An installation view of “Suh Se Ok X LG OLED: Reimagined by Suh Do Ho, Shaped by Suh Eul Ho” shown at Frieze Seoul 2024 at Coex (Courtesy of LG OLED)

The work of Suh Se-ok, a late pioneer of modern Korean ink painting, has been re-created as media art for the third edition of Frieze Seoul in the LG OLED lounge. The re-creation was made possible through collaboration between LG OLED and the late artist's two sons: artist Suh Do-ho and architect Suh Eul-ho.

The exhibition “Suh Se Ok X LG OLED: Reimagined by Suh Do Ho, Shaped by Suh Eul Ho” -- which is on view during Frieze Seoul at Coex until Saturday -- shows media works in the form of animation shorts, bringing several of the artist's masterpieces to life. The digital work was created by Suh Do-ho using LG’s transparent OLED TV displays.

“It was an opportunity for us to deeply study the artist Suh Se-ok’s philosophy -- not just as our father but as an artist,” Suh Eul-ho told The Korea Herald on the project. “He explored Korean ink painting quite progressively and this is another progressive attempt by our generation to create his work in media art using a brand new technology.”

An installation view of “Suh Se Ok X LG OLED: Reimagined by Suh Do Ho, Shaped by Suh Eul Ho” shown at Frieze Seoul 2024 at Coex (Courtesy of LG OLED)

As an architect, Suh Eul-ho oversaw the exhibition’s spatial design, arranging the space to allow visitors an expansive view of the entire exhibition. Shown as media artwork are seven of the elder Suh’s original paintings, including: “Joyful rain,” “Person” and “Dancing People.”

The exhibition marks the first presentation of media art created using LG's transparent OLED TV, a newly launched wireless OLED TV display with a transparent screen. LG OLED is the official headline partner of Frieze Seoul as part of the LG OLED art initiative with the motto "We inspire art."

The late Suh’s brush comes to life on a transparent OLED TV panel, painting a group of people holding hands, standing shoulder to shoulder.

The artist was a pioneer of Korean modern art, delving into ink lines and dots as he explored the space between the figurative and the abstract. His works are influenced by literati painting, a painting genre that flourished among scholars in the Joseon era (1392-1920).

“Witnessing the moment the LG OLED screen became transparent, it felt as if a two-dimensional picture was transformed into a three-dimensional space, revealing the space behind the painting that had been invisible for several thousands of years,” said Suh Do-ho, who is a leading contemporary artist.

Footage of artist Suh Se-ok painting in ink is part of the exhibition “Suh Se Ok X LG OLED: Reimagined by Suh Do Ho, Shaped by Suh Eul Ho.” (Courtesy of LG OLED)

At the back of the exhibition space, a large media panel comprised of 24 OLED displays presents behind-the-scenes footage of Suh at work.

Most of the late artist’s collection, including some 2,300 works by him, was donated to Seongbuk-gu in northern Seoul, where the artist lived for 60 years, in 2021. The works are held at the Seongbuk Museum of Art. Suh died in 2020 at the age of 91.