Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 319:

319

The Final Showdown (24)

└Shall we go to the Venice Biennale?

└Not a bad idea.

└But I don’t know anything about art.

└Then it might not be fun.

└No, no. There are a lot of intuitive works these days. Hoon is one of them, and so are Go Soo-yeol and Jang Mi-rae. And there’s Henri and Banksy.

└I haven’t seen you before. Are you a newbie?

└Yeah, I subscribed a while ago and got interested.

└There’s a lot of influx lately.

└We should go to the France-Korea joint pavilion. And look around other places while we’re there.

└Anyway, it’s the year of the Grand Art Tour. If we’re going to travel to Europe, we can see them all. If you’re a fan of Hoon, he’s exhibited in all four places.

└Let’s ask Hoon. He’s broadcasting today, right?

└Yeah, he announced that he’ll do a short one before going to Italy.

Hoon was browsing the bulletin board during his broadcast and read a viewer’s story.

There were a lot of similar posts as the interest in the Venice Biennale, which opens the day after tomorrow, grew.

“I’m a bit hesitant.”

Hoon said, looking at the chat window.

“From reading your post, it seems like you’ve recently developed some interest. I hope you’ll find some works that you like and come when you really can’t stand it anymore.”

└Hoon, you should sell itㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└What if he tells them not to comeㅋㅋ

└Should I make you pork belly rice bowl for dinner?

└Hoon’s leisure, who got 17 million dollars for one work.

Hoon sent a message to Maeun-chan and continued.

“Of course, I’d be happy if even one more person comes. It would be really nice. But the truth is, the Venice Biennale is a very experimental event.”

Hoon wondered how to make a good analogy and searched for fashion magazine models.

“Usually, when you get interested in clothes, you look for something like this, right? But.”

This time, he found some high-fashion show photos.

He showed them photos of clothes that made people look like rectangles, a huge white shirt worn like a long dress, and so on. People kept posting question marks.

“The Biennale is like this. You don’t even think about wearing these clothes, you feel repulsed from the start.”

└For realㅋㅋ

└I thought Hoon was a sweet rice cake, but his analogy is spot on.

└What are you talking aboutㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

“So I think it’s better to enjoy it slowly around you than to look for a big event. When you’re really curious, then you can find it.”

Some viewers asked him to recommend some exhibitions that are good.

“If you’re in Korea, the Baewoom Museum or the Seoul Museum have a lot of famous works, and you can see a variety of them. They cover both Eastern and Western art, from ancient times to impressionism, cubism, and contemporary art. Overseas? Well, I liked the Orsay Museum.”

└How did you feel when you won the Münster Sculpture Project award?

└Right ㅋㅋ How come all the interviews are in English or Frenchㅋㅋㅋㅋ

“It was great. It was given by the people who live in Münster, not by anyone else. I was as happy as when I won the Art Nouveau competition.”

Hoon explained to the viewers how important the Münster Sculpture Project was.

“It’s a really important thing. It means that art, which is separated from the public, touches everyday life and finds its place again.”

Hoon searched for Banksy, who was presumed to be a British painter.

Soon, he found an English article about the project ‘Better out than in’ and showed it to the viewers.1)

└What is this?

└Banksy?

└Translation please

└I came back after a long time and he’s doing simultaneous interpretation. Is his manager typing his words in English in real time?

└Yeah, simultaneous interpretation.

└Hoon became a global corporation.

“Banksy did an experiment where he gave dozens of his paintings to a shabby-looking man and told him to sell them. They were all signed works for 60 dollars.”

└???

└Banksy’s works for 60 dollars?

└Even a prop would be worth 100,000 dollars, and he sold them for 60 dollars?

└Why are you always fighting with Henri? ㅠ

└It must have been crazy;;;

└These things never happen around me.

└I would have lined up to buy them.

Hoon smiled and shook his head.

“No. He only sold eight. That’s better than others, but still strange, right?”

I couldn’t believe that one of the most loved painters of the present sold his work for only 60 dollars and didn’t get much attention for it.

“Everyone didn’t understand. He could have made millions of dollars if he sold it in a gallery. Why did he sell it for so cheap?”

└Of course

└I wouldn’t understand either lol

└By the way, isn’t the person who bought it lucky as hell?

“Banksy says he doesn’t want to be swept away by commercialism if he takes money. He wants to beautify secluded places. Isn’t that cool?”

While the viewers were sending positive messages, a donation came in.

└[Banksy donated 10 dollars]: Dallyda Square was awesome.

└?

└These days, even the fakes spend money to imitate.

└For real?

└Is this a rare place for a rare person?

Ko Hun’s eyes widened.

“Is this for real?”

He clicked on the account that donated and it led to Banksy’s YouTube channel.

“Hello. Thank you. I appreciate you coming to Dallyda Square. I couldn’t even greet you properly.”

The viewers already told him in the chat that Banksy’s ID had disappeared.

Ko Hun continued his story with regret.

“Anyway, to continue what I was saying, this incident highlighted the importance of space once again. It was strange that the same work sold for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in a gallery and for tens of dollars on the street.”

└Isn’t it because they have no taste?

└Don’t say that or Hoonie will scold you.

└You jerk lol

└It’s not about taste, it’s just that they don’t care.

└Galleries are places where rich people gather. It seems like they were influenced more by the people inside than the place.

“You jerk. You can’t say that.”

Ko Hun teased one of the viewers with a joke.

“I also thought that they were influenced more by the people than the place. The important thing is that the artists started to do art based on the concept of space rather than painting.”

One viewer asked if it was like interior design.

“Similar. That’s how the artists are now thinking a lot about how to fill or empty the space. That includes public art as well.”

└How do you know all this?

└Did you learn from your grandfather?

└The good thing about this broadcast is that it’s like a lecture, so it’s good to listen to while doing other things.

└Lol

└For real, when I listen to the lecture, I draw better and write better, but strangely, it gets boring when the lecture ends.

“Henri told me when we were preparing for the Münster Sculpture Project.”

Ko Hun stopped talking.

He had exchanged countless stories with the contemporary artists about how they perceived space, how far their perception was from the citizens, and what they had to do to make the citizens comfortable while making .

└But why hasn’t Henri been on the broadcast lately?

└Yeah.

└Did you really fight?

└Wasn’t it a joke?

Ko Hun came to his senses and checked the chat.

“No. I’ll end the broadcast here today. Thank you for watching. If you stop by Venice, I’ll be around the exhibition hall, so please act like you know me. I don’t know your faces, so you have to greet me first. If you don’t want to greet me, at least give me a hint. I prepared a gift just in case, so take it with you.”

Ko Hun said goodbye to the disappointed viewers and turned off the broadcast. Maeunchan opened the door and came in.

“Do you like spicy food?”

“I can’t eat it well. Are you making it yourself?”

“Yeah! I can’t do anything else, but I’m good at stir-fried pork. Is it okay to put a lot of onions?”

Ko Hun nodded his head with a smile.

A change came to the art criticism world as the Venice Biennale approached.

Starting with art historian Caroline Strick, renowned critics such as Danaka Hirobumi focused on Ko Hun and mentioned chocolatism repeatedly in the academic world.

After the two authorities used it, the others who had treated it as a word only used by the media had no choice but to quote it, and chocolatism was gradually recognized as a serious and profound trend that had to be dealt with.

Among Ko Hun’s acquaintances, the first person to catch such a change was Kim Jiwu, who started working as a columnist.

“That’s something.”

He found that a critic had quoted Danaka Hirobumi’s criticism while preparing a column series on Ko Hun and Henri Marso.

He didn’t bother to look for it because he thought it would be a ridiculous nitpick, but when he read it, it was different from what he expected.

The rivalry between countries that became more fierce than the Cold War era.

Under the domination of a few giant corporations that controlled the platforms, small businesses and producers were exploited.

In the increasingly harsh environment, hatred grew and their personal lives were bleak beyond measure.

Those who had been pushed into competition throughout their school days were now exhausted by excessive work and inhuman society.

With their meager income, they had nothing to do even if they gave up on dating, marriage, childbirth, social relationships, and owning a house.

Only culture, such as food, movies, games, novels, music, and art, that could be enjoyed with relatively little money, was their consolation for their ruthless lives.

Tanaka Hirobumi highly praised Go Hun as the painter that this era wanted, who shared small happiness, and his .

It seemed that he had some motivation, as he had always dealt with the identity of human inner self and the discourse of art itself.

Buuung- Buuung-

The phone rang.

It was a call from Bojar, his publisher.

“Yes, editor.”

-How is the manuscript going?

Solenn Rigo, Kim Ji-woo’s editor, asked with a bright voice.

“Ahaha. Of course. I think I’ll be done if I stay up all night.”

-I’d like to tell you to take a break, but there’s not much time left.

“I’ll do my best.”

Kim Ji-woo groaned.

-Yes. Cheer up. I and the editorial department are really looking forward to this article.

“Hey. You’re flattering me too much.”

-Not at all.

Henri Marso was undoubtedly France’s top star, but he didn’t like the press and was rarely covered in depth.

But Kim Ji-woo persistently followed him and got an interview, and even covered Go Hun, so Bojar couldn’t help but expect.

-It’s not easy to interview Henri Marso, right? How did you do it?

“Well? I just did what I always did.”

Kim Ji-woo recalled what he had done to Henri Marso.

He had just followed him with a smile until he was annoyed, but surprisingly he agreed to the interview easily.

Kim Ji-woo had no idea that Henri, who had watched him introduce Go Hun, deal with the Damien Carter incident, and actively participate in the Korean Art Association, was highly evaluating him.

-That’s a skill too. Well, I’ll leave it to you until tomorrow. Are you going to Venice in the afternoon?

“Yes. I’m going with Hun. I’ll send it to you before I leave.”

Kim Ji-woo hung up the phone and sniffed. It smelled like spicy pork stir-fry.

1)A part of Banksy’s project in New York for a month in October 2013.

Banksy set up an old man as a salesman and sold paintings on one side of the road in Central Park for a day.

That day, Banksy sold eight pieces of work, and gave two pieces at half price, earning a total of 420 dollars.