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| Olimpia Zagnoli's "Summer Girl" (2021) for Lotte / Courtesy of the artist and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts |
Zagnoli's first exhibition in Korea crosses boundaries between cities, genders and mediums
By Park Han-sol
Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli's appetite for highly saturated color blocks and their playful mixes have given birth to some immediately recognizable designs that found their way into publications, fashion houses and art galleries around the world.
Her bold and fresh palette has popped up everywhere ― the covers of The New York Times and The New Yorker, inside the New York subway train and fashion collections with Prada, Dior, Fendi and Seoul-based Innisfree.
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| Illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli speaks during a press preview held at the Sejong Museum of Art in central Seoul for her exhibition, "Life is Color." Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts |
"Color is an essential part of my work, not only in terms of its palette but also its structural aspect. It helps me give an atmosphere, mood to my work," she said at a recent press preview at the museum, where more than 150 of her illustrations, site-specific installations and videos are on display.
One quick look at the high-spirited illustrator already offered a hint of the multihued, quirky wonderland that was about to unfold inside the gallery as she donned a deep blue maxi dress, coily green heels and a jacket ― a handmade gift from her sister that portrays a map of pasta in Italy.
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| Installation view of "Life is Color" at the Sejong Museum of Art / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol |
The exhibition is a cornucopia of eye-catching delights in the truest sense of the word as the voluptuous forms captured in vibrantly contrasting hues roam freely within each canvas.
From still-life illustrations born from her childhood memories in Italy in the early 1990s to visual celebrations of urban and natural landscapes ― including iconic skyscrapers in New York, Milan and her hometown, Reggio Emilia, as well as the panoramic Mediterranean scenery ― Zagnoli's works are filled with bits and pieces of hues "grabbed" from her surroundings and reborn with her touch of imagination.
There are pieces that have been created specifically for the Korean show: "Night in Seoul," which depicts Kyobo Tower standing in southern Seoul, and "The Kiss" oil painting series.
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| Installation view of "Life is Color" at the Sejong Museum of Art / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol |
But she highlighted that the most prominent subject in her illustration works are humans ― their bodies and relationships as they mingle with one another.
"They represent various people ― people that I met, people that I observe in the street, people that I would like to meet in the future and perhaps a version of myself (from the past or the future)," she said.
"And I always try to make my work as inclusive as possible, using different kinds of people, different colors, different sizes and different genders. I also invent new people that maybe you would never find (in real life)."
One particularly interesting section is "The Body Electric," where she features a collection of works dedicated to human bodies as tools to tell different stories outside of fixed social norms.
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| A view of Zagnoli's "How to Eat Spaghetti Like a Lady" (2017) / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol |
Her "How to Eat Spaghetti Like a Lady" on view is an entertaining challenge to Time Life's photographs published in 1942 as a step-by-step guide to instruct women on how to consume a bowl of spaghetti in the supposedly most dignified way.
"The idea for my work is to instead decide to enjoy your food the way you want and be comfortable with your body, be comfortable with your space… It's a celebration of a healthy relationship between yourself and food and the world around you," she noted.
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| Olimpia Zagnoli's "Burst into Bloom" (2020) for The New York Times / Courtesy of the artist and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts |
Before saying "Ciao," the show finishes with a section showcasing how her digital illustrations are brought alive as three-dimensional, everyday products ― textiles, cappuccino cups, shopping bags, pizza boxes, tissue packets and makeup palettes.
"I really like the flexibility of this art. It can become something that's framed and hung in an apartment, but also can become an everyday product that you can keep in your purse," Zagnoli said.
"Life is Color" runs through Oct. 1 at the Sejong Museum of Art of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
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| Installation view of the section, "Changing Room," featuring a series of Zagnoli's illustrations created for the fashion house Dior / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol |
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