[Unstagram] Murals of the Square and Faces of People

For a while, we lived without seeing each other's faces. We passed by acquaintances on the street without recognizing them, and worked alongside new colleagues at the office without ever knowing what they looked like. This was just five years ago. People without masks existed only within the paintings. The mural printed on the temporary wall at the Gwanghwamun Square construction site remained there for nearly two years, and people walked the narrow sidewalk side by side with those depicted in the broad square of the artwork. The people in the painting looked sophisticated and free.

In October 2021, people inside the drawing without masks and people outside the drawing wearing masks are walking side by side in similar appearances. (Illustration by Kim Jehyung of Design Studio Sawol) Photo by Hyunhan Hur

As the construction neared completion, barriers printed with the same image were installed in different locations. The path changed according to the progress of the work.

Art rarely speaks hope or lessons directly. Sometimes, things that exist somewhere between art and message come close to speaking through what they show. What the painting depicted was a wish for something different from current reality, and if one considers the artwork as part of reality itself, it was a landscape where the real and the imaginary were at odds. Whether the painting comforted people or gave them hope is unknown, but it temporarily filled the visual void of what was hidden from view. People passed through the ever-changing paths between the barriers, and while waiting for the bus at the stop, they hoped time would quickly resolve many things.

In July 2021, young people rode bicycles well even while wearing masks.

In the days leading up to the presidential inauguration, late-night construction continued for a while. The lights were dazzlingly bright because of the darkness. Even in the middle of the night, the KF94 masks worn by the workers shone white. Gwanghwamun existed both in the painting and beyond it. The construction was not completed before the inauguration. The square remained in place, but its appearance kept changing.

In June 2021, on a rainy day at a bus stop, a family head on his way home from work is absentmindedly looking at a painting.

Not long after this project was finished, another construction began, and that work was only completed recently. The BTS comeback concert held there was watched by people around the world, and now the square is bustling with tourists from everywhere. Today, we are finally able to look at each other's faces properly, and the square feels as free as it did in the painting at that time. However, it is uncertain how long Gwanghwamun Square will remain without construction.

In April 2021, police officers are working to ensure the safety of citizens on their way home.

In March 2021, a "National Salvation Prayer Meeting" is being held in front of the Statue of King Sejong, and one attendee has lowered their mask and is looking at the painting.

In May 2022, the images of workers engaged in late-night tasks were reflected between the paintings.

In June 2022, near the end of the construction, the passageway changed its winding path daily. The people in the picture are walking along the roadside.

In June 2022, people sometimes got lost in the square.

In August 2022, after the plaza construction was completed, the construction of the raised platform in front of Gwanghwamun began.

In June 2022, Gwanghwamun was both in the painting and beyond the painting.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.