Pearl Lam Galleries_ Chun Kwang Young solo exhibition 'Aggregation'

Exhibition Dates
28 November, 2015–3 January, 2016
Tuesday–Saturday, 11am–7pm; Sunday, noon–6pm
Pearl Lam Galleries, 9 Lock Road, #03-22, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108937

Singapore—Pearl Lam Galleries is delighted to present Aggregation, a solo exhibition by
Korean artist Chun Kwang Young (b. 1944) that surveys works from his acclaimed long
running series of the same name. The series explores underlying concerns with the whole
versus the individual amidst the artist’s negotiations between the East and West. In his search
for a culturally authentic mode of expression, Chun combines his early experimentations with
Abstract Expressionism with his mastery of a uniquely Korean material, mulberry paper.

Korean mulberry paper is at the centre of Chun’s artistic practice, deeply imbuing his works
with a Korean sensibility by lending its potency for metaphorical associations. Although long
prized as a medium for writing and drawing, it was once a central feature of Korean daily life.
Delicately translucent, yet strong and durable, mulberry paper was used for a variety of
purposes in Korean households. From covering doors, windows, and walls, to carpeting floors
and packing dried goods, mulberry paper proved to be a versatile material—a worthy symbol
of Korean national pride. The paper is also evocative of herbal medicine bundles that were
prominent in Korean traditional medicine prior to the advent of modern medicine in the years
following the Korean War. Medicinal herbs were hung from the ceiling in clusters, wrapped in
mulberry paper inscribed with invocations for good health. It is no coincidence that the
wrapped triangles of Chun’s Aggregation works are visually similar to their spiritual ancestors,
as the artist draws from connotations of healing in his address of the socio-cultural issues
particular to his country and universal conditions of human trauma and suffering.

Small triangles are the basic structural unit of Chun’s recent works, coming together by the
hundreds to form the surfaces of each work. Barely two centimetres thick, each triangular
piece of polystyrene is carefully wrapped in Korean mulberry paper and tied with string of the
same material. The vast landscapes and richly textured surfaces of Chun’s works are the
result of the meticulous placement of each piece in tight clusters, akin to adjoining pieces of a
puzzle. Protruding from the flat plane, the clustered triangles exude an organic, chaotic energy,
defying any suggestion of a pattern or method to the perceived madness. In such
compositions, Chun works primarily with mono- or dichromatic palettes. When set flat against
one another, the effect is an even surface that is nevertheless as irregular and unique as a
microscopic view of skin. Chun uses these flat surfaces to continue his forays into optical
illusions by playing with tonal gradation to mimic light and shade, suggesting crevices and
craters on his paper plateaus.

Titling the works with the prefix Aggregation is a self-reflexive acknowledgement of their
nature as large-scale compositions assembled together from several distinct parts. Implied in
the word is the act of collecting and physically uniting the individual components, relating it
further to Chun’s artistic process.

The making of each work involves an exhaustingly laborious process, deliberately formulated
to mimic a meditative practice, focusing the consciousness on each individual piece as it is
dyed, wrapped, and arranged in its place. The act of enfolding each triangle with the mulberry
paper is done mindfully, drawing from the traditional practices of bojagi, or the wrapping of
objects for safe keeping and protection during travel, and Korean origami, where paper is
folded into shapes of figures to serve as devotional reminders. It is with an almost religious
reverence that Chun engages with his chosen material. Developing a meditative process out of
the repetitive gesture can afford him a consciousness of the individual while harnessing the
strength and power of the mass.

“Chun Kwang Young’s Aggregation works showcase his unique ability to use traditional Korean
materials in a contemporary context, and we are delighted to welcome him back to Singapore.
This exhibition celebrates Pearl Lam Galleries’ commitment to presenting artists who reevaluate
and challenge perceptions of cultural practice in the region.”
—Pearl Lam, Founder of Pearl Lam Galleries

About Chun Kwang Young
Seoul-based artist Kwang Young Chun (b. 1944, Hongcheon County, Korea) received his BFA
from Hong-Ik University in Korea, and MFA from the Philadelphia College of Art, USA. Known
for his sculptural assemblages—both freestanding pieces and wall-hung low reliefs—Chun
composes his forms from a myriad of small shapes wrapped in Korean mulberry paper. With a
trompe l’oeil quality, Chun’s sculptures create the illusion of depth and coalescence and,
ultimately, represent the harmony and conflict in the unity of many.

Chun Kwang Young’s works have been acquired by, and are included in esteemed public
collections, such as the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in
London, the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington D.C., the United Nations
headquarters in New York, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, the
Philadelphia Society Building, Seoul Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Australia at
Canberra, Fidelity Investments Boston, Museum Kunstwerk in Germany, and the Busan Art
Museum, among others. Named the Artist of the Year by the National Museum of
Contemporary Art, Seoul, in 2001, Chun has also received many other accolades recognising
the unique beauty of his works. Most recently, he was awarded the Presidential Prize in the
41st Korean Culture and Art Prize by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Korea in
2009.

About Pearl Lam Galleries
Founded by Pearl Lam, Pearl Lam Galleries is a driving force within Asia's contemporary art
scene. With over 20 years of experience exhibiting Asian and Western art and design, it is one
of the leading and most established contemporary art galleries to be launched out of China.
Playing a vital role in stimulating international dialogue on Chinese and Asian contemporary
art, the Galleries is dedicated to championing artists who re-evaluate and challenge
perceptions of cultural practice from the region.

The Galleries in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore collaborate with renowned curators, each
presenting distinct programming from major solo exhibitions, special projects and
installations to conceptually rigorous group shows. Based on the philosophy of Chinese
Literati where art forms have no hierarchy, Pearl Lam Galleries is dedicated to breaking down
boundaries between different disciplines, with a unique gallery model committed to
encouraging cross-cultural exchange.

Influential Chinese artists Zhu Jinshi and Su Xiaobai, who synthesise Chinese sensibilities with
an international visual language, are presented internationally with works now included in
major private and public collections worldwide. The Galleries has also introduced leading
international artists such as Jenny Holzer and Yinka Shonibare MBE (RA) to markets in the
region, providing opportunities for new audiences in Asia to encounter their work. Pearl Lam
Galleries encourages international artists to create new work, which engages specifically with
the region—collaborating to produce thought-provoking, culturally relevant work.

Press Enquiries
Chloe Ho / Pearl Lam Galleries / gallerysg@pearllamgalleries.com / +65 6570 2284
Eleanor Porter / SUTTON / eleanor@suttonpr.com / +852 2528 0792

Title: Frontiers Reimagined

Press Conference: Wednesday, May 6 from 2-4:30 pm, with presentations at 3 pm

Preview Days: May 6 - 8, 2015 from 9 am-7 pm

Commissioner and Curator: Sundaram Tagore

Co-curator: Marius Kwint

Coordinating Director: Nathalie Vernizzi

Venue: Museo di Palazzo Grimani

Address: Ramo Grimani, Castello 4858

Public Dates: May 9 - November 22, 2015

Hours: 10 am -6 pm Tuesdays-Sundays/ Closed Mondays

Tickets: Complimentary Admission for Frontiers Reimagined

Venue Tel: +39 - 041 241 1507

Website: frontiersreimagined.org

Chun Kwang Young produces sculptural compositions made from small, hand-cut bits of Styrofoam wrapped in antique mulberry paper sourced from Korean periodicals and academic texts that have been tinted with teas, fruits and flowers. Often massive in scale, Chun’s highly tactile sculptures and three-dimensional canvases are embedded with Korean tradition and history while articulated in a contemporary visual language.

Although he began his career as a painter, Chun started to experiment with paper sculpture in the mid-1990s and over time his work has evolved in complexity and scale. The development of his signature technique was sparked by a childhood memory of seeing medicinal herbs wrapped in mulberry paper tied into small packages. Chun’s work subtly merges the techniques, materials, and traditional sentiment of his Korean heritage with the conceptual freedom he experienced during his Western education.

Chun Kwang Young received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Hongik University, Seoul and a Master of Fine Arts from the Philadelphia College of Art, Pennsylvania. His work is in numerous public collections, including The Rockefeller Foundation and the United Nations, New York; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C.; the Philadelphia Society Building, Pennsylvania; the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, and the Seoul Museum of Art; the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and the National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta.

He was named Artist of the Year by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, in 2001 and in 2009 he was awarded the Presidential Prize in the 41st Korean Culture and Art Prize by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Born 1944 in Hongchun, Korea | Lives in works in Seongnam, Korea

Exhibition Overview

The process and presentation of art is filled with mathematic concepts. Less = More makes tangible the principles of addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication and  illustrates how they can be used to transform the simple into the complex.

On view are origami flower sculptures—comprised of a series of carefully calculated folds—by artist Michael Lafosse; sculptures by Chun Kwang Young, who creates highly textured surfaces by affixing enumerable paper triangles onto a large spherical form; and Kumi Yamashita’s portrait of her niece, made with a single nearly kilometer-long thread and thousands of brads. Traditional Japanese hand-cut katagami (paper stencils) demonstrate complexity through subtraction, and the concepts of duplication, multiplication, and exponents come to life in an installation mash-up featuring the work of French post-impressionist Pierre Bonnard and local printmaking collective .5ppi (who will have work in Artists of Hawai‘i 2015). Rounding out Less = More is an exploration into Euclidian geometry through the eyes of artist Kenneth Bushnell and his minimalist paintings.

Less = More is part of a series of academically aligned exhibitions created by museum educators with curatorial support with input from school teachers and university professors. These groundbreaking exhibitions are designed to serve as a valuable interdisciplinary resource for the students and teachers of Hawai‘i.

Artists: Pierre Bonnard, Ken Bushnell, Chun Kwang Young, Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander, Vik Muniz, John Storrs, Kumi Yamashita, and art collective .5ppi.

The Honolulu Museum of Art

900 South Beretania Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
808-532-8700
Entrance is on Beretania Street, between Victoria Street and Ward Avenue