South Korean artist J Young is known for his heavily textured, abstract paintings. His artistic practice is representative of the process-driven experimental arts movement the Golden Apple Group that emerged in South Korea during the 1990s.
Read MoreJ Young lives and works in Busan, South Korea.
J Young (also known as Jaiyoung Jeong) was born in 1965 in Yecheon, South Korea.
Young spent his formative years attending school in his hometown Yecheon, a small, rural village in the Gyeongsang Province of Korea. When he wasn't studying, Young spent his time painting and became interested in the visual arts, architecture and design.
In 1983, Young moved to Seoul to experience living in an urban environment and to pursue a career in the arts. In 1990, he received his BFA in Painting from the Hongik University of Fine Arts. Shortly after graduating, Young gained a place on the Master's course at the Graduate School of Fine Arts at Hongik University.
In 1990, Young established the Golden Apple Group, a new generation of Korean artists who were committed to creating experimental work with an emphasis on process. Young began making artwork that combined traditional Korean arts techniques with contemporary methods using new and untried materials. He rejected the antiquated narratives surrounding Korean art and became committed to developing practices that favoured spontaneity and intuition.
Young became fascinated with nature's influence on art. He began using stones and found wood as core inspirations in his paintings. Young believed the natural materials he collected encouraged an enthusiasm within him that heightened his sense of emotion and vision as a contemporary artist.
Young's Moment Paintings (2021–22) are a series of works made from mixed media on panel in a variety of sizes. Young's assemblages are minimalist and often adopt a monochromatic palette. Each painting is deeply textured, giving the work a three-dimensional feel that traverses the mediums of painting and sculpture.
In 1992, Young was the recipient of the Central Art Contest Grand Prix in South Korea. Shortly after, in 1993, he was awarded the National Art Exhibition Grand Prix in South Korea.
In 2018, Young performed in the Grand Palais at Art Paris using a large brush measuring 2.5m, a coffin and the sound of a temple bell overhead. This drew attention from fair-goers and introduced his experimental practice to European audiences.
Young's work has been featured in a number of international art fairs including Art Cologne in Germany, Chicago Art Fair in the United States, Art Stage Singapore and Art Paris in France.
J Young has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions internationally. He has displayed work in over fifty solo exhibitions in Seoul, Tokyo, Munich, Paris, Cologne and New York. Young has exhibited work in over three hundred group exhibitions across South Korea.
Selected solo exhibitions include: About Mo J Gallery Opening Exhibition, Mo J Gallery, Busan (2022); Moment, Mo J Gallery, Seoul (2022); J Young, Mo J Gallery, Seoul (2022); J Young, Mo J Gallery, Seoul (2021).
J Young is represented by Mo J Gallery in Seoul.
J Young's website can be found here.
Phoebe Bradford | Ocula | 2022
