Art Class: 'Is it Tomorrow Yet?' Coco Capitán @ Daerim Museum, Seoul

‘She must be from a rich family’ I said to my friend who is an art dealer working in the heart of Seoul.

‘Why would you say that?’ she responded.

- ‘There’s just no way an artist of my age would be taken seriously enough to get a solo exhibition in Seoul without some kind of trust fund’.

Now that I mentioned it I could be wrong, but I think it highly unlikely. I know many struggling artists who are the same age as me and therefore I am aware of the constant struggle they go through to get their work seen by the right people. Those who are an overnight success are usually a cocktail of foreign or domestic old money, trust fund or otherwise, family connections and incredible heritage stories which read like something out of a Jane Austen novel. I hardly ever see working class artists blossoming and doing great things while being taken seriously by the art world before the age of 30.

So, then the debate question of the day, just because someone has financial help, does that mean we should shun the work of the artist, or should we be careful to not judge the artist and focus solely on the art itself? Should the latter prevail, I have absolutely no qualms with Coco Capitan as an artist. Her work indeed interesting and it fits the aesthetic of the Instagram friendly, social media haven that is the Daerim Museum.

Coco Capitán is a 26 year old Spanish artist from Seville.  She studied at the University Arts London and is predominantly a photographer who has notably worked with Gucci and many other high end brands. Her exhibition at the Daelim Museum in Seoul features around 150 of her works and includes, paintings, photography, video installations and hand writings. Quite an extensive overview of her work in my opinion.

There were some rooms I prefered more than others. I particularly liked the room decorated like a swimming pool which features her portraits of the Spanish National schronized swimming team. Furthermore, her photography which greets you in the first room you enter stands out quite a bit. 

This exhibition is running until 27th January 2019 so there's plenty of time to go and see it if you have a holiday to Seoul coming up or if you live there. Don't let my constant parnoia of nepotism stop you from enjoying this fantastic exhbition.