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Atelier Ghana: Since 1975 Happiness Is Chocolate
Over the past half century, Ghana Chocolate has established itself as the chocolate that represents Korea, filling the myriad moments in everyday life with sweetness and softness. From the soft melting sensation of the first bite, to the deep and rich flavor that spreads in your mouth, and to the warm feeling that comes with it, Ghana Chocolate has been more than just a snack; it has been stirring emotions and connecting us with special moments in our memories.
When Ghana Chocolate was introduced to the world in 1975, it was aimed to become a cultural keyword that goes beyond taste and aroma, captivating people’s hearts and stimulating their artistic senses. It was also a medium to share happiness with loved ones, to comfort oneself, to find peace of mind, and to celebrate special moments and new beginnings. Over the past 50 years, Ghana Chocolate has become more than just chocolate. It has become a part of everyday life, bringing happiness and joy.
This exhibition looks back on Ghana Chocolate’s 50-year history, aiming to expand its artistic meaning from the chocolate to the artwork. Through five Korean and international contemporary artists(GRAFFLEX, Meeyoung Kim, COIN PARKING DELIVERY, Seon Ghi BAHK, Sunwoo Kim), each with a different formative language imbuing visual imagination, the sensory experience of Ghana Chocolate is translated into artistic symbols.
GRAFFLEX turns the moment of Ghana Chocolate’s birth into a visualized space in his unique language, while Meeyoung Kim matches the softness of chocolate with her own method to create a massive video artwork. Japan-based artist COIN PARKING DELIVERY presents an installation sculpture that explores the meaning of relationships through the act of sharing chocolate for the first time ever in Korea, and in the hands of Korea’s leading installation artist Seon Ghi BAHK, a massive artwork that expands the form of the chocolate grid into space is reborn into a poetic language using charcoal. Lastly, “dodo bird artist” Sunwoo Kim depicts the journey of a dodo bird in search of the finest cacao in the African jungle.
The exhibition’s title, Atelier Ghana, uses the French word “atelier,” which means “workshop” or “workroom.” LOTTE Museum of Art captures the 50 years of Ghana Chocolate by turning the familiar snack in our everyday lives into a special space to experience works of art. Ghana Chocolate aims to be experienced as an artistic sensation, and it has been reinterpreted through the collaboration with contemporary artists, conveying a heritage that contains history and philosophy rather than a mere dessert.
In celebration of Ghana Chocolate’s 50th anniversary, we hope that this exhibition, where art and sensation, as well as creativity and emotion intersect, will bring new meaning to the chocolatey special moments in your memories.
Through pixel art and his character named Bold, GRAFFLEX has built his unique style by iconizing various people, objects, and situations. Through various forms of artwork such as paintings, illustrations, videos, and installations, he unravels the connection, collision, and transformation processes and recreates images from mass media to share his own “art world” with this era.
Meeyoung Kim combines oriental painting techniques with oil painting, resulting in brushstrokes that show vitality in her paintings. Rather than binding the emotions in everyday life with a narrative or theme, she applies and overlaps momentary inspirations on the canvas, repeating similar strokes. Through this, she creates her unique abstract shapes, as well as a deep connection with the audience.
COIN PARKING DELIVERY is a mysterious artist who keeps their identity a secret. Baptized with the hot shutters of downtown Japan, their face is always covered by a blue “Shirai-san” mask, arousing people’s curiosity. “Shirai-san,” who appears in all their works, is a combination of a dinosaur and an alien, symbolizing the past and future respectively. They connect the two points of view, past and future, resulting in the present.
World-renowned installation artist Seon Ghi BAHK uses charcoal as a medium to connect nature with humankind, showcasing the expansiveness of art through his own formative language. Using charcoal as the material for his works, the theme of “generation and extinction” runs through the world of his works. The massive charcoal object embroidering the exhibition space is reminiscent of an oriental painting that unfolds differently depending on the viewing angle, leading the audience to imagine the unknown.
Sunwoo Kim uses the dodo bird as a medium to tell stories of modern people’s dreams and possibilities. By “resurrecting” the extinct dodo bird, which had “given up” on flying, in his works, he offers warm encouragement to modern people who are wandering in the harsh reality, in hopes that they do not lose their dreams and ideals.
OPENING HOURS
• LOTTE Department Store Avenue is closed on the same days as the holidays above, but the schedule is subject to change.
CONTACT US
TICKET PRICE
| Age | General ㅣ 1 person | Super Early bird l 1 person | Early bird l 1 person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult,Youth l 13 and over | ￦12,000 | ￦6,000 | ￦7,200 |
| Child l 3-12 | ￦6,000 | ￦3,000 | ￦3,600 |
| Under 3 years | Free | Free | Free |
