Andrew Bae Gallery

I am very disappointed in the Andrew Bae Gallery’s commitment to their clients after the artwork is purchased. When I purchased my painting, they promised to assist with the resale of the work if I ever wished to sell the paintng.
Paying over 5k for the painting this promise was very reassuring. However, several years later, they have not stood behind their promise. Understanding the artist is not as marketable as when I originally purchased the work and the painting has lost significant value I am hoping to find someone that will purchase the work at a significantly reduced price.

I will come back to this place because of the work, the space, and the owners and staff, even though I am still gagging with revulsion after coming face to face with a patron who appeared to be wearing a real leopard skin coat on Friday night. OK, maybe I’ll wait till it’s warm out, in case she is a regular. One star off for the fact that they even let her in the door. That aside, it’s a lovely place, and they don’t seem to hustle their clients out the door at 8 p.m. like some long-​suffering places in River North. The vast majority of the guests are not disporting themselves in animal skins that once graced endangered high-​end carnivores who look just like my cat, fortunately.

You can’t get any more specialized than the narrow specifications of this gallery, but that’s okay. Asian art, specifically Korean art. Can we narrow it down a LITTLE more? No.
Saw a show here tonight by Yongjin Han, a Korean sculptor. Granite forms, elegant and simple. Perfect forms. It again made me want to throw away everything I own, save a Noguchi table, one Eames chair and one of these spare, simple sculptures.
Yes, it really is that simple. Beautiful, simple forms. Specialization in one narrow area equals perfection.

Andrew Bae Gallery is one of the many little art galleries located in the River North art district near the Magnificent Mile. One could easily spend an entire afternoon in this area wandering from gallery to gallery (some of which are no larger than a single room), but Andrew Bae, with its focus on contemporary Asian art (Korean artists in particular), really stood out to me.
When I dropped by over Thanksgiving break, the works of Korean-​American artist, Ik-​joong Kang were being exhibited. Kang is famous for constructing large-​scale installations using thousands of individual tiles that have been collected from children from around the world. The theme of his works for this exhibit was Korean reunification, expressed primarily through his trademark tile mosaics, as well as depictions of the iconic Moon Jar.
I also had the opportunity to speak at length with the owner during my visit – Andrew was incredibly friendly and spent a fair bit of time discussing Kang’s works/​mission to me, as well as his own background. I am definitely looking forward to visiting again and viewing the latest exhibit when I return to Chicago in a few weeks.

I was very impressed by the contemporary art of Jae Ko, which consisted of curved and rolled paper forms painted into bold singular colors. Asian artists are featured at this gallery.