Episode 41: Within Contradictions
“Wow. What a feast.”
The next morning, Kang Lim was surprised to see a different breakfast spread than usual.
Sweet and savory ribs with glass noodles, beautifully shaped pancakes… It was a meal reminiscent of a festive holiday.
“You can now see your son’s work just by going to Hongdae. This is your mom’s congratulatory gift!”
“Wow… Thank you.”
When the announcement was made that his work would be permanently installed, no one was happier than Kang Lim’s mother.
But that wasn’t all.
Seeing his mother’s glowing skin made Kang Lim feel proud.
It was nice to see her diligently using Coriel Fresh products every evening.
Even though they were all similar types of cosmetics, there were so many to apply, he didn’t quite understand why.
“Don’t you think my skin looks better just after one night? Haha.”
“Mom, you’re always beautiful.”
“Oh my… What a sweet thing to say.”
Seeing his mother laugh like a young girl made Kang Lim feel good.
In his past life, she always used to say, “Mom needs to take care of herself now…”
Did he help her a bit?
If he had known she would be this happy, he would have bought her gifts sooner.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford to buy those things.
“And if you need any material costs, just use Mom’s card right away!”
“Oh, no need. I’m not a kid.”
“Oh? You’re still a kid! They say nowadays kids are raised until they’re thirty!”
“…”
In this life, I’ll become independent early, Mother…
Kang Lim chuckled as he replied.
“I have a lot of saved money. It’s already over 1,500. I’ve been working part-time and winning some prize money, adding it all up.”
“You need to save that for when you really need it.”
“It’s fine. I’ll save more anyway, so don’t worry. I’ll make sure to pamper you and Dad later.”
“Oh, how admirable… Anyway, eat a lot!”
“Yes. I’ll enjoy the meal!”
Kang Lim carefully chewed on the dishes his mother had painstakingly made for breakfast.
Savoring each taste, he wanted to store all the nutrients in his body.
Because these small moments are happiness.
After finishing his meal, Kang Lim went to his room and logged onto the internet.
Just as there are specific sites people visit for job searches, there are also sites where galleries and art museums post their calls for submissions.
For art students, it’s a site they frequently visit: Neoron.
Neoron is a website where one can easily find various news from the art world, such as transportation companies for artworks, filming companies, and calls for emerging artists.
Because it doesn’t cost money to post, people often use it to promote their exhibitions.
Therefore, it’s convenient to quickly look at everything from small to big news in the art world.
‘Is there any place posting solo exhibition calls…’
For those with a lot of money, they can contact galleries anytime to rent space.
But most emerging artists participate in competitions.
The rental fee alone can break the bank, and winning a competition makes it easier to gain attention.
Kang Lim scrolled down, searching for a good gallery.
Then, a corporate art museum caught his eye.
‘Wow. What’s this? Jeil Group posted it really early this year.’
[Call for Artists: Jeil Art Museum, Heyum. Sponsored Artist Residency Program.]
Just like the Medici family discovered and nurtured Michelangelo and Da Vinci.
Wealthy people have always supported and nurtured artists.
It’s the same in Korea, where many companies support various artists in music, dance, and fine arts.
In the case of visual arts, artists are provided with a residence where they can live and work (residency) and participate in various exhibitions organized by the art museum.
Moreover, the larger the corporation, the more likely the residencies are in multiple countries like Korea, the USA, and France.
This increases the opportunity to hold large exhibitions abroad.
Usually, if you work as an artist in Korea, you can’t always participate in competitions, so it’s common to sign a contract with a gallery for exhibitions.
Competitions are almost only for when you’re a novice.
When you sign a contract with a regular gallery, the gallery and the artist split the money 50-50 when a work is sold.
However, in corporate sponsorship programs, even if the work is sold, there’s no condition to split the sale price, and you only receive support.
Moreover, it’s not just for newcomers.
The problem is that it’s more for established artists…
‘Ugh. As expected… I don’t meet the age requirement. It’s for those under 24. I wanted to apply at least.’
Most of these programs are for artists under the age of 24.
Actually, the stated age is the minimum requirement, but many of the selected artists are well over thirty.
They want a certain level of already mature and deep work.
Kang Lim regretfully closed the popup and searched for other galleries.
Victoria Hotel, Geneva, Switzerland.
Seoyeon sat on the bed sheet with a serious expression.
‘Does Mom’s blindness mean to ignore other people’s opinions?’
Feeling a bit upset after reading several articles, Seoyeon asked again.
“So why did you buy Yan Chun’s work, Mom? Even though it was bound to be criticized!”
“Calm down.”
As Ryu Miyeon whispered in her ear, a warm breeze entered Seoyeon’s ear.
Seoyeon decided to listen to Ryu Miyeon’s story.
As Seoyeon’s tense shoulders relaxed, Ryu Miyeon began to speak.
“Yan Chun is a performance artist. He doesn’t usually do painting work. You didn’t know because you haven’t received the files of recent artists yet. Once the project manager arrives, you’ll study everything.”
“A performance artist? Then why did he suddenly paint such a picture?”
Seoyeon perked up at the unexpected answer.
However, Ryu Miyeon didn’t immediately answer the question.
“Seoyeon, why do you think the character for ‘art’ in Korean uses the character for beauty (美)? And why is this genre called fine art?”
“Well… Actually, after postmodernism, the concept of ugliness has entered beauty, so I think that character has lost its meaning. The term fine art might just be used to distinguish it from design.”
“Yes. After realizing that the world is far from beautiful, many artists have strived to capture the ugliness of human nature. Yan Chun is one such artist.”
Ryu Miyeon’s calm tone soothed Seoyeon’s heart.
She began to believe that her mother might have a hidden intention.
“…What kind of work did Yan Chun do?”
“Yan Chun is an artist hated by the Chinese government. After the Sichuan earthquake, China downplayed the number of victims and erased them from existence. There are many such cover-up incidents in China.
During such times, Yan Chun has created works criticizing that. He collected debris from the earthquake and made sculptures, and exhibited the names of the wronged dead with their consent.”
“…”
“Yan Chun’s work always exposed the Chinese government’s inadequate responses and criticized a society where individual existence disappears under socialism. As a result, a year ago, he was branded as an anti-government activist, had his passport confiscated, and was secretly detained. Do you know what he did as soon as he got out of prison?”
“No…”
“He recreated his experiences of being monitored and exploited after his arrest as a performance art piece. He did it right after getting out, and has been on the run doing his work ever since.”
Only then did Ryu Miyeon slowly release her hands that had been covering her daughter’s eyes.
“I believe that beauty and purity… are truths. The truth is always beautiful.”
As the surroundings brightened, the red handprint left by Yan Chun slowly revealed itself.
At the moment the painting came back into Seoyeon’s view, she felt a chill and her shoulders shivered.
Red dots created by fingerprints.
The smeared handprints began to make a thumping sound.
As if someone trapped behind the canvas was sending an SOS signal.
‘He had no choice but to paint this way.’
Ryu Miyeon spoke as she observed Seoyeon, who had gained a new perspective.
“What is the price of truth? And what is the value of an artist’s life who tries to speak the truth?”
Seoyeon nodded as if she understood.
If such a person were to break the auction record and solidify his position in the art world, even the Chinese government wouldn’t be able to touch him.
Ryu Miyeon wanted to give an artist the gift of freedom.
Holding Seoyeon’s right hand, which was gripping her phone tightly, Ryu Miyeon said,
“Don’t worry too much about what others think. Getting criticized is inevitable. Journalists omit context and amplify only the sensational parts. All they think about is how many views will bring in the most money. Like the world Yan Chun lives in, it’s been a long time since the media lost its function.”
“I was lacking. If Mom bought a work with no aesthetic value, there must have been a reason.”
Seeing Seoyeon’s downcast expression, Ryu Miyeon patted her back.
She didn’t want her hardworking daughter to feel burdened.
“Journalists also contributed to the distance between contemporary art and its audience. And, actually, many people deal with artworks solely for tax evasion or slush funds, so you can’t say the journalists are entirely wrong either. But those who have a lot of information should be able to discern truth from lies.”
A true artist…
A pure artist shining alone in the dirt…
Seoyeon became curious about how to find such a person.
“Mom, how can I find an artist like that? What if I can’t get information about that person? Do I have to remain ignorant like now?”
Ryu Miyeon chuckled as she answered.
“Anyone can find such a person. It’s just that they haven’t seen one directly around them. If you meet them in person, everyone can feel it.”
“How?”
“Such people seem a bit foolish and stupid. The only thing on their mind is, ‘How can I make this work the best it can be?’ That’s all they think about. To them, that comes before even realizing their own loss.”
For some reason, Seoyeon thought of Kang Lim.
The way he destroyed the sculpture he had worked on for weeks and picked up old books to work on.
When someone threw paint on a painting that had been worked on for a month, instead of finding the culprit, he focused only on his work.
Come to think of it, the Seoul City project must have had a tight budget, yet it was excessively perfect.
He must have taken some measures, even if it meant personal loss.
It was clear that Kang Lim’s entire thought process was about how to make his work the best it could be.
“That’s quite interesting, isn’t it? Someone who doesn’t seem to need money at all ends up taking tens of millions. Such a person naturally attracts money. Of course, whether they can maintain their purity afterward depends on the artist.”
Art has no answers.
It is the most free among the fields of art.
Because there are no answers, the purest and the dirtiest coexist.
Ryu Miyeon hoped her daughter would be able to distinguish that gap.
“If you find such a person, bring them. I’ll give them everything.”
Seoyeon spoke to Ryu Miyeon with determined eyes.
“Mom, can we lower the age limit for our sponsored artist program?”
