YUN HYONG-KEUN COMES TO HASTINGS CONTEMPORARY

The UK’s first ever public gallery exhibition of works by Yun Hyong-keun (1928 – 2007), one of the leading figures of Korean art, is heading to Hastings Contemporary on Sat 10 June – Sun 1 Oct.

His practice centering on the gate of heaven and earth, with blue representing the colour of heaven and umber the colour of earth, it resonates with Hastings Contemporary’s location. The gallery stands on the Old Town’s Stade, looking out onto the differing shades of blue of the expansive sky and sea. This is further reflected by the exhibition’s opening sequence of paintings; a small group of umber and ultramarine works from the early 1970s.

The show then continues by exploring the genesis of ‘the gate of heaven and earth’ with several works displaying its gradual widening until it almost disappears with the closing work – from the year of Yun’s death in 2007 – realised in Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue (1999 and 2007), in which ‘heaven’ is now almost completely suppressed by ‘earth’.

The concept of silence created by Yun’s work, particularly through the interpretation of gates or portals as voids, has the effect of turning the gallery space into a chapel or temple. The window onto the Old Town is veiled, as are the skylights, to enhance the meditative power of the individual paintings. This allows the viewer to be absorbed by the subtle range of tones, which on closer examination reveal the mix of ultramarine and umber through the blending of the two colours. And while the gate in each of the works from the 1970s absorbs the eye, the two late works Burnt Umber & Ultramarine Blue (1999 and 2007), with their narrowing portals place the emphasis back on earth, into which the artist himself would eventually be absorbed.

In the aftermath of the Korean War (1950–1953), the country found itself effectively isolated from the rest of the world’s art markets and movements. This led South Korean artists to create their own sets of rules derived from the Korean tradition and creative parameters in the field of abstraction, with a group including Yun founding the Dansaekhwa movement.

From 1973, he began to establish a distinctive style of his own, with his work not only informed by nature but also by the scholar and calligrapher Chusa Kim Jeong-hui. He also engaged with Western art– such as his 2-year relocation to Paris with his family in the early 1980s and his encounter with Donald Judd (1928-1994) in 1991. He used these influences to create his signature palette of umber – the colour of the earth – and ultramarine – the colour of heaven – to create rectilinear compositions, reminiscent of traditional East Asian ink- wash paintings. Using pigment diluted with turpentine, Yun would spend days, weeks even months layering the paint down to create fields of intense darkness. This process effectively creates a physical sense of time, with the artist’s different returns to the canvas to layer more pigment resulting in blurred edges along its outer edges.

“Our gallery strives to show the very best of modern and contemporary art whilst also being one of the greenest galleries in the UK,” says Hastings Contemporary Director, Liz Gilmore. “The inspirational presence of Yun’s retrospective on the occasion of the 58th edition of the Venice Art Biennale gave momentum to our thinking and planning to bring Yun to Hastings. The exhibition will focus on Yun’s stunning and reflective umber and ultramarine paintings, which makes such a fitting juxtaposition with our location between land and sea.”

Although he is less well-known outside of his native South Korea, Yun Hyong-keun’s career and contribution to the Dansaekhwa movement during the sixties have begun to attract fresh interest internationally. His paintings’ combination of performative, rhythmic strokes, meditative qualities, and monochromatic aspects represent a contrast to Western Minimalism and works by artists such as Agnes Martin or Rothko’s Abstract Expressionism. A point the Hastings Contemporary show demonstrates, with Yun’s paintings reflecting his own culture while sparking comparisons with key artists in the canon of 20th century American and European abstraction.

For more information about Hastings Contemporary, and the work of Yun Hyongkeun, visit www.hastingscontemporary.org

BRIGHTON ARTIST LAUNCHES COLLECTION OF OVER 40 LGBTQ+ POP ART PRINTS IN CELEBRATION OF PRIDE SEASON

Brighton artist launches collection of over 40 LGBTQ+ pop art prints in celebration of Pride season

Under the brand name iHeart Pop Art, Brighton-based artist, Jared Orlin, has launched a brand-new collection of queer pop art prints. With over 40 designs and still growing, the collection is inspired by the familiar colours of various Pride flags. These flag colours form the backgrounds of the prints, onto which queer-friendly slogans are overlaid, either amusing or empowering. The prints are all digitally designed and showcase a variety of gender and sexuality representations within the LGBTQ+ community, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, non-binary, transgender, genderqueer, bear, asexual, demisexual and queer. The collection also includes two Pride-themed prints of Brighton’s iconic Royal Pavilion.

“I'm only one small part of the LGBTQ+ community and while I certainly don't claim to represent everyone's voice, I know what it's like not to feel seen. The idea behind the ‘Queer Power’ prints, as I’ve called them, is the opportunity for members of our community to be proud of and show off their identity,” said Jared. “Hopefully they make people chortle – and feel proud to be LGBTQ+. Because Pride isn't just a month! It's all-year round.”

Designed with affordability in mind, the open-edition prints are available in several sizes, from A5 to A2. All designs are digitally printed on satin finish high-quality gloss paper with vibrant colours to brighten up any room. Prints can be purchased from www.iheartpopart.net with free shipping and a portion of the proceeds going to LGBTQ+ charities in the UK.

‘A POWERFUL AND ENTICING PRODUCTION’

‘LUCAS HEDGES AND MIKE FAIST ARE SPLENDID’

‘A GEM OF A SHOW’

UNTIL 12 AUGUST | STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON

British writer, comedian, and podcast host Adam Buxton brings BUG, the longrunning, sell-out BFI music video show, to the Brighton Dome for a special event in support of Wild Vision Forest School.

Audiences can expect a curated selection of outstanding videos from the last few years, accompanied by various unhinged comments from the online community and other amusing content from Adam’s laptop.

Wild Vision provides exciting sensory opportunities that allow children to develop new friendships, confidence, independence, and have fun together. The sessions offer a respite in a natural environment for visually impaired children and their parents. The activities are designed to stimulate the senses and foster physical and emotional well-being through a connection with nature.

These sessions also broaden the range of experiences accessible to visually impaired children. The aim is to break down barriers and enable them to learn new skills in a supportive and inclusive outdoor environment. With a high adult-to-

Album Releases Over June

Ashnikko - Weedkiller (June 2)

Foo Fighters - But Here We Are (June 2)

Jake Shears - Last Man Dancing (June 2)

Louise - Greatest Hits (June 2)

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Council Skies (June 2)

Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Hana (June 2)

The Aces - I've Loved You For So Long (June 2)

Christine and the Queens - Paranoia, Angels, True Love (June 9)

Tom Grennan - What Ifs & Maybes (June 9) child ratio, the sessions provide exciting, hands-on, and sensory-rich activities. The goal is to encourage those with sight loss to explore new experiences, even in activities and environments that might be perceived as more challenging to access. Through these sessions, the team can address the individual needs of the children and their guardians while building positive relationships.

Adam has this to say: I’m excited to be back at the Brighton Dome with a Best Of BUG show featuring a selection of innovative music videos from the last few years as well as a few older classics from the vaults, important perspectives from the YouTube commentary community and some of my own ridiculous bits and pieces too. And because all proceeds from the evening will be helping children from the East Sussex community, we all get to feel virtuous too!

The show is scheduled to take place at the Brighton Dome on Fri 28 July. Tickets are priced at £20 and can be purchased from the Brighton Dome box office.

McFly - Power to Play (June 9)

Niall Horan - The Show (June 9)

Ben Howard - Is It? (June 16)

Kelly Clarkson - Chemistry (June 23)

Maisie Peters - The Good Witch (June 23)

Olivia Dean - Messy (June 30)

The Japanese House - In The End It Always Does (June 30)