LG OLED PRESENTS “We Meet Again in Seoul” Exhibition by Kim Whanki, Master of Korean Abstract Art

LG OLED PRESENTS
“We Meet Again in Seoul” Exhibition by Kim Whanki, Master of Korean Abstract Art

 Special Presentation in Collaboration with Whanki Foundation
To be Held at Frieze Seoul
September 6-9, 2023, COEX

Seoul, Korea, August 24, 2023 – LG OLED  is pleased to present “We Meet Again in Seoul” an exhibition by Kim Whanki x LG OLED. This special presentation will feature paintings by Korean abstractionist artist Kim Whanki on loan from the Whanki Foundation. The works will be on view at Frieze Seoul 2023 at the LG OLED Lounge from September 6-9, 2023, accompanied by newly commissioned videos of Whanki’s work on LG OLED digital canvases.

Whanki (1913 – 1974) is widely regarded as a pioneer of Korean abstraction. Born in Korea on the island of Kijwa to a family of wealthy landowners, Whanki moved to Japan for his education after deciding to become an artist against his father’s wishes. He returned to Seoul after completing school, where he was heavily influenced by the left-wing intellectual avant-garde, and where he founded the radical movement New Realists, which sought to articulate the essence of nature through abstract art.

Whanki lived in Seoul for much of his life, but relocated to Paris with his wife in 1956, following the Korean War, before ultimately settling in New York. Whanki continued to explore various classical Korean motifs and landscapes throughout his travels but began to simplify them using thick outlines, vibrant color fields, and his signature blue palette.

Inspired by artists including Fernand Léger, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman, Whanki’s work merged traditional Korean subject matter and lyricism with a Western style. These color field artists inspired Whanki to create his signature monochrome canvases covered in mosaic-like dots. While these works share similarities to Western geometric abstraction, the origins of Whanki’s lines and dots are the shapes of mountains, trees, or little islands found throughout the Korean landscape.

In partnership with the Whanki Foundation, LG OLED has selected twelve original paintings, including Whanki’s most representative works from his Paris and New York periods. Major exhibited works include a painting selected from the Where, in what form, shall we meet again series (1971) displaying Whanki’s signature dense fields of monochrome blue mosaic-like dots on a sweeping 8 x 6 foot canvas.  In contrast, the 1969 25-III-69 #46, displays abstract floral forms on an otherwise sparely composed, yet substantially large canvas.

In addition to showcasing these masterpiece paintings, five digitalized works that reveal Whanki’s philosophy will also be displayed at the LG OLED booth during Frieze Seoul. Three artists have been newly commissioned by the Whanki Foundation and LG OLED  to reprise five works done by Whanki in digital form, including artists Je Baak, professor at Seoul National University College of Fine Arts, Mano Ahn, CEO at Ahngraphics, and Daehwan Kim, CEO at BESIGN. Among the five works expressed through digitalization are Red Ignition, 14-III-72, #223 (1972) and Dark Blue Ignition, Duet 22-IV-74 #331 which were completed in the artist’s later years. The colors, dots, lines, and temporality of Whanki’s original works will be faithfully reproduced through LG OLED’s state-of-the-art digital canvases.

“I feel very honored that LG OLED is able to introduce Kim Whanki’s highly respected works at Frieze Seoul this year and to share these masterpieces in front of a global and local audience,” said Kate Hye-won Oh, vice president of Brand Communication Division at LG Home Entertaiment Company. “I also believe that the five new digital works which will be launched will serve as an inspiration for future digital artists to stretch their imagination in ways of recreating and reinterpreting digital art in conjunction with LG OLED’s digital canvases.”

“By capturing the techniques and artist philosophy of Kim Whanki’s works in a unique yet relevant visual language, we were focused on creating an experience which would give the viewer a memorable and interesting way to enjoy the artwork,” commented Mee-Jung Park, Director of the Whanki Foundation However, the most important aspect in reinterpreting the works was to retain Kim’s heart and soul in these new digital recreations.”

LG OLED is the headline partner of Frieze Seoul 2023 highlighting the continued efforts of the brand to bring together the world of digital art and advanced technology by presenting contemporary art experiences to new audiences and demographics, while paving the way for digital conservation. Under the official motto, “We Inspire Art” LG OLED hopes to inspire future generations of digital artists as they advance into new mediums, transcending the borders of different fields.

About LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company
The LG Home Entertainment Company is a recognized innovator in televisions and audio-video systems. LG offers an elevated home entertainment experience through its award-winning OLED TVs, which, in 2023 mark the 10th anniversary, and QNED LED TVs powered by the innovative webOS smart TV platform. Aiming to help provide consumers with top-class user experience, all of LG’s home entertainment products are designed with environmental sustainability in mind, from production all the way through to disposal. For more news on LG, visit www.LGnewsroom.com.

About LG OLED
LG OLED celebrates the merging of ground-breaking technical essence and top-line artistic creativity to inspire the art we see around us today and tomorrow. Under the LG OLED ART initiative, artists reinvent or reinterpret their artform via LG OLED‘s digital canvas. We redefine the artist’s canvas, by introducing the brilliance of LG OLED as their ideal medium with stunning color precision and unrivaled clarity. Our motto, “We inspire art,” is the foundation of our vision – one in which we hope will inspire the future generation of digital artists as they advance into new forms of art, transcending the borders of different fields. LG OLED ART has collaborated with over 26 globally established artists including Anish Kapoor, Barry X Ball, Damien Hirst, iart, Kevin McCoy, Six N. Five and more. To follow the journey of LG OLED ART, visit www.LGOLEDART.com.

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