Korea, two young men vandalize a $500,000 painting-unbeknownst to them

A couple damages a $500,000 painting-unbeknownst to them. It happened, as Reuters news agency reports, last Friday at the Lotte World Mall in Seoul, South Korea, where a large eight-by-seven-foot abstract painting by American artist JonOne, who created it in 2016 in front of the public, was on display. Since then, the work has been on display along with brushes and paint cans that were used in its creation because they are considered part of the work itself. The painting was part of the Street Noise exhibition organized by the mall in collaboration with the Contents Creator of Culture gallery.

The couple strolling through the mall, however, misinterpreted the artist’s intentions, thinking it was a participatory work: so, they took some paint and splashed it on the painting (the “intervention” of the two are the three dark spots seen in the center of the work). The woman and the man, two young men, were caught on surveillance cameras spreading the paint on the work: they were then arrested and immediately released. The owner of the gallery that owns the painting, Kang Wook, let it be known that he will not press charges because he understood that the two young people were in good faith: “They thought it was a participatory artwork and made a mistake. We are now considering with the artist whether to restore the work.”

Now, however, the gallery has chosen to be more cautious, adding a “do not touch” sign (there has been much discussion in Korea about the fact, and part of the public blames the gallery, saying that it did not protect the work sufficiently and clearly). However, Kang Wook let it be known that following the incident, the exhibition where the work is displayed has experienced an increase in visits. Finally, according to reports in the Korea Times newspaper, contacts have been initiated between the couple and the artist to assess whether there are grounds to file an insurance claim: if not, the two will probably have to pay compensation.

Pictured is the painting after the damage (Reuters/Minwoo Park photo)

Korea, two young men vandalize a $500,000 painting-unbeknownst to them

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