zhuang hong-yi kim hee kyung - opera gallery · colours reminiscent of the ubiquitous tulip fields...
TRANSCRIPT
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Z H U A N G H O N G - Y I
K I M H E E K Y U N G
in seoul 2.indd 1 14/05/2019 17:32
Z h u a n g H o n g - Y i & K i m H e e K y u n g P a p e r F o r m s
2 0 June - 8 Ju ly 2 019
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F O R E W O R D
With this exhibition, Opera Gallery Seoul is proud to present two major Asian contemporary artists: Zhuang Hong-Yi and Kim Hee Kyung.
These artists stand out with their works, incorporating unique and subtle textures, which help to create idiosyncratic, irregular and organically harmonious artworks. They both use classical materials like oil paint, ink and ‘Hanji’ (made from mulberry tree pulp) in an original way, paying tribute to nature through their creations.
Zhuang Hong-Yi (b. 1962, China) is best known for his lush, layered ‘flowerbed’ paintings, created by folding countless pieces of painted rice paper into tiny blossoms. He produces his work with many traditional Chinese materials, including ink, rice paper, porcelain and wood. The Western culture which influenced him from his stay in Europe, led him to go beyond the confines of tradition in order to reinvent his work. His work represents two cultures brought together, where pieces reflect both the delicacy and subtlety of the Middle Kingdom and the power of expression, an important value of the Old Continent. Zhuang offers artworks rich in colour, materiality, form and effect; vibrant and surprising pieces that dramatically shift pallette with each of the viewer’s subtle movement, resulting in an ephemeral experience.
Kim Hee Kyung (b. 1956, Korea) makes works in harmony with nature. Creating sculpture since her early years of practice, her works can be grouped in to two categories : ‘Soul-Tree’ and ‘Bloom’. The first series began in the early 1990s, where her trees, made from bronze and stone, seemed to exude vitality, as if reaching up towards the sky. After being exposed to Western art and culture, Kim Hee Kyung’s artistic language began to change and develop further. In 2009 she started producing her ‘Bloom’ series using Korean Hanji paper. These low relief works go beyond three-dimensional sculpture. When you come close to her work, you can see a flower, composed with delicate waves dominating the contours of the work. You can feel the profound harmony and fall into the depth of her third dimension.
We hope that this intense dialogue between these two innovative artists brings you a moment of wonder and tranquility, mesmerised by the lines and forms that lead deeper into our hearts and outwards towards the infinite potential of Mother Nature.
Yoonju KimDirector
Opera Gallery Seoul
Gilles DyanFounder and ChairmanOpera Gallery Group
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Z H U A N G H O N G - Y I
Zhuang Hong-Yi is a Chinese artist. Born in Sichuan in 1962, he was a student at its prestigious Fine Arts Institute before studying at the Minerva Academy in Groningen. Zhuang now travels constantly between Europe and Asia, working alternately between his Rotterdam studio in The Netherlands and his Beijing studio in China. His work references Western artistic movements, specifically Impressionism combined with Eastern inspired techniques incorporating the use of rice paper. Known for his ‘colourchanging’ sculptural paintings, Zhuang Hong-Yi’s works are rendered with a three-dimensional technique, drawing inspiration from the life affirming glory of nature, especially the dynamic saturated colours reminiscent of the ubiquitous tulip fields of Holland. Zhuang has achieved international acclaim for his bold idiosyncratic paintings which have been featured in over 30 solo exhibitions and important group shows in major venues worldwide including the Found Museum in Beijing, China, the Groninger Museum in The Netherlands and the 2013 55th Venice Biennale in Italy.
18-VIII029, 2018
Collage of rice paper, acrylic paint, ink and varnish on canvas120 x 210 cm - 47.2 x 82.7 in
9Left View Right View
B19-A015, 2019
Collage of rice paper, acrylic paint, ink and varnish on canvas95 x 200 cm - 37.4 x 78.7 in
11Left View Right View
B19-A077, 2019
Collage of rice paper, acrylic paint, ink and varnish on canvasØ 116 cm - 45.7 in
13Left View Right View
B19-C068, 2019
Collage of rice paper, acrylic paint, ink and varnish on canvas135 x 135 cm - 53.1 x 53.1 in
15Left View Right View
B19-C046, 2019
Collage of rice paper, acrylic paint, ink and varnish on canvas90 x 70 cm - 35.4 x 27.6 in
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B19-C029, 2019
Collage of rice paper, acrylic paint, ink and varnish on canvas70 x 90 cm - 27.6 x 35.4 in
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B19-C026, 2019
Collage of rice paper, acrylic paint, ink and varnish on canvasØ 190 cm - 74.8 in
21Right ViewLeft View
B19-HY-012, 2019
Collage of rice paper, acrylic paint, ink and varnish on canvas200 x 300 cm - 78.7 x 118.1 in
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Kim Hee Kyung was born in 1956 in South Korea and studied sculpture at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul. She lives and works in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province located near Seoul. Kim uses Hanji (Korean mulberry paper) to represent the traces of flower blossoms in the Bloom series, unifying herself with the energy of life and the breath of nature. The Bloom series is inspired by flower blossoms. According to the artist, the flower is a weak and fragile being but has strong energy that can give rise to life. She has been working with this medium since 2009 after having worked with metal for Soul-Tree series. She was attracted by the fact that Hanji is lighter than metal and has always been interested in Korean paper. The artist manipulates the natural material Hanji to reveal the light of life emitted by nature. She paints every piece of Hanji with the aim of reproducing the trembling effects of light and resonance. In the long process of making the artworks, Hanji, which has a strong painting-like nature, transforms into a sculpture that encompasses both flatness and three-dimensional space. She had several solo gallery exhibitions in Galerie Uhn, Frankfurt, Galleria Ponzetta, Tuscany, Gallery Q, Tokyo, and was invited to international art fairs such as Context Art Miami, Koeln Art Fair, Scope Basel, Art Chicago and more. Her artworks are held in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and Seoul Arts Center in Seoul, the Waldorf Astria Hotel in Beijing and the Four Seasons Hotel in New York.
K I M H E E K Y U N G
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Bloom No. 9, 2019
Korean paper130 x 100 x 20 cm - 51.2 x 39.4 x 7.9 in
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Bloom No. 35, 2010
Korean paper76 x 76 x 12 cm - 29.9 x 29.9 x 4.7 in
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Bloom No. 38, 2010
Korean paper100 x 100 x 11 cm - 39.4 x 39.4 x 4.3 in
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Bloom No. 44, 2019
Korean paper70 x 44 x 70 cm - 27.6 x 17.3 x 27.6 in
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Bloom No. 63, 2011
Korean paper100 x 100 x 11 cm - 39.4 x 39.4 x 4.3 in
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Bloom No. 69, 2018
Korean paper140 x 140 x 9 cm - 55.1 x 55.1 x 3.5 in
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Bloom No. 76, 2011
Korean paper89 x 145 x 10 cm - 35 x 57.1 x 3.9 in
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Bloom No. 54, 2011
Korean paper100 x 100 x 11 cm - 39.4 x 39.4 x 4.3 in
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Meditation 1, 2014
Korean paper160 x 320 x 20 cm - 63 x 126 x 7.9 in
Published by Opera Gallery.
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