Robert Indiana is a leading figure of postwar American art. Indiana's signature Love is currently on view in "All You Need Is LOVE" along with Gimhongsok's work of the same title, a critical take on America from a Korean perspective. Seeing these 2 works juxtaposed is one of the highlights of the exhibition. Don't miss them!
Adopting the design of traffic and store signs, symbols of American culture of the time, Robert Indiana, known to have been called a "sign painter," explored the effectiveness of symbols, abstractions, and language in art. During this time, Indiana created his Love series, featuring the word in bold block letters with only the letter "O" tilted to one side. The series began as a design for a 1965 MoMA Christmas card, and was thereafter developed using diverse media, including silkscreen, painting, and sculpture, becoming Indiana's signature work. It also ranks as one of the icons of postwar American art.
Although the original idea supposedly came from the words "God is love" that Indiana saw while attending a church as a child, it also resonated with love & peace slogans of the counterculture in 1960s America. The vivid color composition employing red, blue, and green originated from Indiana's childhood memories of seeing the red and green logo of the gas station where his father worked, against the backdrop of the blue skies of his hometown. The sculpture versions of Love have been exhibited throughout the world since then as public art, including one that can be seen at Shinjuku I-Land in Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo
Using sculpture, video, installations, and other media, Gimhongsok presents critical perspectives on society and collective mentality. His art is often euphemistic, employing a humorous exterior to sublimate something that is actually more multilayered and allegorical.
Gimhongsok's Love (2012) distorts Indiana's iconic image. Going beyond simple criticism from a Korean perspective of the United States and the meaning of American art, this work also questions the validity of the faith in quality and "perfection" that underlies all areas. As this sculpture also distorts the positivity and validity that LOVE represents, it suggests the complexity and multifaceted nature of this universal and fundamental theme.
■Relevant information
・Roppongi Hills and Mori Art Museum 10th Anniversary Exhibition
"All You Need Is LOVE: From Chagall to Kusama and Hatsune Miku"
Friday, April 26 - Sunday, September 1, 2013
・"LOVE" in a Minute - Artist & Work
(1) Jeff Koons Sacred Heart
(2) Gohar Dashti Today's Life and War series
(3) Nan GoldinThe Ballad of Sexual Dependency series
(4) John Everett Millais Speak! Speak!
(5) Frida Kahlo My Grandparents, My Parents, and I (FamilyTree)
(6) Zhang Xiaogang Bloodline: The Big Family
(7) Kusama Yayoi Love Is Calling
(8) Shilpa Gupta I live under your sky too
(9) Hatsune Miku Hatsune Miku: Connecting Love
(10) Alfredo Jaar Embrace
(11) Robert Indiana Love & Gimhongsok Love
(12) Sophie Calle Take Care of Yourself
(13) Lovers painted by Chagall, Magritte and Picabia
(14) Tracey Emin I promise to love you
(15) David Hockney My Parents
(16) Damien Hirst Untitled
