The showing...Some of The Best of Art Daegu 2009

Often, when we think of the world of art, we are often limited to the west. Rarely does an artist from the East make that jump to have a global impact as Picasso or van Gogh still have. Often for the artists, language is an incredible barrier, however I found myself in South Korea at the International Art Fair in Daegu with a feast of surprises. I am the compulsive art fan, the voyeur of the sublime creations I have found throughout my search for something more real and tangible. Maybe I am looking for a message, a story that has seemed to get washed away with the commercialism that has in my opinion stained the world of art in recent years.

There seems to be fewer innovations, more playing it safe to get the bigger and better commissions. I don't criticize the need to sustain yourself and earn, yet there seems to be fewer artists that take chances, and even fewer that embrace an original thought. There seems to be something wrong with how we are going about this. No one seems to be pursuing the levels of the past great masters. I am not seeking perfection in the works. I am seeking the story. Something that will stop me dead in my tracks and make me imagine again. Something that speaks to me and exposes something personal about the artist's inspiration. People have forgotten when you seek to please everyone, you please no one, so for your pleasure let me share with you what I have found in South Korea.

From the exterior of the building, the winds are blowing a cool breeze, cool enough to make you hug yourself. There has been a lot of change going on in the world of art. Some of it has been great. Some of it, such as the downturn in the market, not so great. This is a time when a lot of people need hope, and in such times a lot of people look to the world of art to inspire them.This is the third International Art Fair in Daegu, South Korea. It was a massive display of talent with 55 galleries present, a few independent artists, a scout exhibition for a few emerging talents and an exhibition of 100 young artists.

I was excited to see what I would find, so I selected Sunday afternoon to walk these corridors of dreams. Specifically targeting what I hadn't really seen before. There were many notables I wanted to include in this posting, such as the work of Marc Quinn, Yong Sae Kim, Robert Cambas, Kim Dong Kwang , Jung-Hun Kang (Young Artist-Scout Project)...just to name a few.

In this series, entitled Cover-Uncover, the medium of paper, acrylic and fabric on the obverse side of the canvas. Category: 100 Young Artists Show Artist: Yuni Cung

The message in this untitled work is so clear...it doesn't matter what language you speak. From the series, Human-Learn. Medium: Oil on Canvas Category: 100 Young Artists Show Artist: Dae -Hyeon Gim

Acrylic on canvas...and trust me I looked at this one closely...because I haven't seen such detail like this in a while from so one so young. Blessed are The Pure for They Shall See God rendered in the 100 young artists show. Artist: Ji-Woong Kang

I love optical illusion pieces. Every single piece is flat as a board, acrylic on canvas. The series: Cubeshape-Myth These are the works of Gi-Hyeok Shin. Gallery: Lee Gallery

I must have made him laugh too hard or he was anticipating a flash (which of course I did not use), but this the artist, Chan-Sung Jung with his work, Black Hole. Medium Korean Paper and Korean Ink. He calls his method, Energy-Graphy.

I close with two pieces from the same artist I was very impressed with, not just his style range...but how I reacted to the pieces personally. Art is a very personal experience for each viewer. The artist's name is Seung-Yong Kwak. The above piece are tiles that are individually worked with all differing types of media...he took Warhol's style and ran with it..updating it. This is a piece you really want to spend time with. His works are on display at the Gongsan Gallery.

This is a piece from his series Old-Future. From piece to piece I looked at these nudes and smiled at the painted flesh. Gallery: Gallery Gongsan

For all of my friends in the art world in the West...don't discount the East. Get ready...and dazzle them here. The buzz starts now. They still believe in art and so do I.

I hope you enjoyed the showing.