German Bar 2: A Car Park Reborn, the Beginnings of a Mural Project

Article by Andrew Sweeney
Photographs by Michael Broadley

“Paint everything, everything”, said the Korean man to the American in a German bar. This is, you’ll be thankful, not the start of a bad joke; rather it was the instructions given by Song, bar owner, to Paul Charles, a teacher and artist here in Gwangju. Perhaps these words were a result of the ambition of the owner for his new bar, German Bar 2; perhaps it was due to the willingness of the artist to take up the challenge of painting Song’s new bar on his own. No matter the reasoning, Song gave Paul the task to paint, decorate, and celebrate German Bar 2 with his own blueprint, his imagery and design – a task not many, I feel, would have taken up.

Song himself is an interesting character. For those who have been to German Bar and can’t place him, he is the guy smiling from ear to ear as you enter, giving you a very warm welcome. Having gotten to know him since arriving here in Gwangju, he has been telling me how German Bar 2 came about. I was amazed to hear that, prior to its present state, it was a car park. Song, seeing a business opportunity where, let’s face it, very few people would imagine, he, armed with hammer and nail, set about constructing the bar as we see it today. This included the ceiling, the walls, the furniture, the bar, and he even brews his own beer.

For the artist, the structure of the bar itself provided an extremely unique setting and canvas to work from. Due to its former life as a car park, the low-constructed ceiling gives the bar a very original and authentic ‘underground’ feel to it. The setting of the bar is defined predominately by the structure of the walls. The space is, “broken up into inconsistent sections,” as described by Paul. Consequently, the bar is an open and spacious feel. The color of the walls, however, was a different story. Prior to Paul getting his hands on them, they were an eyesore to say the least. ‘Blank’, ‘white’, and ’empty’ were just some of the words used by the artist to describe the state they were in. It was definitely a work in progress.

When I spoke to Paul about this project, the design had yet to be decided, yet he knew it was this ‘emptiness’ he wanted to quash. Thematically, he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve. The goal was not to use this opportunity to paint for himself. Rather, he would paint primarily for his audience, the foreign community of Gwangju. Having spent almost two years in Korea with his wife Jessica, Paul wanted to portray a facet of his Korean experience in the hope that it would resonate and ring true to those who stood before it. This ‘facet’ he defined as ‘Korean nature’. I found this to be very true myself. Having only been here six months, it does not take long to see how the natural landscape surrounds the city of Gwangju. It has an obvious beauty to it and gives not just Gwangju but the nation as a whole an authentic character and presence. Paul had this as his manifesto for his work and it would be the catalyst that would guide him through presenting something “vibrant, welcoming, and joyous” to celebrate the Korean environment.

And so we move towards the actual painting of the bar. Rather than following the words of Song to “paint everything”, Paul decided on a far more pragmatic approach. For the main wall, located at the back of the bar, a mural painting was decided upon. Sticking to the underlying theme of nature, and inspired by his visits to both Jiri mountain and Geojae island, Paul painted a huge, mountainous area with waters running in the foreground. When inspecting the landscape, you will notice the artist’s keen eye for detail. The mountains are distinctly Korean – layered and jagged. There is a real depth to the imagery which gives the mural the authenticity that the artist craved. This is evident in the way the painting projects outwards, giving it an added dimension. The bright, neon colours used, coupled with the burning sun in the background, captures a joyous and welcoming picture for its audience.

On completion of the main wall and seeing just how much presence it embodies, a contrast was needed for the remainder of the walls. Korea is constantly growing. There is an overwhelming battle between the natural Korea and the city; its roads, buildings, bright lights and people. Paul wanted this to be portrayed in his work. The beauty of the mountains coupled with the tall buildings of the city once again captured another facet of his Korean experience.

It was important to Paul to continue the ‘peaceful’ environment and not to allow it to become aggressive. As a result, for the remainder of the walls, water is replaced by roads and mountains are replaced by buildings. Yet the flow and the rhythm of the bar are unchanged. ‘Movement’ became a constant component in the bar through the waters and roads, but also through the fluidity of the bar itself. The colors used for the city mural, while not as fluorescent as before, continue the aura of peace in the walls. The burning of the sun is replaced by the shining lights.

There is something ordinary and simplistic about the work. It’s an everyday image: mountains, sun, water, buildings, and roads. Yet the impact it makes on the viewer is explosive. When the bar is busy, there will be a beautiful synergy between both the people and the art. The movement on the walls will be mirrored by the movement of the people. Those enjoying themselves, chatting, laughing, and cavorting will provide the act, with the imagery of the city becoming the backdrop. Thus, rather than viewing the art work, Paul hopes his audience will see themselves as an extension of the artwork.

The work and dedication that has gone into the bar, from both artist and builder-brewer, has to be applauded by all. Come to German Bar 2, sample Song’s home brew, and feast your eyes upon Paul’s work. At the very least, it can be that ice breaker you need to talk to that someone you like…