An anonymous artist who goes by the name Bunetal stands in front of photos on display at Topohaus in central Seoul's Insa-dong, June 12. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu
Six global artists from diverse backgrounds are displaying their work during Insa Art Week at TOPOHAUS Gallery in central Seoul’s Insa-dong neighborhood, in group exhibition titled "Onggi Jonggi."
Co-curated by Ella Kaill, founder and editor of Half Local magazine, the exhibition's vision is to step outside the frame of social media. "Onggi Jonggi," a term evoking a charming, irregular gathering of people or things, presents photography, paintings, sketches, textile work and pixel art, providing an exploration of Seoul through fresh and often unconventional perspectives.
"We wanted to look at Korea in a slightly different way. If you look at social media, everything about Korea is Seongsu, pop-up stores and Olive Young. Those things are fine, but they're not the only things about Korea," she told The Korea Times at an opening event on June 12.
Kaill, who first moved to Korea from England in 2019, was drawn by a long-standing fascination with the country. Having studied Korean language, cinema, culture and history at SOAS University of London, she arrived with a deeper understanding of Korea than many first-time visitors. Years later, that fascination has evolved into Half Local, an independent media and cultural platform that seeks to showcase Korea beyond the familiar images promoted by social media algorithms.
