German artist and muralist Johannes Mundinger was recently in South Korea where he spent a month as an artist in residence at Yeobaek Seowon or House of Books.
Twice a year the house of books invites a scientist, poet or artist to spend some time there, working in between ginseng and rice fields, next to the forest.
As explained by the artist, Yeobaek Seowon, consists of three buildings and is located at the end of a valley. The main building is like a library, filled with books, mostly in Korean and German. The second one functioned as a guesthouse which Johannes used as a working and sleeping space. The third building is a small gallery, where he recently opened a small exhibition last week.
As explained by the artist, Yeobaek Seowon, consists of three buildings and is located at the end of a valley. The main building is like a library, filled with books, mostly in Korean and German. The second one functioned as a guesthouse which Johannes used as a working and sleeping space. The third building is a small gallery, where he recently opened a small exhibition last week.
The founder of Yeobaek Seowon is a former professor in literature at Seoul University and introduced Johannes to the Korean language.
As part of the residency, Johannes painted two walls on the facade of the dormitory of the Neulpureun School. Two separate murals, but located around the corner of each other, so they can also be seen as one big wall. According to Johannes, the idea was to direct the motives towards the residents of the building making use of his characteristic abstract imagery.
It is important to highlight that although the mural is abstract in essence, they try to express certain concepts or ideas. The first one is called “Shadow” and plays with Plato’s allegory of the cave, while the second, called “Stage“, is more like a frame for the wall rather than a classical painting.
In the process of conceptualizing and creating the walls, Johannes based his idea on the very essence of the school itself. which is, providing a frame and a foundation for knowledge and experience, that will develop later in life.
In the process of conceptualizing and creating the walls, Johannes based his idea on the very essence of the school itself. which is, providing a frame and a foundation for knowledge and experience, that will develop later in life.
Here are a few images of the work courtesy of the artist.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
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