"This irregularity and instability, as well as the overall sense of movement of the canvas, is a methodological approach of conveying my artistic imagination, one that I have wanted to express since I was young, and also my own serious way of reconciling myself with Abstract Expressionism, the movement in which I once was so deeply absorbed."
– Chun Kwang Young
Chun Kwang Young (b. 1944, Hongchun, South Korea, based in Seoul, South Korea) applies an abstract approach to express ideas of harmony and conflict, the individual and the collective, and how such opposites co-exist. His paintings and sculptures, characterised by organic textures and rich colour gradations, invite viewers to contemplate how these dichotomies emerge in various historical, social and cultural contexts.
Following his studies in Philadelphia where he was influenced by Abstract Expressionist practices from the West, Chun returned to Korea eager to develop a methodology that would reflect his own cultural heritage. This led to his experimentation with Korean mulberry paper, a material traditionally used to wrap medicinal herbs and a source of nostalgia for the artist. In his celebrated Aggregation (1995–ongoing) series, Chun binds thousands of tiny geometric packages in mulberry paper—often tinted with tea and other coloured pigments—to compose large assemblages. These intricate compositions take on appearances such as crystalline formations and crater-filled terrains, evoking a sense of the otherworldly.
Chun received his BFA from Hong-Ik University, Seoul in 1968 and his MFA from Philadelphia College of Art in 1971. His work is held in numerous collections including The British Museum, London; M+, Hong Kong; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Kunstmuseum Bonn; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwachun; Seoul Museum of Art; Busan Metropolitan Art Museum; Malta National Museum; Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul; Honolulu Museum of Art; and National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Notable solo exhibitions include Aggregations (2022), Moscow Museum of Modern Art; Aggregations (2019), Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene; Aggregations (2018), Brooklyn Museum, New York; Chaotic Harmony II (2017), Museum de Reede, Antwerp; A Retrospective (2016), Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art, Gyeongju; Aggregations, New Works (2011), Knoxville Museum of Art; The Soul–Journey to America (2008), The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield; and Artist of the Year (2001), National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul. The artist has also participated in major international festivals including The Milk of Dreams (2022), 59th Venice Biennale.
Chun had his residency at the STPI Workshop in 2005, resulting in the exhibitions Aggregation (2006) and New Works (2009).