- Dates
- 26 November 2026 to 25 January 2027
- Private view
- Thursday 26 November 2026, 6 to 8pm
- Venue
- St Marylebone Art SpaceMarylebone Road, London NW1 5LT
- Admission
- Free
Four liquids, one gesture
Three of the artists work on paper and canvas, using ink, acrylic, lacquer and soy sauce; the fourth works with cosmetics, having developed them professionally in Seoul. All four soak a liquid into a surface and then stop it, two of them sealing the result in wax. Soy sauce and cosmetics are both Korean exports, both handled by the body, and both need preserving. Made in Britain, where these materials are harder to source and the references are not shared, the work asks why some Korean material culture travels and some does not.
The title refers to the condition the work is made in and to the space itself: a room between one use and the next.
Three of the artists work in Britain; the fourth sends five framed works on paper from Seoul. Fourteen works are shown, the largest 127 cm wide and the rest between 40 and 90 cm, through Advent, Christmas and the New Year.
- 01
Ground ink
Park Kyoung Mug
Park grinds his own ink and lays it over one sheet of hanji in thin layers, then backs the sheet onto fresh paper.
- 02
Acrylic and lacquer
Soon Yul Kang
Kang builds collages from painted paper, and from hanji and lacquer on canvas.
- 03
Soy sauce
Dohyun Baek
Baek stains hanji with soy sauce and seals the sheet in wax on plywood.
- 04
Cosmetics
Dina Jin Bae
Bae paints with eyeshadow, lipstick, powder and sheet masks, bound with oil and wax on board and canvas.
The venue
A crypt gallery beneath St Marylebone Parish Church
St Marylebone Parish Church, completed in 1817 to Thomas Hardwick's design, stands on Marylebone Road at the head of Marylebone High Street, its Corinthian portico and gilded tower among the most recognisable landmarks of the district. Baker Street and Regent's Park Underground stations and Marylebone station are minutes away, and the church sits in one of the busiest stretches of central London.
The Art Space occupies the crypt beneath the church: whitewashed brick vaults with a wire hanging system throughout. The main hall offers nine hanging panels and nearly nineteen metres of hanging run, and every work in the exhibition hangs from the gallery's wires, without drilling. There is step free access.
The season
Nine weeks across Advent, Christmas and the New Year
(mean)while opens in the final week of November and remains on view until late January: an unusually long run for a group exhibition, timed to Marylebone's festive season.
The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday 26 November, with a private view that evening, in the week London's Christmas season begins in earnest. The work hangs through Advent and Christmas, when Marylebone Village is dressed for the season and the parish church holds its own programme of Advent and Christmas services and carols, and it stays on the walls through January, when the quieter room suits unhurried visits.
- 26 November
- Opens to the public; private view, 6 to 8pm
- December
- On view through Advent and Christmas, alongside the church's seasonal programme; the gallery may close on the Christmas bank holidays
- 25 January
- Last day on view
Works
Fourteen works in the exhibition, listed by artist.
Park Kyoung Mug
Ground ink on hanji and paper
Soon Yul Kang
Collage on paper and on canvas
Dohyun Baek
Soy sauce on hanji, sealed in wax
Dina Jin Bae
Cosmetics on board and canvas, sealed in wax
Visit
Marylebone Road
London NW1 5LT
Map
The gallery is the crypt beneath St Marylebone Parish Church, entered from Marylebone Road at the head of Marylebone High Street.
Baker Street and Regent's Park Underground stations and Marylebone station are minutes away.
Gallery hours
- Monday to Thursday9am to 5pm
- Friday12 to 5pm
- Saturday10am to 4pm
- Sunday1 to 4pm
Gallery hours follow the church calendar and may change on the Christmas bank holidays. Step free access throughout.
Press
(mean)while brings together four Korean artists, three working in Britain and one sending work from Seoul, in the crypt gallery beneath St Marylebone Parish Church from 26 November 2026 to 25 January 2027. Fourteen works in ground ink, collage, soy sauce and cosmetics: each artist soaks a liquid into a surface and then stops it, two of them sealing the result in wax. Made in Britain, where these materials are harder to source and the references are not shared, the work asks why some Korean material culture travels and some does not.
Presented by KVAA (Korean Visual Arts Association UK) and curated by Woori Ko, with production by KOUM Partners, London, and the support of the Overseas Koreans Agency, Republic of Korea. Private view Thursday 26 November, 6 to 8pm. Free to visit.
Press enquiries: Woori Ko, woori@kvaauk.org. Print-resolution files on request.
Downloads
- Exhibition poster, portraitJPG, 1080 × 1350
- Exhibition poster, landscapeJPG, 1920 × 1200
- Park Kyoung Mug, Black Mirror 01, 2022JPG, 1600 px
- Soon Yul Kang, Nostalgia, 2014JPG, 1600 px
- Dohyun Baek, Residue, 2026 (installation view)JPG, 1600 px
- Dina Jin Bae, The Face That Is Not, 2025 to 2026JPG, 1600 px
Images are for editorial use in connection with the exhibition. Credit: courtesy the artist and KVAA.
Credits
- Presented by
- KVAA (Korean Visual Arts Association UK)
- Curated by
- Woori Ko
- Production by
- KOUM Partners, London
- Supported by
- Overseas Koreans Agency, Republic of Korea
- Enquiries
- woori@kvaauk.org
