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Yanghwa and Sang Ho Chung in Figurative NOW, at Daniel Benjamin Gallery

Two Korean artists feature in a group show in Notting Hill:

Figurative NOW.

22 November – 5 January
Daniel Benjamin Gallery | 120 Kensington Park Road | London W11 2PW | www.db-gallery.com
[email protected]
Gallery hours: Tues – Sat 10am – 6pm

Artists exhibited: Alex Mullen, Larry Cotton, Alexi Marshall, Eleni Odysseos, Filippo Cegani,
Madelynn Mae Green, Marco Piemonte, Nour Saleh, Paolo Salvador, Sang Ho Chung, Yvonne Feng, Yanghwa

Figurative Now

Daniel Benjamin Gallery is proud to present Figurative NOW., a group exhibition of young international artists based in London working on different themes of figurative art.

The figure, with all the life that it presents, is part of all of us. It is part of our humanity and understanding of our world; the oldest form of art, embedded in the humanity shared aesthetic and understanding of the world.

Figurative painters have faced challenges over time – from the invention of photography that deeply changed the perception and the purpose of art, to the use of digital manipulation and algorithms today.

Nonetheless, figurative art has never ceased to exist. It survives every revolution and continues to portray what is recognisable. Jeffrey Deitch, former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles puts it pertinently when he says: “This is not a time when a ponderous Mark Rothko painting about myth is relevant. (…) figurative painting allows for more-diverse cultural content—clothing, skin color, setting—than abstraction ever can.”

Daniel Benjamin Gallery has selected 12 international figurative artists for this exhibition. They are all recent graduates or currently studying in London. There is a gamut of themes on display, owing to the diverse backgrounds of the artists. Nine countries, five continents, age differences and a range of art schools mean that their practices have been influenced by a scope of different experiences. Memories, masculinity, gender, materiality, political issues, identity and solitude are some of the universal topics explored in distinct ways.

Figurative NOW. marks the first of a series of shows at Daniel Benjamin Gallery, where timeous yet classic themes and techniques will be explored through group exhibitions of promising young artists.

About the artists Yanghwa and Sang Ho Chung

Sang Ho Chung (South Korea, 1983) explores the possibilities of oil painting technique by reflecting upon personal and collective memory. This memory is heavily influenced by the digital infrastructure and imagery of the internet. Personal objects such as childhood toys, his own photographs and appropriated and altered web images are juxtaposed and recomposed as a representation of personal and historical memory. This creates parallels relevant to contemporary culture and art history. Sang Ho recently completed his MFA at Goldsmith University in London.

Yanghwa (Hwa Seon Yang) (South Korea, 1983) paints the anxiety of living in a frantic city like London. Swimming pools become the only place to rest and be herself, while cranes loom threateningly on the horizon (she had to change studio three times in a year because of real estate developments). Yanghwa’s works are part of the V&A and Seoul Contemporary Art Museum collection. She has recently finished her PhD after two Masters degree in South Korea and London. She has also recently been selected as part of Bloomberg New Contemporaries, with group shows at the Liverpool Biennale and South London Gallery.

About the Gallery

Daniel Benjamin Gallery is a contemporary art gallery based in Notting Hill, London. The space provides a crosspoint between established and emerging artists allowing for a visual cohesion between youth and experience.

West London is an esteemed area of the city with a surprising shortage of opportunities to see contemporary art, especially from young artists, so the gallery decided to open its first location here.

Being under 30 years old, the owner has the advantage of being connected to the changing nature of contemporary art and the digital way it is presented to the world. Collaboration with knowledgeable members of the industry, art schools and curators adds to the expertise of the gallery and much like the art exhibited is congruous with both maturity and modernity.

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