Hwang Seon-tae was the surprise newcomer in Shine’s 2013 Korean Collective show at Albemarle Gallery whose placid interiors rather stole the show. So it’s good that he is being featured again:
Hwang Seon Tae | SUNLIGHT
6 March – 2 April 2014
Shine Artists | Albemarle Gallery | 49 Albemarle Street | London, W1S 4JR
www.shineartists.comHwang Seon Tae was born in South Korea in 1972. He studied at Kyunghee University (B.F.A) and trained in glass art and sculpture at the University of Art and Design, Halle, Germany. He later completed his postgraduate studies in Glass Art, at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in 2006.
The deracinated interiors of Hwang Seon Tae bring to mind Edward Hopper’s moments of suspended time. The Korean conceptualist, Suh Do-ho, once precisely recreated his apartment in New York and his flat in Seoul in nylon and silk drapes respectively, and left a similar sense of longing to that left by Hwang’s still impressions. Longing rather than loss; for these interiors are quiet contemplative spaces. These minimalist interiors offer a rare moment of solace. As the light emanates through the windows, Hwang instills an instant feeling of calm and clarity of thought in the viewer. A place that offers the opportunity to breathe freely and face life on one’s own terms. In an age where we are becoming increasingly more reliant on new media and material culture, we live in a generation obsessed with ourselves and each other. The boundaries between public and private life are increasingly becoming less distinguished and there is little left to be deciphered or discovered. It seems there is no longer a place for privacy, even within the confines of our own homes. Hwang’s spaces provide a refreshing release from societal pressures and show us that we do not need to let consumerism invade every aspect of our life.
Hwang Seon Tae has exhibited extensively across South Korea, New York, Germany and Austria. In 2005, he won the Grand Prize for both the ‘Merseburger Kunstpreis’ and the ‘Leowenhof-Foerderpreis’.
(automatically generated) Read LKL’s review of this event here.