| Park Jin-sung's "My Song" / Courtesy of Jamsil AVENUEL Arthall |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
"Isn't he adorable?" said curator Lee Da-kyung of Jamsil AVENUEL Arthall, pointing at a portrait of an old man with an age-defying face and an obscure smile. "If you take a closer look, you can see his eyes twinkling."
His eyes were hardly visible from a few steps away but it was clear the man was Lee Moon-sae, a renowned singer who has one of the most-sold albums in Korea — his fourth studio album sold over 2.8 million copies.
| Yoo Jae-ha collection of art / Courtesy of Jamsil AVENUEL Arthall |
Jamsil AVENUEL Arthall is holding an exhibition "100 Albums 100 Artists 2," featuring reimagined covers of Korean music albums. The "100 Albums 100 Artists" exhibit was first held in February 2017 and centered around pop music back then.
Another notable section from the exhibit is the Yoo Jae-ha (1962-1987) collection. As a tribute to the singer, eight artists reinterpreted Yoo's album covers and music in their own way. Yoo, a singer-songwriter who left behind songs based on his love story, tragically passed away in a car accident at the age of 25.
"Yoo's albums definitely hold an important place in the exhibit. It is fascinating to see how different all the artworks are. The artists have taken ideas from Yoo's music as there's more room for them to imagine," curator Lee said.
Since vinyl records first appeared in Korea, album covers have become a unique medium for the musicians to communicate their messages and a great album goes with music as well as cover art design.
Popular music critic Choi Kyu-sung selected albums for the exhibit from the most iconic to the rarest — to demonstrate the extent to which art and music have mingled over the past five decades.
One hundred Korean artists picked album covers from vinyl records with historical value and reinterpreted them in their own style among Choi's selections and produced art on 12-inch vinyl album cover-sized canvases.
Artist Hong Kyoung-taek shared three stylish portraits of sexy female solos — Na-mi, Uhm Jung-hwa and Kim Wan-sun.
There is a big age gap among the 100 artists who participated in this exhibit. Thus they differ in how they approach the theme of music — some try to convey a relatable story about the artist while others focus on the artist's appearance or performances.
The curator said when she had asked the music critic Choi to pick the best album, Choi answered, "Just one album cannot represent the whole history ranging from 1958 to 2015."
"In other words, all 100 albums in the exhibition are equally important," the curator explained.
Most expensive vinyl
For those who are interested in the value of the albums on display, three vinyl records cost about $5,000 each — "Korean Broadcasting System Record Series No.1," trot singer Lee Mi-ja's "Hit Songs,' and country folk group Arirang Brothers' "Animal Farm."
The exhibit also provides rare young looks of veteran singers, such as Ha Chun-hwa and Jeon In-kwon. Ha and Jeon are recognized as legendary artists who keep up with their juniors to this day, but they were once young and revolutionary in their heydays.
"Many of today's young people tend to pursue their own taste and style. They think of listening to old music with analog sound as unique experiences," curator Lee said. "For the older generation that has lived through the vinyl age, this exhibition will be a treat that arouses cultural nostalgia."
| '100 Albums 100 Artists' exhibition area / Courtesy of Jamsil AVENUEL Arthall |
The exhibition starts with the "First Record" and "Debut Album" section and continues to "Original Soundtrack," of which the audiences can recollect memories of "oldies-but-goodies" films. The "Social Affair Album" part showcases music related to Korea's turbulent modern history. The exhibit also features limited editions of popular singers in the 21st century, such as Psy, BoA, and Girls' Generation.
The exhibit runs until April 2. Admission is free.