Gu Chaeyeon Invitational Exhibition ‘Today, How Is Your Heart?’ Held to Great Acclaim at Lotte Department Store Dongtan GalleryT ‘A Wave of Emotion Spanning Generations’

The invitational exhibition by Gu Chaeyeon, ‘Today, How Is Your Heart?’, has been unfolding to great acclaim since June 9 at the first-floor main building ‘GalleryT (GalleryT)’ of Lotte Department Store Dongtan.

Entrance to the ‘GalleryT’ gallery at Lotte Department Store Dongtan. Works by Gu Chaeyeon selected under the theme ‘Today, How Is Your Heart?’ are on display.

Continuing through the 28th, this exhibition captures a wide range of emotions and inner landscapes that modern people easily overlook in daily life, through a warm, delicate gaze unique to the artist.

From joy and excitement to inner anxiety and emptiness, complex and subtle feelings that are difficult to put into words are faithfully woven into the works, offering visitors to the gallery a ‘healing time to slowly look into their own inner selves’.

The ‘GalleryT (GalleryT)’ main venue at the Dongtan location sits at the center of the luxury hall inside the department store, where luxury fashion and high-end living art brands line the floor, drawing attention.

GalleryT main gallery (Lotte Department Store Dongtan 1F Main Building)

These characteristics of the exhibition space create synergy in delivering the artistic value and refined aesthetics of the work by Gu Chaeyeon to the public in an intuitive, meaningful way. At the threshold of the full summer season, attention is gathering around the gallery as visitors look to enjoy high-caliber art culture alongside shopping.

At Lotte Department Store Dongtan, the theme of the solo exhibition by Gu Chaeyeon is ‘Today, How Is Your Heart?’. It features sculptural textures, works within works, and storytelling.

Notably, the show is popular with a broad spectrum of visitors across generations, rather than remaining within a particular age range. From affectionate young couples and spouses to parents holding the hands of small children, and young people visiting with their parents, people of all ages are communicating in one space through the works.

The sight of visitors lingering in front of a canvas to share moving, thrilling moments proves the depth of broad public resonance this exhibition has achieved. One after another, people say they have found joy and solace deep in their hearts, some with moist eyes as they look at the works, others with gentle smiles. They are finding ‘emotion’ in the gallery space.

The key lies in the distinctive bas-relief approach developed by the artist that adds dimensionality to painting, the beautiful colors, and the lyrical storytelling. Gu has built a three-dimensional figurative world by adding structures to the canvas and layering paint through a distinctive matiere (texture) process.

A work by Gu Chaeyeon. It is characterized by dense matiere on the canvas and beautiful, clear colors.

Such thickness and texture are core elements that convey the stories and worldview within the works more vividly. Added to this is a fresh, enriched blue-green tonality reminiscent of Korean porcelain, which draws the eye of visitors.

The forests and trees, small houses and alleyways, the vast sea and teacups that appear in the works are metaphorical subjects that hold the joys and sorrows of our lives. And the ‘cats,’ alter egos of the artist and personifications of modern people, come across as gentle companions who silently stay by your side.

In the eyes of the cats, quietly seated and gazing somewhere, lies the inner story we have not yet managed to bring out. The ‘small golden crown’ they wear on their heads is not only for perfect beings. Even if one faces moments of wavering, loneliness, or clumsiness, it is a metaphor for the gentle encouragement of the artist that ‘as you are now, everyone is a precious being.’ Alongside this, the rainbow rising over a teacup signals hope offered to one another, and the refreshing fountain symbolizes a process of consolation that shakes off the heavy weight of life.

Works such as ‘The Way Home,’ which captures the ‘homecoming’ of modern people through lyrical, deep storytelling, and ‘Counting the Stars,’ which conveys a hope to find the way again even in moments when the direction of life is lost, therefore move visitors.

Opening this invitational show, Gu said, “These days we live facing display screens longer than we face people, yet we are still beings who are comforted heart to heart,” adding, “I hope visitors to the exhibition will carry away the comfort that even without craving ‘a little more,’ I am living well enough as I am now.”

Gu Chaeyeon has continued activities including the ‘ YTN Headquarters Art Square Invitational Exhibition,’ the ‘Seoul Asan Foundation Gallery Gu Chaeyeon Invitational Exhibition,’ the ‘Seoul Museum of Art Asia 100 Invitational Exhibition,’ and the ‘Korea Art Foundation Gu Chaeyeon Exhibition.’ Overseas, she has taken part in the ‘China Shanghai Art Fair’ and the ‘Asia Contemporary Art Show Hong Kong,’ receiving assessments that she captures the ‘joys and sorrows’ of modern life through distinctive compositions, storytelling, colors, and techniques.

In particular, she has depicted ‘hope for life’ by expressing cats, trees, mountains and seas, and teacups in varied palettes. Using a Korean material, ‘yellow clay,’ and shaping ‘teacups’ and ‘porcelain’ in relief on canvas with blue hues have also drawn attention. The Instagram account is ‘koochaeyeon_artist.’ The exhibition runs until the 28th of this month, admission is free, and for those who wish to savor the joy of gently embracing life in a weary daily routine, a visit to GalleryT at Lotte Department Store Dongtan is recommended.

[Exhibition Overview]

Exhibition title: Gu Chaeyeon Invitational Exhibition ‘Today, How Is Your Heart?’

Exhibition period: June 9 (Tue), 2026 ~ June 28 (Sun)

Venue: GalleryT (Lotte Department Store Dongtan 1F Main Building)