Visitors wait in line to see Ron Mueck’s exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), as seen in this photo provided by the museum. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Australian artist Ron Mueck’s solo exhibition at a Seoul museum has drawn a record number of average daily visitors, organizers said Friday.
The large-scale exhibition has attracted an average of 7,400 visitors on weekends and 4,200 on weekdays since opening April 11 at the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA).
As of Thursday, a cumulative number of 106,999 people had visited the gallery to experience the exhibition.
The daily average of 5,000 is the highest attendance since the Seoul branch opened, a figure representing an increase of more than four times compared to the exhibition with the highest daily average last year, according to the MMCA.
Curator Hong Lee-ji at the museum said Mueck’s works stir emotions and elicit empathy upon viewing, as they depict familiar human figures, rendered with “unbelievable realism.”
“It is noticeable how much conversation takes place among visitors in the exhibition space, perhaps because the sense of contemplation and wonder sparked by the works leads them to ponder questions about human existence,” she said.
The MMCA is hosting Asia’s first retrospective of the artist, showcasing 24 pieces, alongside two documentary films. The selection includes some of his most iconic works, as well as several rarely exhibited internationally.
Among them is “Mass,” an installation consisting of 100 large-scale resin human skulls. It is displayed vertically for the first time, utilizing the MMCA’s unique architecture. Transporting the installation to Korea required a two-month shipping process.
The MMCA noted the exhibition offers a deeply immersive experience, encouraging visitors to reflect on their emotions and personal responses evoked by the artist’s sculptures, rendered either smaller or larger than life.
The exhibition runs through July 13.
(Yonhap)
