The Nearest Faraway Place: Friedrich Kunath at Pace Gallery Seoul

Located on Itaewon-ro in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Pace Gallery Seoul presents The Nearest Faraway Place, a solo exhibition dedicated to German-born, Los Angeles-based artist Friedrich Kunath. This showcase marks the artist’s inaugural solo presentation held at the gallery’s dedicated Seoul space.

Spanning the gallery’s second and third floors, the presentation features over 30 brand-new paintings and watercolor drawings. Fusing American popular culture iconography with landscape painting traditions, Kunath’s works contemplate themes of geographical movement, emotional distance, inner longing, and melancholia.

The Nearest Faraway Place Visitor Information

• Exhibition Title: The Nearest Faraway Place
• Exhibition Period: September 1, 2026 – October 24, 2026
• Venue: Pace Gallery Seoul, 2nd and 3rd Floors (267 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul)
• Opening Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Regular Closures: Closed every Sunday and Monday
• Admission: Free
• Participating Artist: Friedrich Kunath

Where Romantic Landscape Traditions Intersect with Pop Culture Iconography

Friedrich Kunath synthesizes the sublime painterly traditions of German Romanticism with ubiquitous emblems drawn from American popular culture. Following his debut collaboration after joining Pace Gallery’s program in 2025, this exhibition serves as the gallery’s first solo venue presentation spotlighting Kunath’s newly produced canvases in Korea.

By juxtaposing mundane everyday motifs against sweeping sunset horizons, the artist imbues each composition with a poignant sense of uncanny irony. Across two gallery floors, approximately 30 paintings and delicate watercolor drawings thoughtfully articulate physical displacement, emotional resonance, and unfulfilled longing.

Three Viewing Highlights to Explore in the Galleries

• Emotional Undulations Behind the Horizon: Discover subtle emotional ripples concealed beneath lyrical vistas, such as solitary figures contemplating dramatic sunsets or endless highways receding past distant horizons.
• Lyrical Musicality Echoing Song Structures: The title The Nearest Faraway Place is borrowed from an instrumental track by The Beach Boys. The works reverberate with the melodious, bittersweet lyricism characteristic of a poignant pop ballad.
• Contrasts Between Watercolor Drawings and Surreal Motifs: Compare the spontaneous emotional immediacy of watercolor drawings against the uncanny surrealism found in new series featuring half-submerged cars in water.

Practical Visitor Guidelines Before Arriving at Pace Gallery Seoul

Situated in Hannam-dong along Itaewon-ro, Pace Gallery Seoul is open to the general public free of charge, requiring no advance reservation.

Operating hours run Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Please note that the gallery is closed every Sunday and Monday, so visitors should verify the weekday schedule before heading out. The exhibition occupies both the second and third floor gallery spaces.

Official Announcements and Related Exhibitions

For official exhibition details and artist biographies, consult the Pace Gallery official website.

To continue your gallery journey across Seoul, explore our guide to the relational group show Becoming With or discover Cuban modernism in Wifredo Lam: A New New World.