Those who have been to the Korea gallery at the V&A recently may have noticed a large new acquisition sited opposite the Lie Sang-bong dress: Chun Kwang-young’s Aggregation10-SE032RED, an addition to the collection made possible by Samsung. The work is made of countless pieces of styrofoam individually wrapped in hanji.
“The surface is full of cracks, protrusions and optical illusions,” says the information card by the work. “These complex defects symbolise the difficult history of Korea, but the strong paper reflects the resilience of the Korean people.”
The artist is being featured, in his 70th year, at Bernard Jacobson Gallery, 6 Cork Street, London, W1S 3NX:
Exhibition, Monograph and 70th Birthday
Bernard Jacobson Gallery, 12 March – 17 April 2014
To mark Chun Kwang-young’s 70th Birthday in 2014, Bernard Jacobson Gallery will be holding an exhibition of new works from his Aggregation series to coincide with the publication of the Rizzoli monograph, Mulberry Mindscapes. These two significant events will celebrate one of South Korea’s most important artists, one whose work has been recognised by museums throughout the world including the V&A who recently acquired Aggregation10-SE032RED. The exhibition, opening on Wednesday 12 March and running until 19 April, will bring together over ten large-scale works from Chun’s Aggregation series. Chun Kwang-young will be in London during the exhibition and giving a talk about his work at the Artworkers Guild on Friday 14 March.
Exhibition: Chun Kwang-young — New Work
Bernard Jacobson Gallery, 12 March – 17 April 2014
Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm | Saturday 11am to 1pmNew Work will focus on Chun’s most recent and distinctive style, large, wall hung works covered in small, triangular forms brought together by a wave of colour. Each triangle is made up of varied sized pieces of polystyrene wrapped in mulberry paper (hanji) and tied neatly with lengths of string. Each triangle is individually coloured with natural dyes. Collectively the differing sized triangles create surfaces that resemble those found in the natural world, such as the bark of a tree or a geological formation, often cratered and scarred. The use of varying tones of a single colour in each work brings an overall mood to the piece.
The central essence of Chun Kwang-young’s work is his use of Korean mulberry paper. Sourced from old books and magazines, the paper has Chinese and Korean characters still visible under the dye. Through his transformation of a material familiar to every Korean household, he has developed his own medium to represent the spirit of Korea. For Chun, each work has become a window to reflect on the history of human life and on-going conflicts of modern man, nature and the drive of materialism, endless competition, conflicts and destruction. This exhibition, the first in the UK for eight years, gives an insight into the artist’s desire to bring balance and order to life and will offer the viewer a piece of Chun’s unique portrayal of calm.
Born in Hongcheon County, South Korea in 1944, Chun Kwang-young trained and worked in America from 1965 to 1979. As a student at the Philadelphia College of Art, Chun Kwang-young was influenced by the liberation enjoyed by Abstract Expressionism. This new found liberty was in stark contrast to his experience of traditional training back in Korea which he viewed as over regulating and a form of creative censorship. Chun built a successful career within the Abstract Expressionist movement but was constantly at odds with the feeling that this was a borrowed identity. When in 1995 a childhood memory returned to him of a visit to a doctor’s surgery with ceilings hung with packages of medicine wrapped in mulberry paper, he began to use this traditional Korean material in his work. His sense of being able to communicate an individual voice, true to his South Korean origins, marked a crucial moment in Chun’s career.
Publication: Chun Kwang-young — Mulberry Mindscapes
(15 April 2014, Rizzoli, New York)
Rizzoli New York will be publishing the first monograph on Chun Kwang-young covering his career from early abstract paintings to the more recent Aggregation series. Written by the artist himself with Professor John C. Welchman and leading art critic Carter Ratcliff, the book will explore Chun’s work and use of traditional materials and organic dyes, and reflect on how these meticulous processes have been recognised around the world. The book catalogues those works found in public collections including the United Nations and Rockefeller Foundation, the National Gallery of Australia, Seoul Museum of Art and Museum Kunstwerk, Eberdingen-Nussdorf, Germany.
Artist Talk: New Work and Mulberry Mindscapes: Chun Kwang-young
Artworkers Guild, Tickets £5, Friday 14 March
7.30 pm, Artworkers Guild, 6 Queen Square, London WC1
To book email: [email protected]Chun Kwang-young will be giving a talk offering an insight into his development of the Aggregation series and the messages he portrays through his acclaimed and unique style.
Bernard Jacobson Gallery | 6 Cork Street | London W1S 3NX | T: +44 (0)20 7734 3431 | www.jacobsongallery.com
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(automatically generated) Read LKL’s review of this event here.