daam
Visual Arts
Description
Description
W담 (daam): clear, light in color and taste, dim, calm, serene 淡 (dàn | daam6): mild, light in color, fresh, indifferent たん|あわい (dan|awai): light in color and taste, dim, pale, clear (1 May 2019, Hong Kong) – Whitestone Gallery Hong Kong is pleased to present “淡”, a group exhibition of Korean artists Suh Seung-Won, Kim Keun-Tai, and Kim Deok-Han. This exhibition is a continuation of “The Korean Contemporary Art Exhibition” held at The Korean Cultural Center in PMQ in Central, Hong Kong, in March and April 2019. “淡” is a collaborative show and is organised with and generously supported by the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong and Art Chosun. “淡” is a common and versatile word with multiple definitions in East Asian languages. Depending on context, it can be used to describe colour, taste, or even a state of mind in Korean (담, daam), Chinese (淡, dàn | daam6), and Japanese (たん|あわい(dan|awai). For this exhibition of works by three Korean artists, the word is used to convey a sense of Korean identity and a way of viewing the world with a serene and composed state of mind. Unlike the Zen Buddhist practice of emptying your mind, “淡” is closer to maintaining composure and a sense of serenity in the absence of emotional turmoil by believing in one’s own potential and cultivating self-confidence. The exhibition showcases three generations of Korean artists whose practices date from the 1960s (Suh Seung-Won), 1980s (Kim Keun-Tai), and 2000s (Kim Deok-Han). We believe the works of all three artists are united by a uniquely Korean aesthetic consciousness that transmits the essence of “淡”. As an early practitioner of the Dansaekhwa art movement, which is characterised by monochromic paintings, and one of the founding members of the geometrically-inspired movement “Origin,” Suh Seung-Won (b. 1941) represents the theoretical foundation of Korean modernism. For over 50 years, Suh has expressed his aesthetic understanding of the simultaneity of time and space through his exploration of the interactions between geometric patterns and backgrounds. Around 1990, the rigid geometric forms found in Suh’s previous work began to disappear, replaced by new depths of space composed of smoothly overlapping rectangular forms that obliterate boundaries. The artist expressed this shift as part of the process of aging: ‘As I got older, however, I rid myself of greed. Nowadays, I think about where we are from and where we are going. For an artist, art is his life and spirit. So, it is natural that my thoughts are reflected in my art.’ This exhibition showcases Suh’s latest works from 2017 and 2018. The canvases are filled with tranquil and warm hues that invite viewers to a deeper understanding of “淡”.
Note：This event record is compiled from "Hong Kong Visual Arts Yearbook 2019" published by Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
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