The exhibition Cloudy 3 PM brings together nine prominent South Korean artists whose works encapsulate the evolving landscape of Seoul in the 2000s. Hosted at the Sungkok Museum of Art, the show highlights a pivotal shift in Korean figurative art, where the line between photography and painting became increasingly blurred. Featuring works by Kang Seok Ho, Kim Su Young, Roh Choong-Hyun, Park Ju-Wook, Park Jina, Suh Dongwook, Lee Kwang-Ho, Lee Moonjoo, and Leeje, the exhibition delves into a nuanced portrayal of urban life and personal introspection.

The title Cloudy 3 PM symbolizes the distinct emotional and temporal perspective that defines the participating artists’ approach to reality. It captures the subtle, overcast quality of mid-afternoon—a moment when the rush of productivity subsides, allowing space for reflection and a longing to momentarily escape from the constraints of everyday life. This reflective sensibility permeates the artists’ works, blending nostalgia for a transformative era with a tempered hope for the future.

These artists emerged in the early 2000s, during a time of significant political and social transition in South Korea. Many were shaped by the residual energy of the democracy movement of the late 20th century, yet their art reflects a departure from the collective fervor of Minjung Art. Instead, they embraced a more detached and observational gaze, often mediated through the lens of a camera. The introduction of widely available digital photography during this period profoundly influenced their practice, allowing them to use photographs not as mere representations of reality, but as sketches for their paintings.

By employing the camera as both a tool for documentation and a medium of interpretation, these artists created works that maintain an emotional distance from their subjects. Their paintings transform mundane urban scenes into poetic visual narratives, reflecting a tension between photographic accuracy and the expressive potential of painting. Unlike Hyperrealism, which seeks to replicate photographic detail, these artists use photographic references to evoke a layered sense of time and space, embedding personal emotions and memories within their compositions.

The exhibition explores the subtle, almost melancholic emotions captured in these works—feelings of gratitude toward the previous generation’s sacrifices, lingering anxiety, and a quiet sense of hope. The "cloudy" atmosphere in the artworks mirrors the complexities of life in Seoul during a period of rapid modernization, where the collective narrative of societal progress gave way to introspective, individual expressions of contemporary existence.

A key feature of Cloudy 3 PM is its ability to bridge the past and present. The exhibited works reflect a generational shift, offering a fresh lens on Seoul’s dynamic cultural and social climate while remaining deeply rooted in the traditions of Korean art. Through their paintings, the artists invite viewers to engage with a version of Seoul that is as much about the city’s physical transformation as it is about the emotional landscapes of its inhabitants.

The exhibition will also include an artist talk on November 23, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to hear directly from Kim Su Young, Roh Choong-Hyun, Suh Dongwook, Leeje, and others. This conversation, held in the museum’s Glass Café, will further illuminate the artistic processes and personal insights behind the works on display.

Cloudy 3 PM is more than an exhibition—it is a reflection of a city and a generation in flux. It invites viewers to pause, much like the stillness of mid-afternoon, and consider the interplay between memory, identity, and artistic interpretation in shaping our understanding of reality.

Sayart / Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com