The wall is coated with art at the fifth Hechyeomoyeo group exhibition, this one held in Bangkok, Thailand. Courtesy of Neil Wheelock Deforest Smith
By Jon Dunbar
The Hechyeomoyeo, a group exhibition series of artists — Korean and foreign, local and overseas — is returning for the sixth time, this time presenting the works of more than 250 individual artists at KOTE in downtown Seoul’s Insa-dong.
Visiting an exhibition of The Hechyeomoyeo is like walking into an explosion of art. The room is coated with wildly diverse art, leaving barely any of the walls visible. It’s overwhelming by design, but any visitor is likely to find many art pieces that jump out at them.
Neil Wheelock Deforest Smith, the brainchild of this exhibition series, called The Hechyeomoyeo a “reactionary movement” to the current state of and trends in the art gallery market.
Neil Wheelock Deforest Smith, the man behind The Hechyeomoyeo, poses beside a street in Seoul, June 2. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Although much has been said about Korea’s rising art market, Smith isn’t so optimistic. He likened it to the California gold rush of the mid-1800s, in which a few people struck gold early on, triggering more prospectors to come in search of their fortunes. As the trend deepened, some people started selling maps to places to look for gold. Soon, there were so many people rushing to find gold, that the only people left making any more money were the map sellers.
“There was a boom — now there’s maps,” he said of today’s art market.
He cited the high barriers to entry for up-and-coming artists looking to display their work, which The Hechyeomoyeo — which he calls “an inclusive space for absolutely any artist to share their art with the world” — helps to overcome.
The name “Hechyeomoyeo” comes “from a Korean military call to action that brings soldiers together when they are scattered in the field,” according to Smith.
“Our goal is to provide a safe space for artists to display their artwork, share their creativity, learn from each other and grow together. So far, we have been successful in showing the artwork of over 490 artists and counting,” he said. “These events are the lifeblood of the collective as they provide opportunities for us to draw attention to the artwork being shown and the chance to interact with the audience, other artists, curators, gallery owners and collectors!”
Some of the participating artists at previous exhibitions have found their way to further opportunities, such as solo exhibitions. This includes Korean artist Angto, who just had her first solo exhibition after meeting a gallery owner at a previous Hechyeomoyeo.
The Hechyeomoyeo 6 features 255 contributors in total, over half of which are Koreans at 135, plus 60 foreign residents and 60 from overseas, representing a total 25 nations, including two that are currently at war with each other.
Over 30 artists are participating from Thailand, having sent their art by mail. This includes silk screen and printmaking legend “Hello my name is BKK” who will be displaying his original prints in Korea for the first time. The list also includes Underhatdaddy, anmomillustration, Huuyaow and prolific snail artist Vinita. The high participation of Thai artists should come as no surprise, as the previous Hechyeomoyeo was held in Bangkok from March 30 to April 21.
The room is crowded with people and art at the fifth Hechyeomoyeo group exhibition held in Bangkok, Thailand. Courtesy of Neil Wheelock Deforest Smith
“I brought artwork from 60 Korean artists in my suitcase. A dozen artists from Korea, both Koreans and foreigners, flew down to help me with the project and bring the Hechyeomoyeo space to life. Over 90 local Thai artists brought their work to share space with us,” Smith said.
“During the exhibition, we held drawing events where people on the street would come join us, and we would tell them about the booming art scene in Korea and our project. Over the course of three weeks hundreds of people came. We have already been invited by several spaces in Bangkok to have our exhibition again. And several of the Thai artists will be sharing their work in the next Hechyeomyeo in Seoul.”
Before that, the fourth Hechyeomoyeo was at East Atelier Gallery, just to the east of Jongmyo Shrine in downtown Seoul, presenting over 190 artists.
The alley outside East Atelier Gallery is crowded for the closing party of the fourth Hechyeomoyeo group exhibition, Feb. 25. Courtesy of Neil Wheelock Deforest Smith
This one being held at KOTE is a meaningful step, as the facility has been shrinking lately due to an ugly dispute between two rival lessees. Ahn Ju-young (or Julie), one of the lessees, had turned the three-building complex into a center for arts and culture, featuring art galleries, a library, coworking spaces and other multi-use rooms. Starting in November 2021, she began a sit-in protest to occupy and protect the buildings, which lasted until about February the next year.
A patch of dirt is all that remains, May 21, where the KOTE Annex once stood. The Bibong Building, straight ahead, will host the next Hechyeomoyeo group exhibition. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
After enjoying a few more good years of use out of KOTE, she has lost control of two of the three buildings — the main building as well as the annex, the latter of which has recently been destroyed. Now all that remains in her hands is the Bibong Building, which holds a restaurant and bar called Joseon Salon on the ground floor and an art gallery on the third floor. Meanwhile, the main building’s ground floor, which had previously hosted an art gallery, has been turned into a cheap outlet store boasting the name K-Outllet, selling clothes for 3,900 won per 100 grams.
Ahn mentioned that the situation is currently undergoing trial, with a verdict expected later this month.
The area around this portion of Insa-dong, once lively and bustling with pedestrians and merchants, is looking desolate and derelict as of late, and Smith hopes to inject it with a burst of energy. By bringing The Hechyeomoyeo here, it will put KOTE back on the beaten trail for hundreds of people hungering for lots of art.
“Julie invited me to bring hechyeomoyeo there and I am hoping it will bring a ton of people to the place,” Smith said.
A poster for The Hechyeomoyeo 6, which opens this Sunday / Courtesy of @shape_snow
The upcoming sixth iteration of The Hechyeomoyeo runs from June 16 to July 8. There will be an opening party this Sunday starting at 6 p.m. It will feature live drawing as well as performances by Fat Hamster & Kang New, DJ Il Padrino, the House of Hex and Douglas Holden, with drinks offered by K Cider.
There will be various other events over the next few weeks, including a Korean paper workshop on June 17, a photo walk on June 23 and a fashion show on June 29. For the fashion show, British artist Bea will team up with hanbok fashion company Sheen Seoul. “Anyone will be allowed to walk the catwalk,” Smith said.
Follow @thehechyeomoyeo on Instagram for more information.