Kim Whanki, 30-Ⅲ68#6, 1968, oil on canvas, 121.3×85.6cm ©Whanki Foundation · Whanki Museum
From July 21 to November 26, Gwangju Museum of Art will present A Retrospective of Abstraction, part of the Gwangju Art Archive exhibition. The exhibition will feature works by Kim Whanki, Po Kim, Kang Yongun, Yang Sooa, Kim Yongbok, Jung Yungyul, Choi Jongsup, Kim Youngjung, and Tak Yeonha.
The exhibition explores the pioneers of abstract art in the Korea’s southern provinces. It highlights works by artists who demonstrated the movement of abstraction at a time when abstract art was not readily accepted in modern Korea. The exhibition is divided into three sections. Each section of the exhibition is organized according to the generational division of abstract art. Part 1 covers the work of the first generation of abstract art, who were active from the 1950s, and includes works by Kim Whanki, Po Kim, Kang Youngun, Yang Sooa. Pat 2 features works by Kim Yongbok, Jung Yungyul, and Choi Jongsup, the second generation of abstract artists who either took art lessons from the first generation or showed new possibilities, starting in the 1960s. The third and final part features works by the first generation of abstract sculptors, including Kim Youngjung and Tak Yeonha. Along with this flow, the exhibition is organized in a format that sheds light on each artist’s works by adding detailed individual descriptions.
A Retrospective of Abstraction continues the afterglow of the 2023 Gwangju Biennale, which concluded on July 9, offering a glimpse into the trajectory of abstraction that has sprouted in Gwangju.
