Post-war Korean abstraction can be understood as a study of space, not as emptiness, but as a field shaped by memory, material, and silence. This presentation brings together the distinct yet deeply resonant practices of Yun Hyong-keun (1928-2007), Ham Sup (1942-2024),and Cho Sung-mook (1940-2016), forming a cross generational dialogue between painting,materiality, and sculpture. Anchored by major institutional recognition, including retrospectives and exhibitions at the MMCA, the presentation examines how space can embody both presence and absence.

The presentation opens with the restrained stillness of Yun Hyong-keun. Working with a reduced palette of umber and ultramarine, Yun allowed pigment to bleed into raw linen, creating monumental vertical forms that function like quiet thresholds within space. Their measured rhythm establishes a contemplative atmosphere that unfolds throughout the booth.

This meditative restraint finds a tactile counterpoint in Ham Sup’s mixed media works. Across decades of practice, Ham soaked, layered, and tore Hanji, building surfaces of sculptural density inspired by the structural rhythms of traditional Korean architecture.

Intersecting these painterly investigations is the sculptural language of Cho Sung-Mook. His seminal Messenger (chair) and Communication (glasses) series translate abstract human conditions into physical form, exploring connection, absence, and the traces left behind by human presence.

Together, the three artists construct a restrained yet deeply physical language of space, shaped through material tension, silence, and quiet human presence.

Venue
Booth C01, COEX, Seoul

Artists
Yun Hyong-Keun, Cho Sung-Mook, Ham Sup

Exhibition Dates
September 2 – 5, 2026

Website
https://galeriebhak.com/

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/galeriebhak/

Contact
info@galeriebhak.com

(Text and images courtesy of BHAK)