The Page Gallery is delighted to present Park Suk Won: re- and de-, a solo exhibition by a leading figure of abstract sculpture, Park Suk Won (b.1942), from 11 January to 2 March 2024. This showcase consists of works from the 1980s to recent works in sculptures and paintings, highlighting the artist's philosophy.

re- and de- is a term that represents the idea of neutrality—which profoundly resonates with Park Suk Won's practice. Throughout the 'Accumulation' series from the 1980s, employing the method of 'abstract-cutting' and 'accumulation,' he has prominently worked with nature-based materials such as stones and wood. In pursuit of an unorthodox approach to his work, Park Suk Won has kept his distance from handed-down techniques. His methodology built a new flow of Korean abstract sculpture. In the absence of any representational image, he immerses himself in a simplified and abstract form of a sculpture, leading to the question of the existence of men.

The core concepts of 'accumulation' and 'repetition' also expand in Park Suk Won's two-dimensional works. Embracing the tendency of natural resources or materials, he aggregates the Korean traditional paper, Hanji, vertically and horizontally on a canvas. Through the practice of repetition and re-assembly, he once again underlines the value of the pure properties of materials while expanding his philosophy to two-dimensional paintings.

Though the repetition of simplistic forms resonates with the Minimalism of the West, Park Suk Won distinguishes himself by using nature-based materials, establishing the philosophy of Korean Minimalism. The 'Accumulation' series is an examination of the potentiality of an oeuvre, hence seeking the harmony between men and nature.

Press release courtesy The Page Gallery.