallery scene of Seoul. "Sleep and Pool Swimmer" (2024) examines the boundary between reality and dreams.
Katherine Bradford - "Sleep and Pool Swimmer" (2024)
I have a feeling Margate-based ceramic artist Charlie Russell would love this piece. I must share it with her.
I was also blown away (literally) by the Leeum Museum of Art. Judy Chicago's "Feather Room" was the perfect soft landing I needed after a twelve-hour flight. If you haven't seen my moment of pure joy, here it is on Instagram.
The use of flowing, unconstrained feathers is often interpreted as a symbolic celebration of the feminine. I had knickers on that day, luckily.
Judy Chicago - The Feather Room 1966
Aleksandra Kasuba's stunning work was also on display. She believes art should be walk-in rather than hung.
Aleksandra Kasuba's - Inside Other Spaces: Environments by Women Artists 1956–1976
I still have to get to The White Cube, Thaddaeus Ropac, Pace Gallery, and Lehmann Galleries.
I might take "the" subway, not "a" subway (if you're listening, maps ). Talking of the yellow and green subway rolls or babs or whatever. I saw the funniest social media response to a sandwich complaint on their feed. It read, "You made it your fucking self." It’s so true. I guess you can tell I am not a foodie, but I do love a matcha.
Here are a few of my favourite museums, galleries, coffee shops and book shops below:
Museums:
Galleries:
Coffee Shops:
Onion (My favourite)
Books Stores:
So are you going to get there? Seoul, that is.
Much love
Julesx