Exhibition view of “Chung Hyun: Mass” at Nam-Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul. (December 20, 2023 – March 17, 2024). Courtesy of the museum.
Creating sculptures of figures and scenes, artist Chung Hyun (b. 1956) explores the properties and possibilities of non-traditional sculpture materials such as discarded industrial waste like driftwood, scrap, and iron. The exhibition title, “Mass,” implies the artist’s approach to maximizing the medium’s properties with minimal intervention and highlights the sculptural characteristics evident in his works. The exhibition presents the artist’s sculptural evolution from the 1990s to the present.
After receiving his BFA and MFA in sculpture from Hongik University, Chung studied at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris in 1986, and his works shifted towards more dynamic and abstract pieces. Chung has received accolades, including the 2005 Korea Artist Prize and the 28th Kim Se-Choong Sculpture Award. In 2022, the artist held a solo exhibition, The Portrait of Time, at the Seongbuk Museum of Art in Seoul.
