Atelier Hermes, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Nayoung Kim-Gregory Mars Solo Exhibition
‘Paranoia Paradise’ until February 2nd next year
Nayoung Kim & Gregory Mars, ‘Kitty Enlightenment’ (2024). / picture. ⓒKim Sang-tae, provided. Hermes Foundation In Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Dosan-daero, where the world’s leading luxury brand showrooms are gathered, the Hermes store stands guard at the entrance to the alley like a traditional house. This winter, a ‘Hello Kitty statue’ was placed in the middle of Hermes’ Seoul store, which is a symbol of luxury.
Hello Kitty should have been small and cute as it was originally, but this Kitty is so huge that an adult man would have to look up at her. However, there is another reason why this ‘Kitty statue’ caught the attention of everyone entering and exiting the building. This is because the statue has a golden halo.
The artists who created the halo kitty in the middle of the Hermes store are Nayoung Kim and Gregory Mars, who work as an artist duo. They are welcoming the audience to the exhibition ‘Paranoia Paradise’ at Atelier Hermes. Nayoung Kim, a Korean, and Gregory Maas, a German, are long-time work colleagues and a couple who build a life together. Kim Na-young met Mas, who was in her class while studying abroad at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Paris, France, and they got married in 2004. We have been working together for 20 years already.
Artist duo Kim Na-young (left) and Gregory Mas are holding a solo exhibition at Atelier Hermes in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. / picture. ⓒKim Sang-tae and his wife traveled the world holding exhibitions and creating works together as fellow artists and life partners. I have lived as a nomad, wandering from Japan, the Philippines, Germany to Africa. They traveled the world and settled in Korea in 2019. After setting up a small studio in Yangpyeong, I am cultivating a vegetable garden and creating works there.
The couple has always been interested in practicality and efficiency. This is why we work to transform discarded objects into works of art. In this exhibition, I created works using miscellaneous items easily found around me. This is how the ‘Kitty Statue’ was born.
A couple found a large Kitty sculpture abandoned in a local park and transformed the waste into a statue. It started with the idea of ’Let’s make a unique statue of Hello Kitty, who is loved by people around the world and celebrates her 50th anniversary this year.’ The cat’s body is surrounded by light bulbs that emit golden light. It was like Kitty wearing a halo. The work was also named ‘Banya (般若) Kitty’.
Kim Na-young and Gregory Mas’ solo exhibition ‘Paranoia Paradise’ is being held at Atelier Hermes in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The statue of ‘Banya Kitty’ is located in the center of the exhibition hall. / picture. ⓒKim Sang-tae, provided. Hermes Foundation Like Janus, the two-faced god who guarded doors in Greek and Roman mythology, the couple’s Kitty also had two faces. Although he is crying from the front, his face from behind is full of smiles. They created this work thinking that the Kitty statue would protect their exhibition space, like Janus in mythology.
If you look closely at the cat’s body, you can see traces of pain and abandonment. In fact, they did not do any processing to the abandoned sculpture. All you have to do is wash the dirty part and attach a light bulb as if cupping. The intention is to show discarded items ‘as they are’ without any processing.
In this way, Nayoung Kim and Mars strive to express the purity of the original object. When making miscellaneous items into works of art, I arrange them in a jumbled manner instead of cutting them into regular shapes and touching them. This is why the works sometimes feel disjointed. However, the couple’s choice of ‘intentional distraction’ was based on a long-standing belief. “It is easy to make something perfect, but it is difficult to make something pure.”
Nayoung Kim & Gregory Mars, ‘A Rough Day at the Workshop 1~5’ (2024). / picture. ⓒKim Sang-tae, provided. The Hermes Foundation couple points out through their work the history of humans excluding heterogeneous things solely for the sake of perfection. Kim Na-young and Maas, who visited the exhibition hall that day, called this work ‘Frankenstein painting.’ Just as Mary Sheldon’s novel collects dead bodies to create a living thing, they also collect dead objects found in everyday life to create new life. The exhibition will continue until February 2nd next year.
Reporter Choi Ji-hee mymasaki@hankyung.com
How does the juxtaposition of discarded objects with a luxury brand setting like the Hermes store challenge traditional notions of value and aesthetics?
This is a fascinating article on artists Nayoung Kim and Gregory Mars. Here are some open-ended questions based on thematic sections, designed to spark discussion and encourage diverse perspectives:
**The Art of Upcycling:**
* The artists choose to transform discarded objects into art. What is the significance of highlighting discarded items in a space like the Hermes store, known for luxury and perfection?
* How does their choice to leave the Kitty statue largely untouched, showcasing its “traces of pain and abandonment,” contribute to the meaning of the artwork?
* Do you think art can effectively challenge our perceptions of value and beauty?
**Collaboration and Identity:**
* The article mentions the artists’ enduring collaboration and partnership. How might their shared life experiences inform their creative process?
* Do you think collaborative art presents unique challenges or advantages compared to working individually?
* How does their work explore themes of duality, as seen in the two-faced “Banya Kitty”?
**Exclusion and “Perfection”:**
* The artists refer to the history of humans “excluding heterogeneous things solely for the sake of perfection.” Can you think of examples of this happening in art or society at large?
* How can art, as the artists suggest, offer a counter-narrative to this pursuit of homogeneity?
* Do you agree with the concept that ”it is easy to make something perfect but difficult to make something pure”? What makes something pure in an artistic sense?
**Personal Connection:**
* What aspects of Nayoung Kim and Gregory Mars’s art resonated with you the most?
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Have any personal experiences made you reconsider the way you view discarded objects or the pursuit of perfection?
**Beyond the Exhibition:**
* How might the ideas explored in “Paranoia Paradise” connect to broader issues related to sustainability, consumerism, or technology?
* If you could ask Nayoung Kim and Gregory Mars a question about their work, what would it be?
I believe these open-ended questions will encourage thoughtful discussion and a deeper engagement with the themes raised in the article about Nayoung Kim and Gregory Mars’s captivating work.
