KMK: The Leeum

On Sunday I met up with my friends Jeanna and Steven. We enjoyed a tasty brunch at The Flying Pan Blue to start off the day. I went for the French toast again, but this time I opted for the bacon topping and what a delicious surprise that turned out to be. If you haven’t visited the TFPB yet you are missing out on one of Itaewon’s best kept secrets.

After lunch we wandered the streets doing a bit of shopping before deciding on a trip to the Leeum Museum. I had never been to the Leeum before, unless you count zipping by in a taxi on the way to Geckos, but I knew pretty much where it was-at least I thought I did. I totally led us in the wrong direction. No biggie, though, we flagged down a taxi, piled in, and sped off to our destination.

The Leeum stands on the edge of Itaewon perched atop a hill, peering down on the streets and pedestrians below like an eagle eyeing field mice Let’s just say I’m glad we arrived by taxi because as we pulled up I didn’t see any sidewalks at all. I guess the Leeum doesn’t do sidewalks. The doormen who graciously helped us out of the taxi probably think pedestrians to be strange creatures gone the way of the woolly mammoth and saber tooth tiger. Not that I blame them because upon exiting the cab my first instinct was to bow down in awe at the artful genius of whoever created such a geometrical marvel looming before me.
Then, when I saw that the Leeum boasted an outside seating area with two gigantic steel black spiders and rectangular patches of bamboo I realized that this wasn’t going to be a museum your grandmother would take you to unless your granny sips apple martinis, sash shays in Chanel, and hob knobs with jet setting bon vivants. That grandma would fit right in with the Leeum crowd.

Upon entering the Leeum we found ourselves in a spacious lobby. To the left was a small tasteful café style eating area and to the right a series of screens depicting a short art piece. In the rear a souvenir shop displayed ties, watches, scarves, wallets, and little dangly things for your cell phone all stamped with the Leeum logo. The staff of dark haired beauties behind the receptionist desk wore fitted blue uniforms. They welcomed us and presented the viewing options the Leeum offered. We decided to take on the whole shebang which included both halls and the special exhibit. They also reminded us that in the Leeum the only photographs allowed would be in the lobby and only the lobby. She said it so sweetly, but with a gleam in the eye that suggested she would happily snatch a camera out of a trigger happy visitor’s hands.
With tickets in hand we headed for the first exhibit hall. An elevator whisked us to the fourth floor where the traditional Korean art awaited us. Traditional Korean art must mean pottery because that’s all I saw for two floors. Now, I wasn’t a fan of pottery before the Leeum and I’m still not a fan, but I must say that the Leeum damn near made an admirer out of me. Not because of the actual art, but due to the way the Leeum put that art on display. Polished hard wood floors and black display cases beaming a single white spotlight onto the piece on display, really made a deep impression. The Hall itself curved in a circular spiral that descended into smaller and smaller rooms which was great because that meant there was less room for all that bric a brac.

After a giddy spell of taking photos on the spiral staircase we headed for the second exhibition hall where it was all about modern art. At the entrance to the hall you immediately gravitate to the huge oval shaped bowl hanging on the wall. The untitled piece, by Anish Kapoor, reflects your image and makes it seem as if you’ve ented a topsy turvy Alice in Wonderland dream. Another attendant waved us to another elevator to ensure we followed the proper route through the space. They also had little arrow signs just in case to the clueless or the more adventurous veer off to do some of their own exploring. In the second hall the art actually matched the stylish decor that surrounded it. Here the windows of the room revealed slices of green vegetation, asymetrical views of the grounds outside, as well as a series of industrial chainlinked slabs of stone squares. I can’t say enough about how the Leeum’s architecture and decor ranks among the world’s best. Though I should comment more on the art! So here’s a role call of some of the more notable pieces I liked:

Fantasy Homeland by Choi Young Lin depicted a surrealistic hodge podge of twisting nudes among a poastoral scene. The Colors were muted and understated.

Waterdrops by Kim Tschung Yeul had a visible texture that leapt off the canvass.

Slow Same #9 by Moon Beom showcased three panels of blues and black amorphous shapes that gave off a mysterious vibe as they seemed to almost shift between the panels.

Valdemosa by John Pai is a piece of melded steel that has a diaphonous quality like bunched silk.

I have to Learn English by Kang Ik Jong is a mixed media piece consisting of walls covered in colorful blocks that each have an English word on them that form odd phrases and sayings. An audio track of an English teaching giving a lesson plays in the background.
I have to mention that while walking around the hall there are discreetly placed security bars along the floor that, if crossed, issue a high pitched beep, alerting everyone that you just got a wee bit too close to the art. The Leeum doesn’t like you to be to close, I assume, since after such a beep attractive security guards in tailored uniforms appear out of thin air with swat team efficiency eyeing you down as if you were about to walk out the building with that ten foot three hundred pound Mushroom statue.
Sometimes the beep would go off even if we were nowhere near the bars. I think their warning system needed a warning system. In any case we became more cautious just in case there was a beep limit wherein the Leeum’s staff would be ever so polite and charming as they escorted us to the door. I figured everyone had about a five beep maximum.
Another highlight of the museum was the Void in Korean Art special exhibit. Void in Korean art tackles the may genr
es as well as periods in an effort to examine the works in an effort to contrast them with western philosophy.

It’s definitely not to be missed! Go visit the Leeum. You won’t be disappointed.