CHUNG HYUN

CHUNG, Hyun’s sculptural practice is rooted in the human figure. In the 1990s, he created striking figurative sculptures by pounding clay with shovels and timber blocks, achieving a balance between material understanding and expressive form. Since then, he has turned to railroad ties, steel bars, and charcoal—materials imbued with age and memory—through which he has continued to reveal both the material itself, and the layers of time embedded within it.

In The Cumulative Burst, CHUNG returns to the point of departure in his practice—figurative sculpture—and extends it into a new phase. Debuting in this exhibition, his new series of busts renders the human figure with pared-down surfaces, evoking the essence of being. Charred timber from forest fires and digitally reconstructed fragments of the Supyogyo Bridge come alive at the intersection of past and present, while the coal tar drawings infuse the exhibition space with intense energy, confronting viewers with the manifold faces of humanity. Condensing decades of artistic experimentation and a lifetime of experience, the exhibition culminates in a decisive leap forward, prompting reflection on the essence and value of human existence in an era defined by pandemics, war, and climate crisis.

CHUNG has held over 20 solo exhibitions, including those at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Gwacheon, Korea), Nam-Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea), Kumho Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea), Kim Chong Yung Museum (Seoul, Korea), and Jardin du Palais Royal (Paris, France). CHUNG has received several awards, including the Kim Bok-jin Art Award (2024), Kim Sechoong Sculpture Award from the Kim Sechoong Memorial Association (2014), Artist of the Year from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (2006), and Artist Today from the Kim Chong Yung Museum (2004). His works are currently held in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, the Seoul Museum of Art, the Leeum Museum of Art, the Busan Museum of Art, the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, and the Seoul National University Museum of Art, among others.