Yun Hyong-Keun

David Zwirner, Paris

By Maxime Foucquet

January 9, 2023

From January 7 until February 23, 2023, David Zwirner presents a solo exhibition of Yun Hyong-Keun in Paris—a selection of never-before-exhibited paintings on Hanji, a Korean Mulberry paper, produced between 1979 and 1984. Symbolically, this period consists of the works before and after Yun’s residence in Paris from 1980 to 1982, presenting a transformative period in the oeuvre of Yun Hyong-Keun.

Yun Hyong-keun was born in 1928 in Miwon, North Chungcheong Province, Korea, and passed away in 2007. The exhibition is the first presentation of Yun Hyong-keun’s work since 2006 and the third solo exhibition with David Zwirner since 2016. The artist is best known for his signature abstract compositions engaging with and transcending Eastern and Western art movements and visual traditions.

“Using a restricted palette of ultramarine and umber, Yun created his compositions by adding layer upon layer of paint onto raw canvas or linen, often applying the next coat before the last one had dried. He diluted the pigments with turpentine solvent, allowing them to seep into the fibers of the support, staining his materials in a similar way to traditional ink on hanji. Working directly on his studio floor, he produced simple arrangements of intensely dark, vertical bands surrounded by untouched areas. The division was softened by the blurred edges caused by the uneven rates of absorption of oil and solvent, and the compositions often developed over several days, even months, with the artist adding additional layers or letting the pigments bleed out gradually.” (Press release David Zwirner)

Yun Hyong-keun is one of the most important Korean artists of the Modern and Contemporary era. He has had solo exhibitions at prominent institutions across the globe, including the Total Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, Korea; the Stiftung für konkrete Kunst in Reutlingen, Germany; the Art Sonje Museum in Gyeongju, Korea; and Musée d’Art moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg in France. The exhibition runs until February 23, 2023. For more information, please visit David Zwirner here.