This fall and winter have been busy for photographer and OC BFF Ryan McGinley, with two solo exhibitions and a museum survey show. As you probably remember, he started out in the early fall with Yearbook at Ratio 3 Gallery in San Francisco, where Holy Shit gave an awesome live performance. Next, it was off to Seoul, Korea, where he opened his survey exhibition Magic Magnifier at the Daelim Museum. As if that wasn't enough, Ryan rounded out the year with yet another show, Body Loud, at Galerie Perrotin in Paris. Whew! In case you couldn't be in all of those time zones, check out some of the highlights from the Paris and Seoul shows in the photos and video (set to a soundtrack by his favorite new musician, Sean Nicholas Savage) below. Plus, see when he had to say about it all, in our interview!
How was it to see four floors of 14 years of work under one roof, at the Daelim Museum?
It was very emotional. I've never seen all those bodies of work together. When I walked into the museum before the show opening, I shed a few tears.
What was the difference between the Seoul and Paris openings?
I didn't realize I had so many teenage girl fans in Korea! I kind of felt like The Beatles over there. Paris was much more mellow. I loved how so many people brought their little dogs to the opening, it really made my night.
What work was in Korea and what was in Paris?
Korea was four floors. It included early documentary work from downtown NYC, numerous pieces from my US cross-country trips, cave pictures from Moonmilk, my Animals series, black-and-white studio nudes, and the top floor was centered around music. It had work from my Morrissey project, the video "Varuo" I made for Sigur Rós, and a large-scale grid called You and My Friends. Paris included pieces I made this past summer. It centered around many themes that I continue to explore with the nude––Explosions, Animals, Botany, Dendrology, Suspension, and the vast landscapes of America.
What was the most exciting moment for you in Korea and Paris?
When I saw buses driving around Seoul with my photos on them, I nearly fainted. After my opening in Paris, my best friend Amy got mugged. I had to leave my afterparty and go to the Police Department to rescue her. In the video, we reinacted her altercation on the street outside the precinct.
We see Agnès b. is in your video; she has always been a supporter of your work.
I love her, she's my fairy godmother. She helped me get on my feet as an artist and helped support my first cross-country journey. She's given me a suit to wear at every single one of my openings around the world for the last 11 years, it's a tradition now.
Magic Magnifier at Daelim Museum in Seoul, Korea is open through February 23, 2014 | Body Loud at Galerie Perrotin in Paris, France is open through January 11th, 2014. | Visit Ryan's website, or keep up with him on Instagram
How was it to see four floors of 14 years of work under one roof, at the Daelim Museum?
It was very emotional. I've never seen all those bodies of work together. When I walked into the museum before the show opening, I shed a few tears.
What was the difference between the Seoul and Paris openings?
I didn't realize I had so many teenage girl fans in Korea! I kind of felt like The Beatles over there. Paris was much more mellow. I loved how so many people brought their little dogs to the opening, it really made my night.
What work was in Korea and what was in Paris?
Korea was four floors. It included early documentary work from downtown NYC, numerous pieces from my US cross-country trips, cave pictures from Moonmilk, my Animals series, black-and-white studio nudes, and the top floor was centered around music. It had work from my Morrissey project, the video "Varuo" I made for Sigur Rós, and a large-scale grid called You and My Friends. Paris included pieces I made this past summer. It centered around many themes that I continue to explore with the nude––Explosions, Animals, Botany, Dendrology, Suspension, and the vast landscapes of America.
What was the most exciting moment for you in Korea and Paris?
When I saw buses driving around Seoul with my photos on them, I nearly fainted. After my opening in Paris, my best friend Amy got mugged. I had to leave my afterparty and go to the Police Department to rescue her. In the video, we reinacted her altercation on the street outside the precinct.
We see Agnès b. is in your video; she has always been a supporter of your work.
I love her, she's my fairy godmother. She helped me get on my feet as an artist and helped support my first cross-country journey. She's given me a suit to wear at every single one of my openings around the world for the last 11 years, it's a tradition now.
Magic Magnifier at Daelim Museum in Seoul, Korea is open through February 23, 2014 | Body Loud at Galerie Perrotin in Paris, France is open through January 11th, 2014. | Visit Ryan's website, or keep up with him on Instagram