The Odd Couple
dal 15/2/2007 al 20/4/2007
Segnalato da
15/2/2007
The Odd Couple
Gallery Yujiro, London
John Hughes and Seunghee Kang
John Hughes and Seunghee Kang
The dictionary definition of Odd; 1. “Unusual or unexpected; strange. 2. (Of whole
numbers such as 3. and 5) having one left over as a remainder when divided by two.
3. In combination in the region of: fifty-odd years. 4. Occasional: we have the odd
drink together. 5. Detached from a pair or set”
"The Odd Couple" a joint solo exhibition of John Hughes and Seunghee Kang, both are
odd, not particularly singularly but collectively they are an odd couple. Hughes was
born in the UK, Kang in South Korea however both live and work in London, two
different origins, two different practices. Hughes creates large-scale audio
installations and Kang’s meticulous Hogarthesque drawings, paintings and sculpture,
yet both are similar in exploring the nature and function of narrative. They also
share a strange and unusual take on everyday actions and occurrences’ transforming
these observations into works saturated in dark and disturbing humour.
The exhibition is titled after, 1968 film "The Odd Couple", staring Jack Lemmon Walter Matthau as Felix Ungar and Oscar Maddison, is the story of two
mismatched room-mates, one uptight, tidy and fastidious, the other slovenly, kooky
and zany. In an interview, Lemmon described their unique relationship; Walter
is...like my brother. I don’t know what it is…. When that type of chemistry occurs -
I don’t know how to explain it…. It just happens. You’re both on the same wavelength
and something good comes out of it. It’s like having a third actor… There’s you, the
other guy, and the two of you together as a third attraction.
This exhibition brings together the practices of Hughes and Kang who together
produce a comparable third attraction. Hughes exhibits 5 audio installations,
"Anne", "You are my Burger King", ‘Balkan Mantras’, ‘Seek New Havens’, & ‘Who’s
that geezer?’ which are a combination of monologues, conversations, and a
selection of typed hand written transcripts from ‘Seek New Havens’. Hughes’s
practice is unusual, unexpected, strange and occasional, in its familiarity, where
the conversations, become uncanny, and uncomfortably.
Kang’s drawings, paintings; sculptures, are deeply satirical, and darkly funny.
Using drawing in a diaristic way, illustrating the Western, landscape of desire,
excess, and capital. Kang depicts, narratives such as ‘Wonjogyoje’, a new term to
describe the illicit relationship between an adult male and teenaged schoolgirl,
where the man offers money in return for sexual gratification. Kang has found a
totally different notion of ‘normal’ in London, transforming the familiar into the
eccentric and surprising, the result of living as a strange in a foreign city.
Note: John Hughes was selected in 2006 New Contemporaries, and Seunghee Kang
Selected in Art Futures 2007.
Events:
Gallery Yujiro will be holding a series of 5 film screenings of “The Odd Couple” in
association with the current exhibition of John Hughes and Seunghee Kang’s “The Odd
Couple”.
Screening Dates:
9th March, 23rd March, 30th March, 20th April & 21st April 2007, 7pm – 9pm
Includes a free drink on arrival, places are limited therefore booking is essential.
Please follow the link below to book your place or contact Stephanie: 0207 394 8591.
Gallery Yujiro
A502 Tower Point, Tower Bridge Business Complex - London