Gallery Hyundai sheds light on Korea’s experimental in 2nd part of 50th anniversary show

Gallery Hyundai, a major gallery in Korea, has unveiled the second part of the special exhibition that celebrates its 50th anniversary with a strong line-up of Korean experimental art.

The second part of the exhibition which runs from June 12 to July 19 at the gallery in Jongno, central Seoul, features five artists of Korea’s experimental art -- Lee Seung-taek, Kwak Duck-jun, Park Hyun-ki, Lee Kun-yong and Lee Kang-so – who were active from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, expanding Korea’s contemporary art to photography, sculptures, media art and installations.

The exhibition shows a total of 70 works by 16 Korean artists, including the five experimental artists and 13 artists from different countries such as Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, French conceptual artist Francois Morellet, and American sculptor Fred Sandback. All the artists have built a special relationship with Gallery Hyundai over the past 50 years, according to the gallery.

Gallery Hyundai was the first Korean commercial gallery to participate in an international art fair in 1987, introducing Korean art at Chicago International Art Exposition, one of the three major international art fairs of the era. The gallery also began introducing foreign contemporary artists to Korea in the 1980s.

The second session of the special exhibition also introduces Korean contemporary artists including Kang Ik-joong, who is best known for works that consist of numerous small paintings measuring under eight centimeters square, Kim Sung-yoon who focuses on still life paintings reinterpreting the art genre in a contemporary way, and Kim Min-jung, who exclusively uses traditional Korean hanji paper for her works that are created through a repetitive process of burning and layering them.

The first part of the special exhibition that ran in May showcased some 70 masterpieces by 40 contemporary artists, including Korea’s leading abstract painters, Dansaekhwa artists and Paik Nam-june, the founder of video art.

The major dot painting “Universe 05-IV-71 #200” by Kim Whan-ki, a pioneer of Korea’s abstract paintings, was on also on show for the first time since it fetched record-breaking 88 million Hong Kong dollars at Christie’s auction.

Online reservations are required to visit the special exhibition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded on April 4, 1970, Gallery Hyundai has held around 800 exhibitions of 400 artists from home and abroad, growing into a hub for Korea’s contemporary painters.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)