Episode 121: The Third Solo Exhibition
Passing by the luxury boutiques lining Rue Saint-Honoré, they arrived at Rue Haussmann.
Upon entering Galeries Lafayette, the largest department store, there were splendid hot air balloon decorations floating in the air.
The arched roof, reminiscent of an opera house, gleamed. The central dome was adorned with exotic patterned stained glass.
“Wow, it looks like Lotte World.”
“…….”
Seoyeon found Kang Lim’s expression unusual.
It seemed much more vibrant when he was painting…
“But we didn’t have to come to a place like this.”
Kang Lim looked around with a blank expression.
The basement had food courts and shoe stores, and from the first floor, there were luxury shops lined up, not much different from Korean department stores.
“No way. You’re getting so much attention right now!”
“Really? It doesn’t feel real since it’s not on Naver’s search engine.”
“…Anyway, this is the first time you’re revealing your identity, so you can’t just wear anything.”
Kang Lim chuckled at Seoyeon’s words.
“You sound like my mom.”
“Your mom always coordinated good outfits for you at your solo exhibitions, so you should dress well here too.”
Kang Lim tilted his head.
“But don’t French people dislike luxury? I heard even self-made rich people dislike showing off. It’s kind of a socialist ideology…”
Nobles have historically exploited commoners and enjoyed luxury, and France is the country that overturned that extravagant life through revolution.
In fact, there were rumors that the luxury streets were packed with tourists looking to buy cheaply.
“No, not really. Even on Rue de la Paix, everyone wears luxury brands.”
“Really? I heard Italians love luxury because they take pride in fashion. Is it the same in France?”
“It varies by city. And you can buy clothes where the brand logos or patterns aren’t overly noticeable, only visible to those who know.”
Seoyeon showed Kang Lim various displays in the stores.
The clothes on the mannequins were new products for this winter season.
“The important thing is that no one dislikes a well-dressed artist. Paris is the center of fashion, and there are many eyes watching.”
“True… If I become famous later, I might get to collaborate with designers.”
“Exactly. So pick whatever you like. Which brand do you prefer? Christian Dior? Or Giorgio Armani?”
“Well… I don’t really know.”
Kang Lim naturally followed Seoyeon around the stores.
There were many unique clothes, even if they weren’t haute couture pieces you’d see on a fashion show runway.
There were shirts that his mother would probably whack him for, asking if he had taken them out of a clothing donation bin. They epitomized vintage fashion.
There were also thick turtlenecks cinched with dazzling belts that stood out.
Seoyeon smiled at the curious Kang Lim.
“Isn’t it fun? Don’t think it’s strange, think of it as paint.”
“…Paint?”
“Yeah. Choose clothes as if you were painting.”
Seoyeon took off Kang Lim’s coat.
When a thin inner layer was revealed, she put a shirt with misaligned shoulder seams over it.
Even when buttoned up properly, it was a uniquely asymmetrical shirt.
“When we compose, if the center of gravity is in the middle, it’s boring, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true. Change, unity, balance… Is that what you mean?”
“Exactly. And when you give it various touches, it adds vibrancy to the composition.”
Kang Lim touched the tweed fabric stitched like a patch on the chest part of the shirt.
He began to understand what Seoyeon meant. It wasn’t designed to have a pocket.
“Ah… I get it now.”
At that moment, various patterns, materials, and styles of clothes came into view.
Even high-end suits gave off different vibes depending on the fabric and stitching.
There were many minimalist designs that didn’t feel overdone.
Seoyeon pointed to a fluorescent outfit and said,
“Fashion has seasons, but the colors applied to clothes don’t have seasons. This winter’s color is neon.”
“Oh, you’re right. There’s even a PVC bag. It looks like something you’d carry to the beach in summer, but hanging it with winter clothes makes it look futuristic.”
“Exactly. You seem good at mix-and-match, just like your artwork.”
Kang Lim and Seoyeon continued to look at clothes together. In the past, when he came to a store, he would just buy the first clothes he picked.
Was this the joy that people who shop experience? Kang Lim began to understand a bit of the heart of Dolly, the protagonist of the fairy tale book he created.
That night, Kang Lim returned to his residency and turned on his laptop.
He transferred various photos he had taken in France to his messenger.
Postcards he bought at Place de la Concorde, the night view of Paris seen from the Notre-Dame viewpoint with Ryu Junhee, street artists on Montmartre Hill, staff and actors on set, delicious foods…
He sent all of them to his mother, feeling a bit guilty for enjoying everything on his own.
‘Wow. Looking at it like this, it’s hard to believe two months have already passed since I got here.’
He thought he should send his parents on a trip in the future.
After a while, a reply came.
[Lim Yujin: Why are you only contacting me now? You should do it more often! You called once on the day you arrived and then nothing!]
It was 1 AM in France and 9 AM in Korea.
Industrious Lim Yujin would be having breakfast and taking a break.
[Kang Lim: Sorry, I was too busy. As you can see, I had a lot of work, so I’m reporting all at once.]
[Lim Yujin: I see… But what’s all this? Why is John Ford there?]
[Kang Lim: We became friends.]
[Lim Yujin: No way. You really made it, son… He’s my favorite actor, a total heartthrob.]
[Kang Lim: Hahaha, why don’t you look at my photos too.]
[Lim Yujin: I am. You’re handsome too. You don’t lose to him.]
Kang Lim laughed at his mother’s text.
He should have contacted her more often. This was so amusing.
[Kang Lim: No need for empty words.]
[Lim Yujin: No, really. Who picked out the clothes in the last photo? They look fantastic.]
[Kang Lim: I picked them out with a friend today. It’s for the solo exhibition tomorrow.]
[Lim Yujin: Thank goodness. I was worried you’d just wear anything.]
[Kang Lim: Don’t worry.]
[Lim Yujin: I’m happy you’re finally debuting. I was worried because I hadn’t heard from you… I thought it’s not easy to get recognized abroad. I hoped you wouldn’t be discouraged.]
[Kang Lim: I’ve been working under the pseudonym R.F. That’s probably why the news didn’t reach Korea.]
Kang Lim sent a few captured articles. They were local reactions to <24 Solar Terms of Emotions>.
Thinking about it, it was fascinating that foreigners didn’t know him even though he held exhibitions with the same title.
‘Is it because it’s written in French? Or is Korea still that small a country?’
Indeed, there are artists who are known in Europe but unknown in the US.
It’s that difficult to become a worldwide artist.
[Kang Lim: They said they were inspired without even hearing our story. It seems like the audience was happy because it felt like you overcame something. Many people must have projected their own problems onto it.]
After reading the message, Lim Yujin didn’t respond for a long time.
When Kang Lim was about to get sleepy, another message came.
[Lim Yujin: It’s amazing that foreigners line up to see the exhibition. I love that everyone shares the same feeling. Isn’t this the power of visual language? It doesn’t need translation. It’s hard to fully feel novels or poems if they’re not in your native language.]
[Kang Lim: Right. I want to communicate with good work in the future too.]
[Lim Yujin: Congrats on your third solo exhibition! Keep in touch and talk to your friends too.]
[Kang Lim: Will do.]
Following Lim Yujin’s advice, Kang Lim opened the group chat after a long time.
Quite a lot of messages had piled up here too. Lee Hyunseong was promoting a new game release alone.
There were long reviews that no one read.
[Kang Lim: Taemin. Did you apply to Beaux-Arts?]
[Lee Hyunseong: Whoa, it’s Kang Lim.]
[Kang Lim: Wow, you’re up early?]
[Lee Hyunseong: Why are you only contacting us now! Ignoring our messages… Do you want to die?]
[Kang Lim: Sorry, I was busy.]
[Lee Hyunseong: ㅡㅡ]
[Shin Taemin: Sorry. I don’t like games, so I didn’t have much to say.]
[Kang Lim: Oh, quick reply.]
[Shin Taemin: I’m on a plane right now. Beaux-Arts starts next week, so I need to move into the dorm early.]
[Lee Hyunseong: What are you talking about? You’re going to France too?]
[Shin Taemin: Yeah, exchange student.]
[Kang Lim: I knew you’d come. I heard two people from our department applied.]
[Shin Taemin: So you were the other one.]
[Kang Lim: Yeah, see you when the semester starts.]
[Lee Hyunseong: You sneaky guys… Hanging out by yourselves? Bring something tasty when you come.]
[Kang Lim: Okay, let me know if you want anything. I’ll buy souvenirs too.]
Lee Hyunseong enthusiastically listed items.
The next day, Carter scrolled through articles on his phone.
His thumb, frozen from the cold weather, was red.
[R.F, Absent Even at First Solo Exhibition Opening]
[<24 Solar Terms of Emotions>: What Does R.F Convey Through Art?]
[The Sanctuary of Artists, Montmartre’s R.F]
“Hoo… It’s not easy to shake up another country’s portal site.”
Carter clicked on a headline that caught his interest.
[R.F, From Critic to True Artist]
(Photo) A crowded exhibition hall. Even on the gallery’s opening day, the protagonist R.F did not appear.
Blanche Street, home to the Gustave Moreau Museum, saw more visitors last weekend.
This is because R.F’s first solo exhibition <24 Solar Terms of Emotions> opened at the nearby ‘Seine Gallery’.
He is a new artist who has garnered significant attention from academia for discovering a new Da Vinci Code.
Having presented fresh works at the Christie’s first quarter auction, he has attracted much interest.
On the opening day, prominent scholars such as Joachim Kellen from Berlin UDK and David Warner from Oxford, London, were in attendance.
In particular, Marcel Lyon, who participated in an interview covering R.F in ‘Art Prestige’, gave an affectionate praise.
Lyon stated, “Through this exhibition, R.F has shown an in-depth contemplation of human emotions. Isn’t art about making you feel things that words cannot express? He likened the capricious and chaotic inner self to weather, depicting it very realistically and sensibly.”
R.F disrupted the texture of food in <Chef’s Dish>, and in this painting, he combined figurative and abstract elements.
He demonstrated an excellent understanding of materials and presented unique compositions in each of the 24 paintings.
Meanwhile, the audience was shocked to learn that this series was painted since he was six years old.
They said, “Every touch on the canvas felt meaningful, and it felt like I was in the situation the character experienced.”
R.F suffers from hyperthymesia and completed the series by recalling the past with perfect memory.
<24 Solar Terms of Emotions> will be exhibited at the Seine Gallery for a month, resonating with many.
You can learn more about R.F’s story in the second solo exhibition
The exhibition opening will be held on February 2nd at the Luxembourg Heum Museum, where you might see his face.
- I’m really curious who R.F is. I fell in love with the works.
└ He’s an artist born complete. I still can’t believe what I’ve seen.
└ I want to see the woman in the painting again. She gives me the belief that I can achieve anything.
└ Right. I don’t know what she’s been through, but I’m glad she overcame it.
└ Truly, I often can’t describe my emotions well myself… But I could fully feel them through the paintings.
- Even the shape of the canvas was different. It was really unique!
└ I can’t forget the expression on the figure’s face. Everything was alive.
└ The article’s description is spot on. The sense of moving between figurative and abstract elements was amazing.
└ Usually, high expectations lead to disappointment, but it exceeded that.
- Anyway, since he painted an Asian person, he must be Asian.
└ Isn’t that a bit simplistic?
└ I hope he’s French. It’s time for Paris to produce a genius.
└ I don’t care about that anymore.
└ Right, think about <Chef’s Dish> by R.F. That’s not what’s important.
“Hoo, I guess that’s why so many people gathered?”
With overflowing comments, many people were lined up. The line at famous tourist spots was nothing.
Carter stood on tiptoe to look at the entrance of Heum Museum.
Although it was quite large, it wasn’t a super-sized museum, so he thought he might not get in.
“Damn. I came here because they said R.F would appear today, but I might not even see the opening.”
“We didn’t reserve the whole place, so it can’t be helped.”
“How dare they make me wait! It’s not even my taste.”
“…….”
Carter’s assistant and curator, Adam, shook his head. He still couldn’t understand Carter.
Artists like Gerhard Richter and David Hockney, who drew unique paintings, were plentiful.
It was strange that he was now interested in painting.
“Are you here because of his hyperthymesia?”
“No, I’m interested in his talent for attracting people like this. I’ve told you so many times, Adam.”
“Star quality, right?”
“Exactly, I can’t understand why someone with such a brilliant mind would be painting.”
Adam scratched the back of his head and said,
“…What if he just reveals another painting today?”
“Then I’ll never see him again. It would be the worst if he shows something similar to his first debut exhibition after creating all this mystery.”
“Do you think R.F will suddenly reveal a modern piece?”
“Who knows!”
As Carter raised one corner of his mouth into a smirk,
A museum staff approached to check his ticket.
“First, we will allow entry for audience members up to number 150!”
