Yun is a leading figure of Dansaekhwa movement in the 70’s-80’s, the movement considered one of contemporary Korean art’s finest achievements which is now receiving renewed attention from the global art world. Yun's paintings with profound resonance are inspired by the Korean traditional ink wash paintings. This becomes the basis for the unique quality of elegance in his work. The consistent ultramarine blue and burnt umber tones of his paintings find their origins in the 70's; a few nonchalant brushstrokes of diluted oil paint onto the canvas let the pigment seep into and bleed through the surface, completing the artist’s signature style.
Read MoreAmong the main artists of Dansaekhwa, Yun particularly stands out with his firm aesthetic and theoretical foundations in Korean traditional art and thus establishes his artistic identity. This is confirmed by the artist’s own ante mortem affirmations of receiving inspiration from the 18th century Korean calligrapher Kim Jeong-hui (pen name: Chusa). The idyllic beauty flowing within the ink’s suggestive pleasantries and unadorned brushstrokes shows a perfect balance of poetry and painting straying from bright colors and shapes in order to bring out the meditative contemplation and the free-spirited emotions inherent in literati paintings. With its connection to tradition, Yun’s canvas simply and gracefully intertwines individuality and contemporary relevance, never losing the sense of the refined modern sophistication, and extends its influence across borders and into the rest of the world.
Yun Hyong-keun majored in Western Art at Hongik University and held solo exhibitions at the Donald Judd Foundation, Art Sonje Center in Gyeongju, and the Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. He also participated in group exhibitions held at the Korean pavilion of the 46th Venice Biennale in 1995, The Chinati Foundation in Marfa, the Tate Gallery, and the Tokyo Central Art Museum. His works are included in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Leeum, the Samsung Museum of Art, The Chinati Foundation in Marfa, and the M+ Museum in Hong Kong.
Text courtesy PKM Gallery.
