P21 was established in 2017 by Soo Choi. Located in Itaewon district, a cultural hub in Seoul, the gallery opened with an inaugural exhibition by Choi Jeong Hwa and continues to promote compelling and original examples of international contemporary art. P21 is known for its unique exhibition space with two separate facades, respectively named P1 and P2, that enable artists to create site-specific works.
Read MoreP21 represents both established and emerging artists, among them Choi Jeong Hwa, renowned for his vibrantly coloured, large-scale inflatable sculptures and installations; Heemin Chung, whose paintings examine the relationship between traditional and recent media and the phenomenology of digital images; and Lee Byungchan, who critiques the system of production and consumption in today’s world through his ‘creatures’ made up of recycled materials.
The gallery has also collaborated with contemporary artists to organise their solo presentations, including Bek Hyunjin, whose anonymous portraits and abstract paintings examine ordinary life; Hyungkoo Lee, known for his experimental and pseudo-scientific approach that gives rise to his wearable pieces, drawings, sculptures, and performances; and Sun Choi, whose conceptual work explores the nature and the meaning of true art, questioning conventional values and institutionalization of art.
P21 further represents its artists at international art fairs, such as Art Basel Hong Kong and West Bund Art & Design.
Ocula Photolog West Bund Art & Design 2019 'The fair provides a platform for international exhibitors to showcase the finest quality of modern and contemporary art in Shanghai. With exhibitions and art events offered by museums and galleries in the city, West Bund has made November's Shanghai a permanent fixture on the global art calendar.' –West Bund Art & Design, Shanghai (7–10...
Ocula Conversation Hyungkoo Lee: Seriously Fake Science By Sherry Paik, Seoul Korean artist Hyungkoo Lee 's exhibitions evoke a scientist's lab or an archaeologist's workshop, often equipped with outlandish gadgets, skeletal or anatomical models in vitrines, or a desk with incomplete skulls, brushes, and notes. Yet his wearable devices, drawings, and sculptures hardly depict real-life subjects—they are chimeras borne...
Ocula Photolog West Bund Art & Design 2018 'With a strong selection of returning exhibitors, the 2018 edition welcomes 87 galleries in the Galleries section, among which 39 are participating for the first time.' – West Bund Art & Design (8–11 November 2018).
Ocula Conversation Park Seo-Bo By Ines Min, Seoul Park Seo-Bo is widely recognised as the godfather of modern Korean art. The artist played an instrumental role in nurturing the careers of emerging artists and for his own contribution to the formation of Dansaekhwa—the Korean monochromatic painting movement that emerged in the mid-1970s. In the spring of 2018, Park was recognised with the...
Related Press Standing Up for Humanity in a World of Screens 1 November 2019, The New York Times LONDON — One of Europe's leading museums has devoted its biggest show of the season to someone who saw the future more clearly than any artist of his century. He was a restless traveler and a keen student of anatomy who danced across the boundaries of art and science. He blended ancient religion with new forms of representation, and sketched...
Related Press Nam June Paik today – part II 18 October 2019, ArtReview Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries (Young-hae Chang and Marc Voge) How did you first encounter the work of Nam June Paik? Paik accosted us in Paris, on the rue de Seine, in front of his hotel, La Louisiane, during the open market. Then he ran up to his room and brought us back a catalogue of his current show.
Related Press Nam June Paik today 18 October 2019, ArtReview Koki Tanaka How did you first encounter the work of Nam June Paik? I think it was through TV Buddha, but not sure which one. I just googled it now, and find out there are so many different versions of TV Buddhas by Paik...
Related Press 50 Years of Kaldor Public Art Projects: Penelope Seidler remembers Wrapped Coast 4 June 2019, Art Guide Australia It was 50 years ago, but Penelope Seidler still recalls how she got involved in Wrapped Coast, the first Kaldor Public Art Project. 'I can remember John coming back from a trip and he said "Christo wants to wrap up a coast, that's what he wants to do. Do you know anywhere where he could do it?"' Seidler pauses, 'I was sort of bemused. I...
