A home represents the identity of its inhabitant; it’s the summation of their personal taste. What can we expect from the house of a persona with a unique eye for beauty? From November 15, 2024, to May 18, 2025, D MUSEUM will host Art in Life, Life in Art. This exhibition brings together artistic masterpieces and custom-made furniture by some of the world’s best-known artists.
This exhibition marks a fresh start for our feature exhibitions, taking up the mantle from the Collection series that the DAELIM CULTURAL FOUNDATION has been running since 2006. At the same time, the exhibition commemorates the 10th anniversary of the opening of D MUSEUM, which has been hosting bold and original exhibitions and cultural programs since 2015. Experience the spaces of five personas adorned with art collections expressing their individual taste, identity, and sense of aesthetics—spaces inspired by the home, the most intimate spaces in our lives.
These spaces, embodying the tastes of these five distinct personas, are decorated with more than 300 pieces by over 70 World-known artists who are adored in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia for their original work. There are masterpieces by such artistic prodigies as Whanki Kim, Park Seo-bo, Alexander Calder, and Pablo Picasso and designer furniture by such architects as Jean Prouvé and Finn Juhl. This vast, immersive exhibition covers the 2,000 square meters of the museum’s three floors, which have turned into “houses” encapsulating the distinct tastes of each
These spaces, embodying the tastes of these five distinct personas, are decorated with more than 300 pieces by over 70 World-known artists who are adored in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia for their original work. There are masterpieces by such artistic prodigies as Whanki Kim, Park Seo-bo, Alexander Calder, and Pablo Picasso and designer furniture by such architects as Jean Prouvé and Finn Juhl. This vast, immersive exhibition covers the 2,000 square meters of the museum’s three floors, which have turned into “houses” encapsulating the distinct tastes of each persona. There are five personas altogether, each abounding with originality: a video director, a tea sommelier, a plant stylist, a chef, and a gallery curator.
In the SPLIT HOUSE on M2, two contrasting tastes coexist. Divided by two entrances, the house features a space that fully reflects the aesthetic sensibility of a son in his twenties, a video director interested in popular culture. Here, visitors encounter works by Yu Nagaba, Aokabi Saya, Sim Raejung, and Koichi Yairi, notable for their distinctive animation and graphic styles.
Conversely, upon entering the residence of his mother in her fifties, a tea sommelier who collects artworks imbued with refined aesthetics, you are greeted by masterpieces from Lee Seung Jio, Kim Whanki, Park Seo-Bo, Cha Ouhi, Jun Takahashi, Kwak Chulan, Ingo Maurer, Jean-Marie Massaud, Renzo Frau & Fornasetti, Frank Lloyd Wright. These are harmoniously arranged alongside witty pieces by young artists like Koichiro Takagi, TIDE, and Atsushi Kaga, creating a space where different yet similar sensibilities coexist in harmony throughout the house.
The TERRACE HOUSE on M3 embodies the tastes of a couple in their thirties who share a common passion for nature and wellness. The vibrant works of Claude Viallat, Lee Kangso, Koo Seong Yeon, Yukari Nishi, Lee Eun, Pablo Picasso, Frank Stella, Nam Jinu, Patricia Urquiola, Rolf Knudsen & Sophie Nielsen, Gio Ponti evoke an abundance of vitality. In the dining room, a captivating centerpiece by Suh Seok, abstracting dynamic gestures, commands attention. On the terrace, designed as an intimate sanctuary, furniture and objects crafted by Darren and Candice Romanelli, creators of art furniture and ceramic works, blend seamlessly with paintings by Sayre Gomez and Alfonso Gonzalez Jr., harmonizing art and design in a serene setting.
Finally, the DUPLEX HOUSE on M4 is the house of a male gallerist in his forties who, guided by maximalist tastes, collects a broad spectrum of artworks. The space, reminiscent of a relocated gallery with its white walls and duplex structure, is filled with pieces by Alexander Calder, Yoshiki Muramatsu, Nam June Paik, Haroshi, Javier Calleja, Koichi Sato, Jean Prouvé, Poul Henningsen, and Finn Juhl showcasing a discerning eye that spans both emerging talents and established masters, vintage and contemporary. The space is densely arrayed with works by Marion Peck, Roby Dwi Antono, Raymond Lemstra, and Noh Sangho, which stimulate curiosity and imagination. Striking pieces notable for their bold color contrasts by Hiroki Tsukuda, Stickymonger, Keiichi Tanaami, and Masato Mori further enrich the collection.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our homes have grown in significance, playing an increasingly important role as a place for resting and for working, for enjoying recreation and pursuing hobbies. And given the continuing trend for consumers to exercise their taste and express their distinctive personality and identity, the home is no longer just a place that meets our basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. Rather, the home has become a space that effortlessly showcases its occupants’ aesthetic taste. Residences that were once largely private and only rarely shared with others have transcended practical functionality to emerge as spaces conveying our individuality and identity. Reflecting these current trends, this exhibition postulates the new values of the home. What has been the most private and intimate space in our lives is now becoming a showcase for personal style through art collections encapsulating our aesthetic sense and identity.
This exhibition offers the experience of stepping foot into another’s private space filled with a loving collection of artwork, designer furniture, and decorative objects. We are encouraged to look both at ourselves and the familiar scenes around us with fresh eyes and to encounter the intimate space of the home. The exhibition offers a unique chance to learn how our lives can be enriched by the junction of art and the everyday.
