'Mushroom forest' installation in MMCA, Seoul

During July we visited the MMCA, the national Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, located in Samcheongdong, just a few minutes walk from the main gate of Gyeongbukgung palace in Seoul. That day's plan was just to walk around Samcheongro, but we noticed the interesting installation in the open space of the museum and decided to have a look! Approaching from the floor, we saw the top part of a 'forest' of mushroom-like huge white balloons, through which a wooden corridor-like structure led to the ground floor. Sprinklers hidden between them were spraying water in gentle mist-like portions that the wind was pleasantly blowing towards us. On the wooden structure between the tops of the 'mushrooms' we found a small resting area where one could play baduk (or as its known by its more international name Go) and a couple was engaged in a round. Walking our way down, we saw a grassy area from where the inflatables sprout, and in our great enthusiasm, two trampolines on which we gladly bounced! Enjoy the pictures :)


The installation was by architects team Moon Ji Bang and it happens to be an edition of MoMA's Young Architects Program (YAP). For more information on this installation, also check dezeen's article that includes explanation of the idea for the project, plans and more beautiful pictures, including some nighttime ones when the 'mushrooms' lit up. Unfortunately, the installation lasted only till the end of October (which reminds me to blog more often from now on..), but keep your eyes open for other similar events in MMCA. And do visit the museum, because it is very much worth it and as you can see here, one can visit even for free every saturday and wednesday 18:00~21:00, all day every last wednesday of the month (museum day) or if they hold a university ID card ;)

Papatheodorou-Valyrakis' retrospective exhibition in Syros

Almost every summer, in Ermoupoli, Syros, Greece, I visit the exhibitions held during Ermoupoleia, the annual cultural festival of Syros. Many of them are held in the Pinacotheque of Cyclades, hosted next to the old customs office building, at the Warehouses in the port of Ermoupoli, and honestly that's the main reason I love visiting the exhibitions so much! Last august I attended the retrospective exhibition of Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki, a figure that always puzzled me. The subjects of her big-sized paintings, for the ones unfamiliar with her work, are machines, vehicles such as cars, race cars and ships, cranes, sport related subjects, etc, all portrayed in a dynamic powerful manner with flashy colours and thick black lines.

I love her car series

What did you think she might look like after seeing her paintings?

Through her paintings I imagined her strong-willed, wild, kinda angry in a 'feministic' way, full of energy bursting outwards. I imagined her controlling and needless of men, bossy and probably not that good-looking but impressive woman. A chubby short brown fuzzy haired feminist. Yeah. Except that she looks nothing like that at all! I was right about the impressive part at least. I feel her looks are so contrasting to her work! She could be Barbie's mother or aunt.

See more of her art and the artist herself here: http://www.minapapatheodorou.gr/

Part of the jet-set for a good old time, she looks like the kind of person that never was deprived of anything, and maybe that played a huge role in her artistic success. Nonetheless, her work captivates me, and even though it's often not in sync with my personal aesthetics, it doesn't fail to gain my respect. Jet-set, creme de la creme, through a beneficial marriage, young money madame or not, she's worth attention and her career proves she got it.

I love to go close up to her paintings and look how the paint is stuck on the canvas in thick specks. Artists that work with big quantities of material fascinate me, probably because I was never capable of something like that myself, not only because it costs a lot (lol) but also because it's not in my character to be that brave, especially with colour. I rather work in small details, than grand gestures.

Rubber duckyyyyyyyy

So the famous huge rubber duck installation by Florentijn Hofman has arrived in Seoul in october 2014, after appearing in many cities around the world since 2007. Everybody talks about it in Seoul, the news mention it etc, and of course I went to have a look myself, mostly cause I happened to fancy mega art! There's a special place in my heart for enormous art pieces exhibited in open public spaces and I happened to be aware of Hofman's work. So, the ducky is floating in the Seokchon east pond, right next to Jamsil station, and the autumn colours of the surrounding trees suit it nicely :)

But similar photos (less pretty than mine of course lol) you can see pretty much everywhere. What most won't show you is the very characteristic craze in which most Koreans respond to such events.. So many people that you can barely see the pond water behind them at the closest to the ducky part of the path. The beautiful pictures above where taken from the sides exactly because of the crowd. It creates mixed feelings in me. I hate it cause the crowds never allow me to enjoy an event, while I also feel like it has to do more with following trends that genuine curiosity about art. The brand new (horribly unfinished and notoriously troubling during construction) Lotte world tower has already attracted crowds and abandant attention to the area. On the other hand, it's always nice when people are willing to take a glimpse of something arty even if the motive is a bit shallow. Seoulists at least seem interested and up for anything, which I concider a healthy habbit.

 All that being said it would be a blessing if garbage wasn't left behind for once!!!!

The pop-up shop is plain ridiculessly overprised. You have to wait in line just to get inside the container itself and the merchandise is all too simple and  not worth it. Plus the rubber duckies are sold out :( myeh myeh

So, i do suggest that in case you visit, you go round the pond and enjoy the beautiful path under the trees while taking photos of the ducky, instead of getting packed in front of it as if you were in the zoo.
 Also, in case you guys are interested in mega art like me, why don't you have a look at this edition: 
Overs!ze - the mega art and installations by Victionary. I personally enjoyed it a lot :)