The first solo exhibition abroad of Heemin Chung (b. 1987), who has explored the boundaries of painting through various artistic experiments, titled “UMBRA,” is being held at the world-renowned gallery Thaddaeus Ropac in London until November 20. This exhibition marks her first solo show at the gallery after signing with Thaddaeus Ropac last year.

In her solo exhibition, Heemin Chung presents new works in painting, sculpture, and video. The exhibition features her latest paintings, inspired by the urban debris and natural elements encountered during her early morning walks through the streets of Seoul. It also includes video works and a series of multimedia sculptures that reinterpret the traditional Korean funeral ritual, Chobun (초분), from a contemporary perspective.

Heemin Chung investigates the material potential of digital images as she translates them into the mediums of painting and sculpture. Her work investigates how technology shapes contemporary perception and impacts our existential conditions, capturing various emotional responses and communication issues encountered in urban environments as technology advances. Chung traces how these aspects affect art and, by extension, its social role.

Through a variety of artistic experiments, the artist adds texture and volume to her works, exploring the materiality of the medium. She reinterprets traditional painting genres, such as landscapes and still lifes, into her own pieces that are imbued with poetic and visual metaphors. Positioning her practice as a response to orthodox painting techniques, Chung claims the tradition for herself: ‘Given its long history, I believe painting is an easy medium to detect changes in the way we see and perceive. This is why the medium is appealing.’

References

• 타데우스 로팍, 정희민: UMBRA (Thaddaeus Ropac, Heemin Chung: UMBRA)
• 정희민, Heemin Chung (Artist Website)

Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.