HYUN AE KANG 2nd Generation of Korean Dansaekhwa
Seoul | South Korea Hyun Ae Kang famous Korean Artist, born in Seoul, South Korea. Today she lives and works in California, USA. Hyun represents 2nd Generation of Korean Dansaekhwa – “monochrome painting” – is a style of abstract painting that arose during the second half of the 1970s, combining Korean aesthetics and Far Eastern philosophy with Western modernist practice.
DANSAEKHWA
2
Dansaekhwa - a fusion of Korean sensibility and fearless abstraction...
Dansaekhwa – “monochrome painting” – is a style of abstract painting that arose during the second half of the 1970s, combining Korean aesthetics and Far Eastern philosophy with Western modernist practice. Dansaekhwa artists used the ideas of ancient eastern philosophical schools, in particular Buddhism and Taoism, to explain their work, which was, rather, an artistic act.
With a respect to traditions, Hyun Ae Kang significantly complements and expands this direction with her personal artistic story. Moving away from monochrome, Hyun, like the Dansaekhwa artists, technically gravitates to texturing and tactility. Rethinking the elements of the techniques of the predecessors and based on her twenty years of experience as a sculptor, the artist creates abstract paintings, covering the canvas with thick strokes of paint layer by layer, achieving the effect of clay and ceramic-like strokes that give the surface a specific texture that distinguished Dansaekhwa artists too. A meditative practice is an important element in Hyun's work Dansaekhwa is a movement that not only focuses on the exploration of monochromic colors, but also explores how those colors induce a meditative state within an individual. Making her works multicolored, Hyun achieves the same effect of meditation. The process of creating works is accompanied by ecstatic experiences. Being a deeply religious person, Hyun spends a lot of time in prayers before starting work. This is significantly affects the paintings themselves, during the creation of which the artist continues the dialogue with the sacred.
3
If you look closely at the details of the paintings of artists of this movement, you can see that the surface is composed of numerous small textures of the material, made by countless repeated application and removal of strokes. Such a repeated, long act of creation reminds the long and very painful meditation of a Buddhist monk in an attempt to achieve nirvana. This incomplete process of searching for the deepest truths of oriental philosophical teachings by “talking” the artist with the material and creating a “silent” picture is the main goal of this artistic movement.
4
Hyun Ae Kang: "All the touches and strokes I use are inscriptions of the dialogues with the sacred. These inscriptions are based on Korean alphabet characters and glyphs. When I create my reliefs onto the canvases, I think of myself as a scribe that is carving messages from the heavenly force into the worldly materials of stones and pumice. And with these inscriptions, I hope viewers will be able to reflect upon them and gain insights they could have not achieved beforehand"
5
"Words Triology", 2020 Mixed-media on canvas Size US: 60 x 144 inches Size Europe: 152,4 x 365,8 cm
6
Upcoming retrospective at Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, California.
Kang's work will also be featured in an upcoming retrospective at Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, California, in 2021. The exhibition will be the first retrospective for the artist in the United States and will showcase works from her early career in South Korea as well as her most current projects. The exhibition, which will span the entire 5000 square feet of the museum space, will include works of sculpture, painting, and ceramics.
7
8
HYUN AE KANG "Hyun Ae Kang gained her recognization in 1993 when the Art Museum of Seoul acquired her work for it's permanent collection"
In her work Hyun combines traditional Korean spirit and Western abstract, using preliminary natural materials, mostly wood, to create her innovative, rich in colors and texture mixed-media works. She often utilizes vibrant colors with layers of carefully applied paint to create works which ultimately serve as reflection of her deeply personal joyfull approach to Life. Hyun Ae Kang gained her recognization in 1993 when the Art Museum of Seoul acquired her work
for it's permanent collection. Since then Hyuns work has been exhibited worldwide and collected by important collectors in Miami, Palm Beach, Palm Springs, New York, Anaheimand and Japan. Her work resides in the permanent collections of the Art Museum of Seoul, Muzeo Art Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, California, and the Brea Museum and Historical Society, California.
"Pray I - I", 2019 Mixed-media on canvas Size US: 48 x 60 inches Size Europe: 122 x 153 cm
"As a As a sculptor, I have always been interested in different mediums, textures, and the combination of disparate materials. In the early days of my sculpting career, my sculptures were fused with bronze, gravel, granite, wood, and ceramics. The unique quality of each material brings forth divergent feelings, which is further enhanced by certain colors and textures used within that sculpture. When these elements are bonded together, the emotional impact deepens and the range of emotions expands. The exploration of such feelings serves as the driving force of my artistry" - Hyun Ae Kang
10
"Pray II - I", 2019 Mixed-media on canvas Size US: 48 x 60 inches Size Europe: 122 x 153 cm
HYUN AE KANG
11
Hyun Ae Kang's exhibition at BOCCARA ART Mexico Gallery, January 15 - February 15, 2020 as part of PreMaco Monterrey and LasArtesMonterrey 2020
12
HYUN AE KANG
Hyun Ae Kang at BOCCARA ART MIAMI Gallery
13
"ETHER V", 2019 Mixed-media on canvas Size US: 48 x 60 inches Size Europe: 122 x 153 cm
14
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Sculpture «TOGETHER» at The Art Museum of Seoul, South Korea Granite, 1991 Size US: 44 x 45 x 11 inches Size Europe: 112 x 115 x 28 cm
ÂŤTHE BREA HILLSÂť at Brea Museum & Historical Society Marble, 2001 Size US: 91 x 91 x 118 inches Size Europe: 230 x 230 x 300 cm
"Ceramics has served as the foundation of my arstyle, as the soft and fine earth of the material, combined with the water used to mold the shapes and the fire to solidify it, is a medium for my consciousness and allows me to communicate with the viewer. Eventually, I expanded upon the use of ceramics and applied them to canvas style paintings by using them as reliefs. As I began to explore this style more, I began to think more critically about space, color, and sensation, giving my artworks further depths of expression. I am still a sculptor at heart, but by applying my sculpting techniques onto the canvas, I am able to transition toward a new realm of expression," Hyun Ae Kang
16
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS «THE CROSS IN MY HEART» at Sarang Community Church of Southern California Mixed-media, 2017 Size US: 120 x 80 inches Size Europe: 305 x 203 cm
17
«SKY», Ceramic, 2015 at MUZEO Museum Anaheim, California, USA Size US: 5 x 6 1/2 inches Size Europe: 12,7 x 16 cm
Selected Exhibitions:
Education: 1992 ~ 1993 . Instructor at Han Yong Womean's College 1991 . MFA Sculpture at Ewha University in Seoul, Korea 1986 . BFA Sculpture at Ewha University in Seoul, Korea Solo Exhibitions: 2020. PREMACO LasArtes Monterrey 2020 . BOCCARA ART Mexico Gallery Solo Exhibition 2019 . Distant Haptics BOCCARA ART (Brooklyn Gallery, NY) 2018 . BOCCARA ART Solo Exhibition 2018 (Brooklyn Gallery, NY) 2018 . Cloud - MUZEO Museum Invitation Exhibition (12/22. 2018 ~ 3/11. 2018 . Invitation Exhibition at Center Gallery (Anaheim, USA) 2017 . Exhibition at Yacht Club (Monaco) 2016 . MUZEO Art Museum and Cultural Center (Anaheim, USA) 2014 . MUZEO Art Museum and Cultural Center (Anaheim, USA) 2002 . Gallery 3 (Fullerton, USA) 2001 . Exhibition at Elizabeth Edwards Fine Art and Bonnie Boisits (Palm Desert, USA) . 2000 . Exhibition at Elizabeth Edwards Fine Art (Laguna Beach, USA) 1998 . Exhibition at Cerritos Library (Cerritos, USA) 1991 . Exhibition at Hyundai Gallery (Seoul, Korea) Selected Group Exhibitions: 2020 . Asia Week NewYork 2020 2019 . KIAF (Seoul | South Korea) 2019 . Art Miami (Miami Art Basel Week, USA) 2019 . Art Central Hong Kong 2019 . LA Art Show 2019 . Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary 2019 . Art New York 2018 . Art Miami (Miami Art Basel Week, USA) 2018 . Art Shanghai 2018 (Shanghai, China) 2018. Art New York 2018. 2018. Art Palm Beach (Florida, USA) 2017. Made in California at Brea Gallery (Brea,USA) 2002 . Palm Springs International Art Fair (Palm Springs, USA) 1995 . Korea Fine Art Grand Exhibition (Seoul, Korea)
"Gleam", 2019 Mixed-media on canvas Size US: 48 x 60 inches Size Europe: 122 x 153 cm
Public Collections: Since 2018 . MUZEO Museum (Anaheim, USA) Since 2018 . THE CROSS IN MY HEART at Sarang Community Church of Southern California Since 2016 . THE BREA HILLS at Brea Museum & Historical Society Since Since 1993 . TOGETHER at the Art Museum of Seoul
MOST RECENT
20
AUCTION RECORDS
21
22
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Private collection Anaheim, California, USA
23
Private collection Anaheim, California, USA
24
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Private collection Los Angeles, California, USA
25
Private collection Los Angeles, California, USA
26
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Private collection Los Angeles, California, USA
27
Private collection Miami, Florida, USA
28
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Private collection Los Angeles, California, USA
29
30
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Private collection Los Angeles, California, USA
31
Private collection Orange Country, California, USA
Robert C. Morgan: "Korea’s Monochrome Painting Movement Is Having a New York Moment" The term Dansaekhwa, or “monochrome painting,” may elude readers unfamiliar with Korean, but it represents arguably Korea’s most important art movement of the late 20th century. The artists who practiced this approach to painting began to emerge in the early 1970s, when the Republic of Korea was still under a military dictatorship. They included Park Seo-bo, Ha Chonghyun, Yun Hyong-keun, Kim Whanki, Chung Chang-sup, Chung Sang-hwa, and Lee Ufan, among others. These painters were dissatisfied with the cultural lassitude in South Korea and began painting in a manner that challenged the normative aesthetic to which most Koreans were accustomed. At the outset, the artists worked independently without a group name or identity. It wasn’t until a 2000 exhibition at the Gwangju City Art Museum that the term Dansaekhwa was introduced. The appearance of the word coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Gwangju uprising, an
important moment in modern Korean history when protesters took to the streets to defy the military dictatorship in control at that time. In many respects this uprising was comparable to the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing nearly a decade later. Similarly, in Gwangju, armed soldiers opened fire on students and ordinary citizens in a series of clashes that cost hundreds of lives. This sad but decisive historical event is generally cited as the end of the military government in South Korea and the beginning of a free democracy as the Republic is known today. Throughout the 1970s, prior to the Gwangju uprising, the oppressive regime was a binding force in the underground among the Dansaekhwa artists in Seoul. One of the leading figures of Dansaekhwa was Yun Hyong-keun (1928–2007), whose work is currently on view at Blum & Poe in New York. The exhibition features a selection of small and medium-scale paintings from his definitive Burnt Umber and Ultramarine series, which began in 1972 and continued through the remainder of his career. The mineral pigments are mixed and applied in a series of densely constructed overlays, mostly poured oil on linen, using two colors symbolic of earth and air. Yun’s forms suggest trees and boulders, as well as geometric structures, all poured and painted in a highly reductive manner. Regarding the meaning and origin of these paintings, Yun is quoted as in a recent monograph: “I have no idea as to what I should paint, and at which point I should stop painting. There, in the midst of such uncertainty, I just paint. I don’t have a goal in mind. I want to paint that something which is nothing, that will inspire me endlessly to go on.” Rarely does an artist’s statement sound so accurate in its description of the process of painting. Sensing this quality in Yun’s work is perhaps what led the Minimalist sculptor Donald Judd to embrace the lesser-known Korean artist’s paintings in the early 1990s. Judd’s introduction to the artist’s work, and finally to the artist himself, eventually led the Minimalist to collect and install a selection of Yun’s paintings at the Chinati Foundation in West Texas (and later in New York City). The exhibition at Blum & Poe is the first in NYC since Judd’s collection of the artist’s work was first shown here 18 years ago. Among the recent constellation of exhibitions featuring Dansaekhwa artists in New York, Yun’s paintings appear deeply reflective, stalwart in demeanor, and inexorably distilled in terms of the artist’s hermetic style of organic and geometric shapes and colors.
Another of the Dansaekhwa artists, Ha Chong-hyun, matched Yun in his long-term commitment to a specific series informed by a conceptual and spiritual framework. Ha’s important work, called Conjunction — and currently the subject of a show at Tina Kim Gallery — began in the early 1970s. His canvases tend to vary more than other Dansaekhwa painters, but they retain a consistency through their aggressive reductivism. Ha’s forms do not easily budge from his approach to 17th-century, Joseon Dynasty painting, in which the pigments are pushed from behind the linen (or, earlier, coarse burlap) through the weave and porous apertures. Once the pigments pass through to the frontal plane, the artist begins to model and scrape the viscous paint using flat knives and trowels. Ha’s work has a gritty, nearly obsessive look. His undulated surface results from the manner in which he pulls the paint up from the bottom or down from the top into scrolllike fragments. These fragments are powerful and tenacious as they fundamentally control the manner the surface evolves. Occasionally, Ha will use the knives to incise Korean signs (Hangeul) into the surface, defiantly scratching an entanglement of marks. This rough maneuvering gives an unequivocally smooth appearance to the paintings that might seem contradictory to Westerners, but from a Korean point of view it is paradoxical, meaning it is connected to the Taoist notion of yin-yang. These two manifestations of energy (qi) function ineluctably as a single force within the universe. Put another way, light is perceived through darkness,, creativity is perceived through destruction, and so on. Ha’s fragmented signs, swiftly etched into the painting’s surface, reflect his defiance against the arrogance of power in his country’s recent history. Borrowing from the methods of painters working during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), he gives their historic process a place in the present era of postmodern globalism. Like his Dansaekhwa colleagues, Chung Chang-sup (1927–2011) used a single concept to articulate what he was doing. Rather than give individual titles to his paintings, his work revolved around a single concept, Meditation. The exhibition of the same name at Galerie Perrotin includes early paintings from the 1980s and ‘90s, but also from the last years of his highly productive career. Like Ha, Chung used traditional techniques, focusing on the qi (or intrinsic energy) he believed was instilled within the spaces of the painting. Chung’s monochrome imprint is indelibly present in his work, with its palette of minimal pigments drawn from the soil, including charcoal black, dark blue, white, densely applied red oxide, and other light and dark earth colors. The resonant colors and unfettered application of pigments in these artists’ paintings retain a consistency that is emblematic of Dansaekhwa. They are conceptual paintings conveying an Eastern point of view, specifically Korean in their taut and rugged physicality. Even in those preinternet days, it is probable the artists were aware of New York Minimalism, but this should not imply that it was the catalyst for these paintings. The orientation of Minimalism tended toward objects in real space and real time, and toward the role of the body as a means by which to articulate perception. The Dansaekhwa artists were not involved in the kinds of pragmatic concerns that interested the Minimalists. Their emphasis was on a fundamental approach to painting that involved a particular, cultural reading of nature. Indirectly, their paintings resisted expectations about the kind of art produced under an authoritarian regime. They painted from the roots of the earth with their own pigments and their cursive sense of structure. The Dansaekhwa artists somehow found a way within their own history and culture to make something universal happen, even as they worked in relative obscurity throughout most of their lives. What contemporary viewers may discover in the work of the Korean monochrome painters is how deeply nature is felt through the act of painting, and how clearly they find affirmation in this process — totally at one with themselves, simply doing their work.
HYUN AE KANG
www.boccara-art.com
+1 (305) 606-4720 miami@boccara-art.com
«A WORK WILL ONLY HAVE DEEP RESONANCE, IF THE KIND OF LIGHT I’M TRYING TO GENERATE IS SOMETHING THAT IS ALREADY IN ME» - Hyun Ae Kang
