September 9 through October 16, 2004

Kwang-Young Chun is a Korean based arist who is highly acclaimed for his uniquely original style of painting. Chun was named 'Artist of the Year 2001' by the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea.

Chun's paintings reflect his intense involvement with both Minimalist art and the rich heritage of his homeland. Begun in the mid-1990s, the series titled Aggregation breaks away from the conventional use of brush, paints and canvas. Each of his compositions is constructed of hundreds of tiny triangles wrapped in century-old handmade mulberry paper.   The triangles in the most recent paintings, grouped tightly together in obsessively close proximity, coalesce into a composition that creates a startling illusion of depth, dense with association to natural and manmade phenomena. For those familiar with Korean culture, the mulberry paper used in Chun's compositions offers an additional layer of meaning.

Inspired by childhood memories, the wrapped triangles in Chun's paintings are evocative of herbal medicine bundles wrapped in paper that hung in clusters from the ceilings of the family run pharmacy. Though herbal medicine is a dying art in his native country, Chun is keenly aware of the historical and personal resonance of his chosen medium.  

Chun is orchestrating thousands of units to produce variations of surface texture and composition. Imbued with Korean nostalgia, Chun's unique painting method is thoroughly modern in form while rooted in tradition.

Chun will be having a solo exhibition at Annely Juda Gallery in London. He has had several one-person shows, most recently the National Museum of Contemporary Art and Kukje Gallery in Korea; Conny Dietzschold Gallery in Sydney; and the Columbus Museum in Georgia. His work has been shown at numerous art fairs, including Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, and Art Cologne.

For further information, please contact the Kim Foster Gallery.