Exhibition at Gallery Hyundai Until March 16
Reexamining the Deconstruction of Painting from Flatness to Multidimensionality
First Public Display of Works Including the "Gongsim (Empty Heart)" Triptych
The solo exhibition "Couture, Nuage" by Shin Sunghee (1948?2009), who gained attention for constructing multidimensional space through the deconstruction of flat canvas painting, is being held at Gallery Hyundai in Jongno-gu, Seoul until March 16. This is his 10th solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai since his first exhibition in Korea during his full-time artist period in Paris, France in 1988.
This exhibition was planned to reexamine Shin Sunghee's artistic world, which has pursued the deconstruction of painting from flatness to multidimensionality. Centered on the pinnacle of Shin Sunghee’s work, the ‘Nuage (woven painting)’ series, it introduces 32 major works that allow a retrospective view of the artist’s 40-year artistic journey marked by significant changes every decade.
Exhibition view of Shin Sung-hee's "Gongsim (Empty Heart)" trilogy (1971). Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai
The triptych "Gongsim (Empty Heart)" (1971), which won a special prize at the 2nd Korea Art Grand Prize in 1971, is being unveiled for the first time in this exhibition. This work was the turning point that brought the then 23-year-old artist widespread recognition. In addition, major works from 1990 until the year of his passing in 2009 are also being revealed for the first time at this exhibition.
The exhibited works mainly consist of the ‘Couture (stitched painting)’ and ‘Nuage (woven painting)’ series presented by the artist from 1993 to 2009. The characteristic feature is the expansion of the canvas’s two-dimensional flat surface into three-dimensional space by deconstructing flat abstraction and then stitching, weaving, or twisting it.
"Spatial Movement" (2009), located on the central wall of the first floor exhibition hall, is the largest piece in the ‘Nuage’ series. It was created by deconstructing several flat abstract paintings and weaving them together again to complete a new three-dimensional work.
"From Painting" (2009), displayed in the center of the first-floor exhibition hall, best exemplifies the characteristics of the ‘Nuage’ series. The artist first painted an abstract painting in an action painting style on canvas, then flipped the canvas, drew lines at regular intervals, and cut it with scissors. Afterwards, the cut color strips were hung on one side of the studio and intuitively woven like a spider web to complete the three-dimensional painting.
It was planned as a large-scale work to be exhibited at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, but remained unfinished due to the artist’s sudden passing in 2009 during the execution phase.
In the basement exhibition hall, three representative works of the ‘Couture’ series titled "Completion of Continuity" are displayed so that both front and back sides can be viewed. Two abstract paintings capturing sunlight were precisely cut into 5 cm wide strips and then stitched with a sewing machine, leaving the seams of the fabric visible on the back to complete the three-dimensional paintings. This is why the works were unusually hung from the ceiling to allow viewing of the back side.
Shin Sunghee was born in 1948 in Ansan and studied painting at Hongik University. He gained recognition by winning awards such as the New Artist Award at the New Artist Exhibition in 1968. In 1980, he moved to Paris, France, where he worked for over 30 years. He held major exhibitions in Paris, Zurich, Los Angeles, and other cities. His works are held in collections such as UNESCO Headquarters, the French National Contemporary Art Collection (FNAC), and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. He remained active until his passing in Seoul in 2009.
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