KWAN YOUNG CHUN

b.   South Korea           1944

South Korean artist Kwang Young Chun combines hundreds of paper-wrapped parcels to create sculptural compositions, called Aggregations, that look like crystal formations, asteroids, or the surface of the moon. The Aggregations are simultaneously Space Age and nostalgic, beautiful and violent, powerful and fragile. They draw on the artist’s training in abstract painting as well as memories of his childhood, when Korean apothecaries sold medicine in similar little bundles.

Each parcel is wrapped in old book pages, printed in the traditional manner on Korea’s celebrated mulberry-pulp paper, called hanji. Chun likens the parcels to cells or units of information, and sees analogies to both chemistry and the human condition in the ways that the parcels interact physically: sometimes meshing, sometimes clashing. He compares the fragmentary passages of text on the wrappers—most taken from classics of Korean and Chinese philosophy—to voices overheard in a crowd.

MEET THE ARTIST


CURRICULUM & EXHIBITIONS

Education

B.F.A., Hong-Ik University, Korea

M.F.A., Philadelphia College of Art

Solo Exhibitions

2013 Museum of Art Seoul National University

2013 Assemblage--Singapore Art Plural Gallery

2012 Design Futurology--Museum of Art Seoul National University

2012 Aggregation: Paper Sculpture --Towson University Asian Art Center

2012 Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, New York

2012 Surface: Die Poesie Des Materials--Museum Kunstwerk2012 Aggregations-- Daura Gallery--Lynchburg College, Virginia

2012 Towson University Museum, MarylandLynchburg College Daura Museum, VirginiaToday Art Museum, Beijing

2011 Knoxville Museum of Art, Tennessee

2010 National Art Museum of China, Beijing

2009 Mori Arts Center, Tokyo, Japan

University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, Wyoming

Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore

2008 The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT

Robert Miller Gallery, New York

2007 The Columns Gallery, Seoul

2006 Kim Foster Gallery, New York

Michelle Rosenfeld Gallery, New York

Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore

Annely Juda Fine Art, London

2005 Kukje Gallery, Seoul

2004 Kim Foster Gallery, New York

Michelle Rosenfeld Gallery, New York

2003 Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney Newcontemporaries, Sydney

2002 Columbus Museum, Columbus, Georgia

Kim Foster Gallery, New Youk

Michell Rosenfield Gallery, New York

Kukje Gallery, Seoul

2001 "2001 The Artist of this year,” The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul

2000 Michelle Rosenfeld Gallery, New York

Comemenoz Gallery, Key Biscayne, FL

Kim Foster Gallery, New York

1999 Park Ryu-Sook Gallery, Seoul

Kim Foster Gallery, New York

1998 Gallery SiKong, Taegu

1997 Gallery Bhak, Seoul

1995 Gallery Bhak, Seoul

1994 Jong Ro Gallery, Seoul

1992 Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

1990 Gallery Dong Sung Arts Center, Seoul

1989 Gallery Yoon, Seoul

1988 Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

1987 Kwan Hoon Gallery, Seoul

1986 Sirota Gallery, Tokyo

1985 Kamakura Gallery, Tokyo

Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo

1984 Kwan Hoon Gallery, Seoul

1980 American Cultural Center Gallery, Seoul

1979 Malta National Museum, Saint Julian, Malta

Lotus Gallery, New York

1977 Shin Sea Gea Gallery, Seoul

1976 Fifth St. Gallery, Wilmington, Delaware

1976 Fine Art Center, Seoul

1975 Lotus Gallery, New York

1972 Holly Solomon Gallery, New York

1971 International House Gallery, Philadelphia

1968 Seoul Cultural Center Gallery, Seoul

Selected Group Exhibitions

2009 Moscow Biennial, Moscow

2008 ‘Midnight Full of Stars’ ,Visual Art Center, New Jersey

‘Undercover Project’ , The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

2007 ‘Addicted to Paper’, Gallery Lelong, Zurich, Switzerland

2006 “Holland Paper Biennial,”CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands (concurrentlyviewed at the Museum Rijswijk)

2005 “2005 Seoul Art Exhibition,” Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul

2004 “The Art Scene in New York” Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

“Commemorative Exhibition of Seoul Museum of Art South Branch opening, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul

“Crossings 2003, Korea/Hawaii”, The contemporary Museum, Honolulu

“Art Unlimited,” Art 34 Basel, Basel, Switzerland

2001 "Compelled,” Hunterdon Museum of Art, New Jersey

2000 "Dealer's Choice', Robert Kidd Gallery, Michigan

San Francisco Art ExhibitionPark Ryu-Sook Gallery, San Francisco

Gwenda Jay/ Addington Gallery, Chicago

1999 Galerie Die Weisse, Cologne

1998 Galerie Dorothea van Der Koelen, Mainze

"Crossing Boundaries", Gallery V, Columbus, Ohio

1996 “Anthology of Contemporary Painting Artists,”

Da Do Gallery, Seoul“Korean Paper-The Origin Esthetics”, Da Do Gallery, Seoul 1995 L.A. International Biennale Invitation, Gallery Bhak-Remba Gallery, L.A

1994 "Korean Paper Works of 3 Artists,” Chong Ro Gallery, Seoul

1993 Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka

 1987 Seoul-Yokohama Contemporary Artists Exhibition, Gallery of Art Cosmo Center

1986 Yokohama Contemporary Artists Exhibition, The Museum of Yokohama

1985 ISPPA, Walker Hill Museum, Seoul

1984 '84 ISPPA-HUKUOKA, The Museum of Fukuoka, Fukuoka

"Ecole de Seoul,” The National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul Korea

Today's Artists Exhibition, Kwan Hoon Gallery, Seoul

1977 The Invited Show 2 Contemporary Artists, Fifth St. Gallery, Wilmington, Delaware

1976 The Invited Exhibition Contemporary Artists, University of Delaware Museum, Delaware

The Invited Exhibition Lotus 10 Artists, Lotus Gallery, New York

The Invited Exhibition Contemporary Artists, Baulchie Institute Museum

1975 Woodmare Gallery, PhiladelphiaWanamker Gallery, Philadelphia

William Penn Memorial Museum, Harrisburg

1974 The 24th Cheltenham Art Exhibition, Cheltenham Art Center, Cheltenham

Derexel University Museum, Philadelphia

1973 Civic Center Museum, Philadelphia

Earth Art Modern II Art Exhibition, Civic Center Museum, Philadelphia

1971-78 National Forum of Professional Artists Show Philadelphia, Philadelphia

Civic Center Museum, Philadelphia

1966-68 Korean Contemporary Artists Invited Exhibition, The Chosun Il-Bo Press Group, Seoul

1966-67 The Shin Sang Group Show, National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul Awards

Presidential Prize in the 41st Korean Culture and Art Prize, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Seoul, Korea

Chun Kwang Young; Artist of the Year 2001, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea

Silver Prize in the 27th Cheltenham Art Center Exhibition sponsored by Cheltenham Art Center

Special Prize in the Earth Art II sponsored by Civic Center Museum, Philadelphia

Special Prize in the 18th Korean National Art’s Exhibition sponsored by the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation, Seoul, Korea

Korean Contemporary Artist’s Invited Exhibition Special Prize, held by Chosun Press Group, National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul, Korea

Special Prize in the 5th, 6th Shin Sang Group Exhibition, held by Shin Sang Group, National Museum of Modern Art, Korea

Selected Public Collections

Woodrow Wilson International Center, Washington D.C.

University of Virginia Art Museum, Charlottesville, Virginia

United Nations headquarters, New York

National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul

The Leeum, Samsung Museum, Seoul Hansol Foundation of Culture, Seoul

Malta National Museum, Saint Julian, Malta

The Museum of Hong-ik University, Seoul

Columbia University of Law, New York

Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul

Busan Metropolitan Art Museum, Busan

National Gallery of Australia at Canberra, Canberra

Chase Manhattan Bank, New York

Fidelity Investments Boston, Boston

Rockfeller Foundation, New York

William Penn Memorial Museum, Philadelphia

Philadelphia Society Building, Philadelphia

The National Military Academy, Seoul

Seoul 63 Building, Seoul

Pak Young Sa Publishing Co, Seoul LG Group, Seoul

Woong-Jin Group, Seoul

Sea Ah Group, Seoul

Hotel Shilla, Seoul

Chosun Hotel , GyeongjuHan Wha Corp., Seoul

Lake Hills Country Club, Su Won, Korea

Il Shin Spinning Co., Seoul

Yu Yu Ind. Ltd., Seoul

Syn Key Group, Seoul

Seo Heung Metal Co., Seoul

Sa Jo Corp., Seoul

Dong Yang Tinplate Corp, Seoul

Seo Won Valley Country Club, Song-Chou, Korea

Codina Group Inc., Coral Gables

Neiman Marcus Department Store, Dallas

Jacson Consulting Corp., Coral Gables

International Finance Corp., Washington, DC

Continental-Bental L. L.C., Bellevue, Washington

Rosewood Stone Group, Mill Velley, CA

Lattangio E Associati SRL, Milan

Tita and Gene Zeffren, Chicago

Potash Corporation-USA Headquarters, Chicago

Oracle Corporation, NY

Important Private Collections

David Bassford, USA

Franklin Silverstone, NY

Frank & Barbara Peters, USA

Larry & Hazel Rosen, USA

Marla Prather / Senior Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art, NY

Bruce & Judith Eisner, USA

Dorothy Lamelson, USA

Michelle & Herbert Rosenfeld, USA

Bennett Lebow, USA

Gina Barroso, MEXICO

Victor Barnett (Chairman of Burberry’s), UK

Leon Black

Robert Shaye

David Blei

Werner and Ingrid Welle

Eyal Ofer