A large-scale painting depicting South Korea’s president Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee topless is at the centre of a censorship row.
ArtAsiaPacific reports that the group exhibition Goodbye in Seoul at the National Assembly Building was closed just hours after opening, when the government agency responsible for the building grew concerned that the artwork – in which Yoon towers over a cityscape brandishing a sword – was critical of the country’s leader.
The secretariat said that they were withdrawing permission for the exhibition, organised in part by the Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organization of Korea, as the work potentially violated ‘individual rights, public morals, and social ethics, including those slandering specific individuals and groups.’
As the Chinese government has introduced more censorship to Hong Kong, South Korea has recently seen an influx of galleries setting up shop, eager for a base in Asia, as well as the latest outpost of the Frieze art fair. This latest show, featuring 80 artworks by 30 artists, was intended to last five days.
