[𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧] Nanan SOLO EXHIBITION /《Sitcom "The Corn' E01 - Corn Sweet Corn》

To the accidental happenings that came into my life
I looked into it with gratitude and affection, and eventually I cooperated with that *coincidence.
I looked into it with gratitude and affection for the happenings (with the corn that was given to me) by chance in my life, and in the end I collaborated with that coincidence.

This work is a touch of acrylic paint added to a photo that the artist posted on Instagram in 2019 and became a global sensation. It is on display at Nanan's solo exhibition at Seojeong Art Gangnam in Seoul until October 2nd. I've seen countless recreations of Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (1665), but nothing has amazed me as much as this Goesan glutinous corn! The Mauritshuis Museum in the Netherlands, which houses "Girl with a Pearl Earring," is also using this piece in its children's education program.

The exhibition also features Nanan's signature work, "Long Long Time Flower," presented in new forms inspired by cornfields. Nanan is an artist who defies easy definition. While her "Long Long Time Flower" series, in which she cuts out flowers and allows viewers to choose them to arrange in vases or create bouquets, and her window paintings, have already garnered her recognition among design and fashion professionals and social media hipsters, she has remained relatively unknown within the so-called fine art world. Recently, however, she has been breaking down barriers through several solo exhibitions. She already has a large following among the general public.

In a 2021 interview with me, the author said, "I don't know exactly why people love Long Long Time Flowers so much. It might be because they enjoy making their own bouquets and giving them as gifts, but I consider that kind of gift-giving an artistic act. I was especially grateful when I saw someone give Long Long Time Flowers to a bedridden patient. In fact, Long Long Time Flowers itself began as a gift for a friend. I loved flowers, so I used to give them bouquets made with fresh flowers for their birthdays. Then, I realized that since I'm an artist, it would be better to draw flowers. But I didn't want to confine flowers to a rectangular frame. Then, a friend who was getting married asked me to make her wedding bouquet, and after much thought, I created a cutout of a flower painting. When I took it to my friend, she remarked that this bouquet would last a very long time. Since then, I've called it 'Long Long Time Flowers.'"

Gifts from friends are a significant source of inspiration for Nanan. She says she created "Corn with a Pearl Earring" because she was grateful for the corn a friend sent her, and wanted to create something with it. Perhaps it's this background that underpins her work, and Nanan's work exudes an unpretentious comfort, a delightful intimacy, a natural sophistication, and subtle humor. This atmosphere, coupled with the medium's unique characteristics, allows her to easily transform the everyday lives of ordinary people into art. She believes that the avant-garde is not the only important art form.

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*Excerpt from an article by culture reporter Moon So-young

Location, Opening Dates:

- Seojeong Art Gangnam Branch ( 12 Bongeunsa-ro 47-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) / 4.SEP - 2.OCT.2022

- Seojeong Art Busan Museum ( 3rd floor, L City Podium Building, 30 Dalmaji-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan) / 5.NOV - 19.NOV.2022