HvM- Apgujeong Saturday Splendor

Because Barry is fabulous and manages to continue to be even across the universe, I was informed of an art exhibit for Hellen van Meene here in Seoul of one of his collection pieces. Bless you and your taste my friend!
If you find yourself cocking your head thinking, hmm why does this "Hellen" sound familiar it could be for many reasons... For starters I mentioned her here in my blog a few weeks ago and promised to write about my art gallery excursion and failed to do so until now but Lady van Meene has been loved and taken on by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guggenheim, and another relatively unheard of place in NYC - The Museum of Modern Art.

Arriving at Gangnam, we popped out of the subway not knowing which way was what. Luckily I had brought a map printed from the gallery's website but it proved to not be much help considering we were a bit far off the mark (about a 20+ minute walk).



Jess and I decided to have a go with a little Seoul sister help... as per usual I waltzed to an unsuspecting citizen and made a "help" face.





Outside a bank near the Sinsa station, these ladies stopped their banking and made phone calls on our behalf. Getting lost here is a common occurrence for Seoul-sters, even being lost in translation didn't seem to phase them. They literally put their lives on hold for upwards of 15 minutes only to finally explain with a finger "taxi"- I was happy to have my trusty phrase/translation booklet. However we decided to walk, and the ladies stood agog- walk???
Blocks upon blocks, on sidewalks that should have another name given the amount of motorcycles and cars we had to dodge, we strolled. Sinsa station to Gangnam-Gu just beyond Hermes... it was very Beverly Hills-esque.

Yes, we asked two more people for directions and made a left, then a left, and then yes, a left. We finally arrived at I'M ART gallery. I think I had a little shudder sigh... everything was so urban and clean and majestic. I was exciting to be art-ing it up again and it felt so familiar to my previous stateside Saturdays.








Gorgeous exhibit, plain and simple and of course, haunting. Hellen van Meene's work captures these awkward, slightly off youths in these inviting photographs that seem to evoke the cumbersome emotions deeply rooted in our adolescent minds. Her subjects are given no instruction which I believe adds to the substance of simplicity and eeriness.

untitled (none of her pieces are named), Hellen van Meene -I'm ART gallery, Seoul ROK