Installation view of 《Chun Kook-kwang:
Stacks and Cracks》 ⓒSeoul Museum of ArtThe Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) is
presenting 《Chun Kook-kwang: Stacks and Cracks》 at the Nam-Seoul Museum of Art through February 22, 2026.
This exhibition is the first solo show of
sculptor Chun Kook-kwang (1945–1990) to be held at a national or public art
museum. Chun, who left a remarkable mark on the development of Korean abstract
sculpture but passed away in an unexpected accident at the age of 45, is
revisited through this exhibition.
《Chun Kook-kwang: Stacks and Cracks》 highlights the passion and spirit of freedom of an artist whose
work transcended his time, presenting his unique sculptural world where he
ceaselessly sought to surpass himself by exploring mass, the core and essence
of sculpture.
Installation view of 《Chun Kook-kwang: Stacks and Cracks》 ⓒSeoul Museum of Art
The exhibition’s focus is on two opposing
aesthetic concepts in the artist’s work, namely “stacking” and “cracking.” It
shares Chun’s vision through around 100 works, including pieces from his
defining ‘Accumulation’ and ‘Inner Mass’ series and other works of stone, wood,
and metal sculpture, as well as drawings and models.
The exhibition consists of four sections in
all, with a focus on introducing one series that represents “stacking” (‘Accumulation’)
and another that represents “cracking” (‘Inner Mass’).
The first section, entitled “Stacking for
Mass,” presents work from the ‘Accumulation’ series, a product of the artistic
vision that Chun created in the 1970s. Arguably the artist’s most
representative work, it involved stacking shapes to create folds and other
variations in form. The second section, “In Memory of Mass,” explores the
inflection point that occurred in Chun’s artistic career through Gravestone
of Mass, a work that won top honors in the non-figurative art
category of the 30th National Art Exhibition in 1981.
Installation view of 《Chun Kook-kwang: Stacks and Cracks》 ⓒSeoul Museum of Art
The third section, “Cracking for Mass,” includes two spaces presenting work from the ‘Inner Mass’ series, which emerged out of Chun’s experiments with breaking free of the constraints of mass. The fourth section, “The Artist’s Voice,” presents some of Chun’s literary writings, an additional form of artistic creation that also provided a key foundation for his sculpture work. This section offers a three-dimensional portrait of Chun as an all-around artist.
