Top Seoul Exhibitions: Tavares Strachan, Alex Katz, and More

While making your way through Kiaf and Frieze Seoul, Whitewall recommends visiting transformative exhibitions presented by Lehmann Maupin, Thaddaeus Ropac, Perrotin, and Gladstone Gallery in Seoul this week.

September 5 — October 28, 2023
Lehmann Maupin unveils an immersive display of new paintings by American visionary David Salle, currently on view through October 28. A vivid continuation of the Tree of Life series, “World People” draws inspiration from late cartoonist Peter Arno, whose whimsical drawings for the New Yorker provided deft commentary on New York high society. Salle juxtaposes theatrical caricatures with colorful, organic forms and figures, presenting “little dramas” which tease a storyline but ultimately defy expectations. Prayer Works (2023) and Couple (2023) place thriving trees at the center of the story, while surrounding faces, bodies, and brushstrokes in motion leave the rest to the viewer’s infinite imagination.

September 2 — October 2, 2023
New York-based Bahamian artist Tavares Strachan offers an astounding presentation of new ceramic works and paintings for the latest exhibition “Do and Be” at Perrotin Seoul. Large-scale sculptures and glittering displays of oil and acrylic on canvas deeply investigate African culture, history, and ancient civilizations, weaving a keen celestial thread throughout the series. The fierce, recurring theme of self-portraiture, and its myriad of interpretations, radiates in diverse artworks. Self Portrait as Galaxies Together (2023) is an ethereal collage of stars collaged with the divine legacies of theologian Saint Augustine of Hippo, jazz aficionado Miles Davis, and naturalist Charles Darwin, while Self-Portrait (Polar Bear) (2023) spotlights the head of a growling animal in dynamic sculpture-work.

September 4 — October 21, 2023
Renowned American figurative artist Alex Katz pays homage to the lavish natural ecosystem around us with his newest series of paintings on view at Gladstone Gallery this fall. Within a vibrant oeuvre that includes striking portraits of faces and figures in luxurious natural landscapes, the artist continues to harness our intimate connection with mother nature by way of blooming floral designs. Red Lily 2 (2022) unfolds in bold shades of crimson, ebony, and forest green, focusing our gaze on the humanlike gestures and spirit that dances from stem to petal.

September 4 — October 20, 2023
Thaddaeus Ropac unveils a comprehensive exhibition of work by pioneering artist Donald Judd, currently on view through October 20. Thoughtfully curated by Flavin Judd, the show displays abstract grounded paintings, three-dimensional sculptures, as well as woodcut prints which spotlight over 30 years of ardent practice. Works of oil on canvas from the early 1960s elevate tone, texture, and abstract forms. Aluminum, plywood, and plexiglass objects of the mid to late 1980s are provocative explorations of space and pigmentation. 20 woodcut prints, developed by the artist while in Korea in the early 90s, layer energetic colorways on handmade hanji paper, revealing Judd’s deep appreciation for precision in the natural world.