Berlin-based Irish artist David O'Kane poses for a photo at the opening reception for his solo exhibition at Gallery Baton in central Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

This month brings new and exciting exhibitions, one of which opened last Friday at Gallery Baton in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, and is worth checking out. Titled "Symphony of Selves," the show features Berlin-based Irish artist David O'Kane for the third time, alongside London-based Serbian artist Djordje Ozbolt's "Sing Me a Song," marking his second exhibition with the gallery in Korea.

O'Kane works across various mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, animation and film, according to the gallery's press release about his exhibition, which unfolds across large-scale and small-scale canvases, and deconstructs the illusion of the singularity of the self by hinting at an inner life influenced by illusions mixed with memories from the past.

With these works, which range from uncanny, playful and even humorous to absurd, the artist invites the viewer into an imaginary, interior realm that exists only in the half-light, just barely visible between the gloaming and dawn.

Drawing on art historical references from Velazquez to Rembrandt to Francis Bacon, O'Kane develops one of his avatars in the mold of an artist's self-portrait. Oscillating between self-aggrandizement, mystery and suspicion, O'Kane's bold paintings have both the feeling of deep seriousness and outright absurdity, which serve to both uphold and dismantle the grandiosity of the figure of the artist.

David O'Kane's oil on canvas painting, titled "Conversation," is on display at Gallery Baton in central Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

Since 2014, O'Kane has been traveling to Korea for his exhibitions, invited by the gallery. He has mentioned that he always finds Korean hospitality amazing and friendly, and this time, he brought his girlfriend with him.

At the opening reception, he had a short conversation with The Korea Times about the creative motives for his paintings, which he heavily depicts with ghostly characters, something he identifies as an expression of the self. "It's the moment of unveiling something, but I wanted to abstract the figure in this moment, becoming the artwork or becoming abstracted by the artwork," he said.

He further explained that it's this idea that we are made up of many parts, having different parts of ourselves that we can uncover and reveal or hide.

"For me, being an artist, I found that a lot of the time you spend on your own, working solitary in the studio, and then suddenly you have an opening like this and your artwork is on show," he said. "Like you are out there, it's that moment of vulnerability, of showing yourself and whether you want to show this or not. The light is the subject and the shadow which depicts the inability to know fully yourself. I think we are always trying to find ourselves, but I think the way I've begun to understand it is that there isn't a single self to find — we have all these different parts of us, and depending on who we're with, you have intimate relationships, with a partner, with your family, with friends and different aspects of your personality will come out through that."

O'Kane lives and works in Berlin. He studied at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig for five years under Neo Rauch, a leading figure of the New Leipzig School, earning a Meisterschüler degree in 2012. O'Kane has won numerous awards, scholarships and residencies. His work is represented in such collections as the Busan Museum of Art, the Kunsthalle der Sparkasse in Germany, the Zabludowicz Collection in the U.K., the CAP Foundation in Ireland and the Trapaga-Fonalledas Collection in Puerto Rico.

Djordje Ozbolt's 2024 acrylic on board painting, "Casual Meeting" / Courtesy of Djordje Ozbolt

Meanwhile, Serbian artist Djordje Ozbolt's work is a profound reflection of his childhood, shaped by the wars in the former Yugoslavia and the diverse cultural influences he has encountered during his global travels. He skillfully integrates these experiences into his unique artistic perspective. His interpretations of various events, incidents, media images and the cultures he has experienced on his travels take on an unfamiliar feel and presence in his works. This brings new dimensions of possibility to the traditional painting medium. In his latest paintings, mysterious birds that exist solely in the artist's imagination take center stage. Ozbolt combines authentic art historical motifs with kitschy pop culture images, breaking away from conventional formal expressions. This paradoxical coexistence of order and disorder in his work captivates viewers, creating a sense of tension and grotesqueness that invites engagement with the artist's surreal sensibility.

Ozbolt gained international acclaim after successfully representing Serbia at the 58th Venice Biennale.

Since its founding in 2011, Gallery Baton has gained international recognition as a leading contemporary art gallery in Korea. Distinguishing itself with a dynamic and refined program, it consistently strives for an in-depth understanding of current paradigms within the complex and ever-changing landscape of contemporary art.

The gallery displays 23 paintings for O'Kane's solo exhibition, as well as 9 of Ozbolt's paintings, until Feb. 15.

The exhibitions are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. Admission is free. Visit gallerybaton.com for more information.

Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.