Jongheon Bae, the recipient of the 2024 Pakdongjun Prize in Fine Arts, presents his solo exhibition Attractions: Venus’s Back at Gallery Bundo in Daegu, South Korea. Running from November 8 to December 13, 2024, the exhibition marks the debut of Bae’s new Attractions project, inspired by his observations during a European journey earlier this year.

Bae’s works delve into the duality of tourist attractions—places where attention is often confined to the celebrated while the peripheral remains overlooked. The central focus of this series is the iconic Venus de Milo, housed in the Louvre Museum. Through Venus’s Back, Bae invites viewers to reconsider the unnoticed aspects of renowned artifacts, examining scars and wear that tell stories of endurance and time.

“I am drawn to what exists beyond the spotlight. At the Louvre, most visitors fixate on the face and frontal view of Venus de Milo, but her back reveals deep grooves in the marble,” Bae explains. “These marks are not mere imperfections; they reflect a time when the statue was buried under rubble, her arms lost to history. Similarly, while many marvel at the grandeur of ‘Nike of Samothrace,’ my focus falls on the worn details of the ship’s prow beneath her feet. These traces embody the lives that have silently supported greatness, bearing the weight of history.”

Bae’s art transforms these “hidden scars” into a poignant tribute, reflecting the resilience of the overlooked and the enduring narratives embedded within them.

This exhibition extends Bae’s ongoing artistic philosophy, which centers on unassuming environments and everyday phenomena. His conceptual projects spotlight the mundane, casting it in a poetic and aesthetic light. Recently, his work has sought to uncover the remnants of nature within urbanized, environmentally degraded spaces. By emphasizing the traces of the natural world that persist amid destruction, Bae explores the fundamental questions of art—reclaiming lost lyrical and aesthetic values.

The exhibition features detailed works based on his encounters at the Louvre Museum. Through his lens, scratches, grooves, and wear on artifacts become symbols of resilience, adding layers of narrative to celebrated masterpieces. This series not only reexamines the physical history of art but also reflects on the broader human condition—highlighting the interconnectedness of beauty, hardship, and endurance.

Venus’s Back challenges traditional ways of engaging with art. Bae urges audiences to shift their focus from the glorified centerpieces to the quiet yet significant stories they overshadow. His works emphasize that the narratives lying just outside the frame can often hold as much—if not more—meaning as the celebrated subjects themselves.

By presenting the scars and traces of these historical objects, Bae creates a visual dialogue between the visible and the invisible, the celebrated and the overlooked. His exhibition offers a profound meditation on how art encapsulates the complexity of human existence, from triumphs to struggles.

Jongheon Bae’s Attractions: Venus’s Back is a compelling testament to his unique artistic perspective, ensuring his works will resonate with audiences long after the exhibition closes. Through his exploration of the unnoticed, Bae redefines how we interact with and interpret cultural heritage, bridging the divide between the past and present.

Sayart / Jason Yim, yimjongho1969@gmail.com