Jang Geun Suk Serves As An Art Ambassador

Jang Geun Suk wants to share his interest in the work of Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh with some of his fellow art lovers in Seoul.

According to the Korean media outlet Korea Times, the actor and singer will help promote the artist's work by serving as the official ambassador of the "Van Gogh Inside: Festival of Light and Music" exhibit. The exhibit opens on January 8 at Culture Station Seoul and will run through April 17.

Korea Times quoted Jang as saying that he was interested in impressionist painters in general and Van Gogh in particular.

"The exhibit looks as if it will attract not only art lovers but the general public," said Jang. "So I decided to join the project."

The exhibit will feature 400 paintings, including works by Van Gogh, as well as other Impressionist painters, but it will also be more than an exhibit of paintings. The works and life of the artist will be shown on a digital screen accompanied by music.

Jang Geun Suk, who debuted in 1997, has not acted in a drama since 2013 when he appeared in "Pretty Man."

And a controversy earlier this year made it less likely that he would appear in any this year.

Jang was filming the reality show  "Three Meals A Day: Fishing Village," when he became involved in a tax evasion controversy. His agency under-reported his income and he was ordered to pay a fine. His reputation was damaged despite the fact that the agency was at fault and he was not personally responsible. He decided to drop out of the reality program and his scenes were cut.

But that doesn't mean he was not busy this year. His popularity in China and Japan was not affected.

In February he released his third solo album "Monochrome" and the album did well on the Oricon album daily and weekly chart. He also sold out concerts in six cities.

In March he directed and starred in a short film titled "Camp," which was released as a DVD. It debuted at first place on the Oricon Weekly Film Chart.

In September he held a solo concert in Seoul.

Jang's newest project is the Mnet program "Produce 101."  Jang was recruited to serve as a mentor and emcee  on the reality show, which will feature idol group hopefuls. The show has the second-largest budget of any Mnet program ever filmed and the first candidates were revealed in December 2015.

His promotion of the art exhibit is sure to draw more viewers, as is his participation in the Mnet program.