Staff at the gallery’s exhibition noticed new strokes on the wall – small touches of dark green to the right of the center – last Sunday. After checking the security camera, two suspects were taken by the police for investigation.
The agency that organized the exhibition told ABC News that it is currently in negotiations with the artist to take appropriate measures.
“We called the police immediately and talked to the insurance company about the damaged artwork,” Kang Wook, CEO of Contents Creator of Culture, co-organizer of the exhibition, told ABC News. “But as a responsible agency, we will do our best to minimize the damage to the couple who have unintentionally vandalized the work.”
According to Kang, graffiti was not framed due to its large size. The vandalized art was 7.8 by 7.8 meters and was the only piece in the exhibition without a frame.
John Andrew Perello, who goes by the name of JonOne, does not plan to respond to the incident, his BEYONDER representative, David Maginot, told ABC News.
JonOne’s damaged artwork is worth about $ 440,000, according to his agency. The “Untitled” graffiti, which attracted even more public attention in South Korea after being painted, will hang until June 13 at the Street Noise exhibition in the Lotte World Mall, based in Seoul.
The decision to show performance equipment in front of JonOne’s work dates back to 2016. JonOne completed the artwork in question during an exhibition at a graffiti museum, “The Great Graffiti”, at the Seoul Arts Center at the time. When the piece was completed, it was displayed along with the props used by the artist, just as the canvas is now.
“The paints and brushes used by the artist make up a complete set with the work of the graffiti canvas,” said Kang. He explained that the props were part of the exhibition to help highlight the history of the artist’s work.
Since the accidental painting, the agency responsible for the exhibition has provided additional guidance for viewers and increased surveillance around the work to prevent such misunderstandings from happening again.
“Due to the characteristics of contemporary art, there will be many events like these going forward. The organizers of the exhibition should take extra care in physically protecting the work of art, as the public may confuse art like JonOne’s with something in which they can scribble, “Ha Jae-geun, a Korean pop culture expert, told ABC News.
JonOne, who now lives in Paris, received the French Legion of Honor in the category of culture and communication in 2015. France’s top award goes to those recognized for their services to the country.
Hakyung Kate Lee of ABC News contributed to this report.
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