“Yun/Paris/Yun” Installation view ©PKM GalleryPKM Gallery presents the solo exhibition “Yun/Paris/Yun” by the master of Korean contemporary art, Yun Hyong-keun(1928-2007), through June 29. This exhibition marks the first opening in Korea in three years since “Memories of Yun Hyong-keun” in 2021 at PKM Gallery. It features 27 works, include hanji pieces produced in Paris in the 1980s, linen paintings around that period, exhibited works from Yun’s solo exhibition at Galerie Jean Brolly in 2002, and pieces from closely surrounding that time period, along with previously unveiled works in Korea. The exhibition is curated to offer a new perspective on the progression of Yun’s 20 years of art by focusing on two pivotal phases: his residency in Paris and the periods preceding and following it.
Paris is anticipating hosting the Olympics this year and is reclaiming its position as the center of contemporary art globally, following in the footsteps of New York and London. Yun’s solo exhibition at David Zwirner Paris in early 2023 garnered significant attention. Presenting Yun’s works created before, during, and after his time in Paris at this juncture will provide an opportunity to observe the transformation of his art from an international and fresh perspective.
Yun has been representing Korea’s Dansaekhwa aesthetics on the global stage by applying the mixture of the pigments ‘ultramarine’, symbolizing the sky, and ‘umber’, signifying the ground, onto raw canvas or hanji. From the process to the result, his works, which eliminate hierarchy and technique, align with the artist’s ideology of seeking harmony between life and art. Hence, his personality, spirited but humble, simple yet dignified, is revealed in his works. His
solo exhibitions have been held at major art institutions including the Judd Foundation(New York, USA), the Chinati Foundation(Texas, USA), Palazzo Fortuny(Venice, Italy), Hastings Contemporary(Hastings, UK), and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art(Seoul, Korea). Yun has been invited to various international art events and exhibitions such as the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1969 and 1975 and the Venice Biennale in 1995. Yun’s paintings are part of the permanent collections of institutions including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art(Seoul, Korea), the Leeum Museum of Art(Seoul, Korea), Tate Modern(London, UK), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum(New York, USA), The Cleveland Museum of Art(Ohio, USA), Glenstone(Maryland, USA), and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo(Tokyo, Japan).
