We are pleased to present the first exhibition of new work by celebrated artist Chun Kwang Young (b. 1944, South Korea) since the groundbreaking exhibition Times Reimagined at the 2022 Venice Biennale, which showcased forty of his large-scale reliefs, sculptures and installations.
Chun has garnered international acclaim for his Aggregations, a series of tactile, abstract assemblages made from thousands of triangular forms wrapped in hanji, traditional Korean mulberry paper. Chun's intricate compositions, characterised by their jagged, irregular surfaces, combine the techniques, materials and sentiment of his Korean heritage with the conceptual freedom he experienced during his Western education. For this exhibition, the artist has created a powerful new body of work that suggests the next stage in the stylistic evolution of the series.
Early works in the series, often referred to as moonscapes, were primarily black and white or sepia-toned, lending them the appearance of arid deserts or lunar terrain. Chun then began to inject colour into his compositions, beginning with small, contained areas of shaded indigo and vermillion nestled within subtly textured monochrome expanses. Eventually, the palette expanded to include a full spectrum of vivid colour, which Chun deployed in vast, rolling gradients or patterns articulated in complementary hues. The colorful works became increasingly dimensional over time, with robustly textured surfaces resembling rocks or otherworldly crystal formations.
In this newest body of work, Chun combines elements from the colourful, crystalline series with the muted, homogeneous moonscapes for the first time. He also plays with shape, introducing an organic form that stands apart from his familiar circular and rectangular wall-hung works. Anchoring the exhibition is one of the artist's signature large-scale installations, reminiscent of the colossal sculptures featured in his Venice Biennale show.
Korean artist Chun Kwang Young incorporates elements of both painting and sculpture in his practice. He is best known for his acclaimed Aggregation series: freestanding and wall-hung amalgamations of small, triangular forms wrapped in antique mulberry paper, often tinted with teas or pigment.
Established in 2000 in New York City, Sundaram Tagore Gallery represents established and emerging artists from around the globe, specialising in work that is aesthetically and intellectually rigorous, infused with humanism and art historically significant. The gallery was founded with a mission to show that some of the best and most meaningful art was being created by artists deeply engaged in cross-cultural explorations. Our international roster of artists cross cultural and national boundaries, synthesising Western visual language with forms, techniques and philosophies from Asia, the Subcontinent and the Middle East. More than twenty years later, we continue to champion artists, particularly women and those from underrepresented cultures, whose work exemplifies our interconnectedness.
