Soap Angels Weather the Elements... Pompidou Center Hanwha Brings Art to the Garden Outdoors

First Outdoor Project “Imprinting Time” at 63 Oudolf Garden Designed by Piet Oudolf
Featuring Kim Yunshin, Shin Meekyung, and Oh Myocho
Frieze VIP Preview on September 4, Opens to Public on September 6

An angel sculpture made of soap stands exposed to rain and wind along the banks of the Han River. Over time, its surface wears down and its shape gradually changes. For the artist Shin Mikyung, this transformation is not a deterioration of her work, but rather an inherent part of the process. These outdoor sculptures directly carry the marks of time left by nature.

Pompidou Center Hanwha 'Engraved Things' Poster. Pompidou Center Hanwha

The Pompidou Center Hanwha, which opened in June at Seoul’s 63 Building in Yeouido, is now extending its stage beyond the exhibition hall into the outdoors. On August 19, Pompidou Center Hanwha announced that it will launch its first garden project, ‘Imprinting Time (Saegyeojineun Geotdeul),’ at the 63 Building’s outdoor space, the ‘63 Oudolf Garden,’ starting September 6. Three Korean female artists from different generations—Kim Yunsin, Shin Mikyung, and Oh Myocho—will participate in the project.

From the moment each work is placed outdoors, it is shaped by its surroundings. Not only plants and seasonal changes, but also the Han River’s wind, sunlight, and rain intervene with the pieces. Instead of merely fixing the completed form, the exhibition introduces a dynamic in which both the artworks and the garden change together with the passage of time.

Each of the three artists embraces time in her own way. Kim Yunsin, who has worked between Argentina and Korea, presents colored sculptures cast in metal, drawn from forms she carves in wood. The process—starting with natural materials and rendered in another substance—reveals both the materiality and the gestures of the human body. Shin Mikyung installs angel sculptures made of soap in the garden, which slowly erode and transform when exposed to wind, rain, and air. Oh Myocho addresses the interplay of nature, science, and humanity through amorphous sculptures that seem to merge plant forms and the human body.

The exhibition site itself is part of each artwork. The ‘63 Oudolf Garden’ was designed by Piet Oudolf, a Dutch landscape architect renowned for his work on New York’s High Line. Oudolf does not only focus on flowers in full bloom, but also frames the growth, withering, and disappearance of plants as an integral part of the landscape. The 63 Oudolf Garden similarly showcases the full cycle of plant growth, decline, and seasonal change, created in a naturalistic style.

This approach of displaying the changing garden alongside transforming artworks is deliberate. Just as plant life shifts with each season—spring, summer, and autumn—the sculptures too are altered by sunlight, wind, and rain, eventually looking different from their initial installation. Whereas indoor museums typically control environmental factors, this show actively embraces those external forces as agents that alter the work.

The project will first be revealed on the evening of September 4 with a private event, ‘63 Night,’ during Frieze Seoul. Approximately 300 art industry guests—including Frieze VIPs and collectors—will attend for guided talks and tours of Pompidou Center Hanwha’s exhibitions. The exhibition opens to the public on September 6.

Pompidou Center Hanwha plans to continue using the garden for outdoor programs following this project. Indoors, the center is currently holding its opening exhibition, ‘Cubists: Pioneers of Visual Innovation,’ which features 91 works by 43 artists including Picasso and Braque, exploring the development of Cubism in the early 20th century. This exhibition runs through October 4.

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