River City Bangkok, in collaboration with 608 Gallery from South Korea, proudly presents the exhibition “Pop Korea: A Korean Group Exhibition in Thailand”.

Pop art, as the term 'popular' suggests, instilled the notion that anyone can enjoy, create, and buy art. The term 'pop,' an onomatopoeia and mimetic word, created sudden and eye-catching issues. It deconstructed the boundaries between classic and popular, center and periphery. In the 21st century, as the cultural center shifts to Asia, pop art has evolved beyond fixed genre attributes, allowing the artist's unique thoughts and characters to be understood as one world. It has transformed into a universal painting style that encompasses everything 'pop'—whether it be a phenomenon or a persona.

Here we meet three Korean artists: Manwook, Emil, and Yoo Jae Youn.

Understanding them can start from seemingly trivial things, such as why Manwook uses fluorescent colors, why a tree grows from the foot of a robot in Emil's paintings, or why Yoo Jae Youn’s character, Kimsee, yearns for ‘Pink Time’. Some may simply appreciate the visual appeal of the works and collect them, while others may positively assess their commercial potential. Still, others might hang them for the messages they contain.

“Pop Korea: A Korean Group Exhibition in Thailand” is open for viewing from 6 - 24 November 2024 at RCB Photographers’ Gallery, 2nd floor, River City Bangkok.