Laheen Gallery is hosting Ham Sungju’s solo exhibition, 《Polisher》, until April 5. Inspired by a line from a poem—“A heart burned black from love”—this exhibition presents paintings that have been darkened, as if charred, reflecting the artist’s long years of passionate dedication to painting and the emotional intensity of love that consumes the self.

Since 2022, Ham Sungju has gradually stripped away narrative elements, bringing brushstrokes to the forefront of his work. This formal experimentation led him to explore monochromatic black surfaces by eliminating color with inherent meaning.

In this process, he developed a methodology of polishing—repeatedly applying and rubbing dark tones mixed from blue and brown onto the canvas. The ability to sustain this persistent act of friction stems from the fundamental presence of love in his artistic practice.

This exhibition invites viewers to consider the artist’s devotion through the painstaking repetition of depicting the same subject multiple times. Ham Sungju’s approach of repeatedly painting identical scenes serves as a way to reflect on the essence of painting itself.

Furthermore, in 《Polisher》, the artist takes a more introspective turn by incorporating personally significant subjects into his work. By examining them through a reflective gaze and bringing them onto the canvas, he explores lyrical depth and internal contemplation—elements that had previously remained at a certain distance in his practice.

“Polisher”
2025.02.13 - 2025.04.05
Tue-Sat 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Laheen Gallery
38-7, Hangang-daero 50-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea

Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.