Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 106
I was going to go to the K20 State Museum of Art, but I turned around because I heard that a special exhibition is being held at the K21 Museum of Modern Art.
From the map, it is nearby, but the museum building is not visible because tall trees block the view.
“I guess we’re almost there.”
As I followed grandpa’s voice and walked, a nice art museum soon appeared through the branches.
A bicycle rider could be seen cycling around the K21 Museum of Art, where yellowish-brown bricks and marble are piled up gracefully.
On the terrace next to the building, people who appear to be family members share drinks.
The man pulling the stroller greeted us with a smile, and the child also waved his hands.
It may be meaningless, but it felt good because it seemed like they greeted us warmly even though there was no reason to do it.
“It’s not crowded, is it?”
I thought there would be a lot of people because it was holding a special exhibition.
“Maybe not. It’s crowded outside because it’s being used as a park.”
Grandpa looked around and said.
Like Louvre and Orsay, it feels like it’s being accepted as a part of daily life by the people, not like going to an art museum, seeing that my heart felt warm again.
For the people here, the art museum is not a special place, but a resting place where they can relax with their families.
It’s no wonder there’s such a wonderful lake.
“Grandpa, it’s a duck.”
“Yes, they are walking in a row.”
The duck family was walking around the lake, and the baby ducks that were waddling along their mother duck were so cute.
When a baby duck looks away, the baby duck behind him pushes his head in and prevents the baby duck from going elsewhere.
I was pleased to see the mature baby duck taking care of his brother.
I watched the surrounding scenery thinking that I shouldn’t bother the ducklings.
Looking at the trees on the gently shaking surface, I felt like I should just spend time here rather than going inside the art museum.
The scenery and daily life here are already calming me
“What is this?”
Uncle Bang’s surprised voice was heard from in front of a poster.
When I got close, there was a phrase, ‘What can I do?’
In the background, a human face is drawn quite crudely.
It looks like abstract art, but unlike the work of Willem de Kooning, the intention could not be read.
If you look at the strokes, it seems to have been drawn by an unusual person, and it is unclear.
“What’s this?”
“I don’t know.”
“This is a special event, right?”
“Yes. It says that Nam Jun’s works and various collections are on display.”
While Uncle Bang and I were thinking about it for a long time in front of the poster, grandpa came.
“Grandpa, do you know about this?”
Grandpa came closer, and calmly looked at the picture.
Grandpa maybe be able to find something.
“I don’t know.”
Maybe not.
“Who drew it?”
“It says, Andrea.”
Uncle Bang said, pointing to a small letter at the bottom of the poster.
“Just Andrea? Not Andrea Arroyo.” 1)
“Yes, the style is completely different.”
“Signatures also seem to be different.”
It seems like it was not painted by the Italian painter Andrea Mantegna of the 15th century.
“Let’s go in.”
When we tried to buy a ticket, the employee looked at grandpa and me alternately and opened his eyes wide.
“Hello.”
I greeted him first because he seemed happy to see us.
The museum staff called the person next to him by tapping on his shoulder.
The person who turned around looked at grandpa and covered his mouth.
“Sir Ko Sooyeol, it’s an honor. Oh, you must have come with your grandson.”
As expected, there are people who recognize grandpa everywhere.
Grandpa greeted them with a gentle smile, like always.
“I really loved [Guest].”
The person I greeted earlier mentioned [Guest] which was on display at the Marceau Gallery.
“Thank you.”
“How would you like your ticket? You can get a discount if you buy it with the K20 State Museum ticket.”
“We don’t have time. We came to see the exhibition.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“It’s 26.5 euros, right?”
Uncle Bang stepped up.
“It’s 24 euros.”
Uncle wondered at the staff’s reply.
I asked after checking the admission fee.
“Is it free for children?”
“Yes. It came into effect last year so that children can come and have fun without any burden.”
The Whitney Museum of Art seems to be not the only one thinking about the relationship between Art and the public.
The K21 Museum of Modern Art is also considerate of children and makes them accustomed to art from an early age.
Certainly, it is a good direction because the things you experience when you are young have a greater influence when you grow up.
While Uncle Bang was buying the ticket, the poster we saw at the entrance came into view.
“Who is this Andrea who drew this poster?”
I asked the staff and the staff smiled.
Then he looked at the person next to him and laughed aloud.
I wondered what’s funny about it.
They shook their heads and answered.
“It’s an artificial intelligence’s name. What do you think?”
Uncle Bang stepped up while I was so confused that I couldn’t respond.
“Did artificial intelligence draw this?”
“Yes, we told Andrea about the concept of the exhibition, and she drew this picture and we used it as a poster.”
I thought I was the only one who was surprised, but grandpa and Uncle Bang were also quite surprised.
The way the brush and paint were used was so sensuous that it could never be thought that a machine did it.
“……hmmm,”
Grandpa groaned, looking carefully at the poster once again.
The text keeps getting caught in my eyes.
Is that a word that represents artificial intelligence can do anything, or is it our word that points to the beginning of an era where artificial intelligence paints pictures?
“Let’s go up.”
I felt my footsteps heavy as I moved at Uncle Bang’s words.
We took the elevator to the top floor of the special exhibition.
When I come to the art museum, I always admire the surrounding scenery and the building itself.
The same was true this time.
The dome-shaped top floor was all made of glass, making me feel as if I were outside.
Thanks to this sense of openness, I feel like I’m staying in Düsseldorf, not inside the museum.
The first thing that welcomes us is the monitor.
It is an installation that is shaped like a tree by attaching a square frame and has a monitor in each frame.
According to the title, it is [Apple tree] created by Nam Jun in 1995.
Unlike what I know, the monitor illuminates a fairly thick and symbolic image.
“Hun, you asked what would happen to the rest of us if it was automated yesterday, right?”
“This work started with that question.”
Grandpa said, looking at [Apple tree].
“Some people lose their livelihoods due to the advances in technology, while others struggle to survive.”
Certainly.
Since the invention of the camera, many artists have stopped copying things.
“The invention of TV turned the world in a completely different way from the one before that. People who are far apart were able to see the same thing at the same time.”
There are definitely limited people who can access it if it’s a physical place.
But on TV or smartphone, you can watch it from anywhere.
“The artists were worried about this TV. Because people will no longer visit museums like they used to.”
There’s a big difference between seeing Art in person and watching it on TV, but TV isn’t just bad.
It’s easy to look at an art museum that is not accessible to many because of various reasons.
It also gives you a different pleasure while looking at Art.
“When many people were worried and complaining, Nam Jun used this TV as an art tool. It’s his way of saying that artists should also think differently since the world has changed.”
As I was looking at [Apple tree] while listening to grandpa, images swaying in the old monitors felt as if they were performing.
“He actively participated not only in TV but also in inventing and improving these electronic devices yourself.”
Uncle Bang also said while looking at [Apple tree].
My thoughts get complicated.
As Automation takes place, marginalized workers should never be neglected.
There are good and wonderful people like Nam Jun, who tried to adapt to the changing world, but we should not forget those who could not.
The theme of the special exhibition is something that everyone will ponder at least once in their lifetime.
What can I do?
When the works of masters such as Ferdinando Gonzalez and Willem de Kooning are loved, I don’t understand them yet.
The discourse they form doesn’t touch me.
This is probably because I’m an ‘old man’ and I can’t share the same culture as them.
Maybe it’s a relationship that can’t be narrowed from the beginning.
What can I do?
There is only one answer.
I shouldn’t give up and keep talking with the people I live with.
If you just put up a wall in front of you without communicating, you will someday be isolated from the changing world.
When I looked at [Apple tree] with that thought, I suddenly realized something.
“I think I know why it’s hard.”
Grandpa and Uncle Bang look down.
“If it was made in 1995, it would have been 33 years ago. Right?”
“Yes.”
I knew it was TV because grandpa told me. Since the present-day TV is different from the one 33 years ago.
I felt this while preparing concept art, human life does not change so quickly.
Except for certain things, most of the things like the wagons and streets did not change much from what I remembered even at the end of the turbulent times of the 19th century.
But it’s different now.
In just 130-140 years, the world has completely changed as if it’s another world.
The TV used in [Apple tree] would have been high-tech 33 years ago, but it’s very unfamiliar to me now.
The pace of change in the world has accelerated.
The pace of change in the 20th century was faster than the pace of change in the 19th century
The pace of change in the 21st century is faster than the one in the 20th century.
“I think it’s changing too fast. People don’t even have time to think about what they can do.”
“Yes,”
Grandpa patted on my head.
“It is also a concern that humans are becoming increasingly alienated.”
The moment I understood the life of Nam Jun, who created [Apple tree], and Andrea, who drew the poster for this exhibition, I could understand a little bit of how people who worked at the paint factory and made pizza felt at the face of automation.
