Some stories are passed down for decades, from grandparents to their grandgrandchildren. The well-known tale The Little Prince (1943) is such a story as the heartwarming tales appeal to everyone across time in each stage of life. Inspired by the long-loved classic, the exhibition Dear My Little Prince brings the fantastic world into reality in the form of a unique exhibition. With media artworks that put a new spin on the old classic, the exhibition evokes the purity of childhood memories and fuels the imagination to interpret the story once again.
The well-known story of The Little Prince ironically does not come to one’s mind from the first glance of the exhibition. While walking through the divided sections with exhibitions from different artists, viewers can gain new insights into the characters and plot. The artworks are not limited to two dimensional paintings but also involve stereoscopic displays, installation works, and projected videos. The entire exhibition is composed of two floors that lead the audience to walk through the story and bring up past memories of The Little Prince.
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| ▲ The dynamic view of the words relating to The Little Prince. Photographed by Lee Jae Eun. |
Bringing Back the Recollection of the Little Prince
From the beginning of the exhibition, familiar phrases and images related to the little prince can be seen. Moving further ahead, the works of different artists are divided into separate rooms in which the audience can engage deeply by stepping into each area. In the sections, there are distinctive spaces in which one can take part in the exhibition by adding one’s own interpretation. For instance, there is an installed house that is covered with notes of people’s drawings of their own sheep that are different from the sheep that appear in the original tale. There is a chance for people to think about the sheep in their mind and compare them with the other drawings attached to the outside of the house.
The exhibition also offers endless visual pleasures through colorful and structural artworks. There are numerous three-dimensional structures by Unsik Jeong, who perceived each character not in the minds of children but in the view of adults. Unlike the smooth textures, the characters are constructed with metal plates in different layers. At first, it may seem uneven, but the discrete layers are all connected by joints and natural gaps in between. Another stereoscopic work appears on top of the passageway which is depicted in words related to the little prince. The gleaming phrases hang down from the ceiling and also excite the curiosity of what words that are related to the Little Prince.
Innovative Features Throughout the Journey
Out of all the startling installations, one noticeable artwork with unrevealed meanings turns the audience’s eyes to take another glance. At the first sight, the artwork seems like a fancy chandelier without much significance and relevance to the story. Despite the first impression, the artwork Dreaming Chewing Gum (2018) by Jieun Gu offers innovative views that reflect the vanity in society. The artist utilizes 2,000 pieces of chewing gum to portray people’s immature vanity inside and encourage viewers to look back at themselves. This artwork is inspired by the vain figure who exaggeratedly expresses oneself in the original story of the Little Prince. As whole, the artwork intends to inspire individuals to reflect on their true inner self and connotes the solitary reality of modern people represented as pieces of bubble gum surrounded by exaggerated wrappers.
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| ▲ "Dreaming Chewing Gum" by Jieun Gu. Photographed by Lee Jae Eun. |
At the end of the journey, a special zone with bountiful numbers of red roses await viewers. Red roses symbolize the moment when the little prince cried out at the 5,000 roses he sees on Earth. It made him heartbroken since when he first saw the spectacle of the numerous roses, he only had one rose in his hand which seemed comparatively humble. Nonetheless, after learning the values of taming, he realizes the significance of his own rose. With this story in mind, the audiences visit this section and are invited to write what they found valuable and precious through the exhibition. Furthermore, they may write a letter to their own Little Prince or to themselves who have become Little Prince during the exhibition.
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| ▲ The end of the exihibition surrounded with red roses. Photographed by Lee Jae Eun. |
Although the exhibition may be crowded with an overwhelming number of people, there is enough time to visit as it is being held for a relatively long period of time, until January 27 2019. The exhibition offers various analyses of the characters and plot of the story, to which individuals can add interpretations and thoughts throughout the process. It is open to any imaginative ideas and visions one may offer throughout the exhibition. Familiar characters that appear in the story can be seen in three dimensional forms and the entire space brings back memories of the tale.
Dear My Little Prince is an exhibition that inspires the audience with imagination and interpretations of the artworks. The displays are separated around the spaces with uniqueness of their own which enables people to reinterpret and add inspiration. The audience can adore the characters in the old memories, take a photo together, and even write notes that add on to the story of the exhibition. In virtue of the exhibition, spectators can recollect old memories of past times reading The Little Prince and at the same time can be motivated to read the story again. With the new inspiration earned throughout the exhibition, viewers can gain a broader perspective on the messages the little prince delivers.
