Chung Hyun: Mass

Nam-Seoul Museum of Art, 2F Gallery and Outdoor Garden
Nambusunhwan-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 2076
Republic of Korea

“I think I wanted to express thoughts that go inward, not thoughts that go outward or make a sound. I believed that it’s when problems amass and lump inside that they can be expressed artistically.”

Mass is a solo exhibition of Chung Hyun, an artist who has explored the properties and possibilities of discarded materials such as debris, waste, and scrap metal to create figures with bold gesture. The exhibition is a comprehensive introduction to his sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and archives along with the sculptural practice from the 1990s to the present. The title of the exhibition, Mass, implies the artist's approach of maximizing the medium's properties with minimal intervention and highlights the sculptural characteristics evident in his works. It also signifies the “amassed time” endured by Chung's materials, highlighting their unique existence. Focusing on the seemingly insignificant or discarded materials that bear the weight of experiences, the exhibition ultimately aims to survey Chung Hyun’s distinctive art world where the sculpting of non-sculptural materials takes place.

In the realm of contemporary sculpture in Korea, Chung occupies a distinctive position. Noteworthy is his consistent focus on human figures—somewhat divergent from the prevailing wave of abstract expression in Korean art during the 1980s—as well as his interest in sculpting objects not commonly associated with the medium. Embarking on earnest artistic endeavors in the late 1980s, Chung delved into the study of anatomy to critically examine the human body. He considered it the fundamental subject of art, a study of which led him to a contemplation of the existential aspect of human life. During this period, Chung's skeletal representations of the human body were mainly crafted using plaster and manila hemp. As Chung advanced through the 1990s and 2000s, each of his works showcased in various exhibitions employed diverse materials, yet they all shared the inherent quality of uselessness. Renowned for his The Standing Man, for which he used old wooden railway sleepers, Chung continued to use materials awaiting disposal, such as shattered glass, petroleum residue (coal tar), scrap iron, and ascon (asphalt concrete) and assigned distinct roles to them. These lumps, precariously held together and seemingly on the verge of coming apart, prompt us to think about the existence buried within these amassed forms.  

This exhibition focuses on investigating Chung's distinctive identity and experimental nature, diverging from the more familiar aspects of his work focused on human figures. The spotlight is on the unique grammar Chung employs in selecting and examining the subjects of his sculptures. Adopting a non-realist approach, Chung emphasizes narratives that emerge from the properties and characteristics of materials when his intervention is minimized. The objective is not to assert self-expression but to underscore the temporality, memory, and history inherent in materials as unique entities. The exhibition, starting in the outdoor garden of Nam-Seoul Museum of Art and extending to the second-floor gallery, encompasses major works of the and 1990s, as well as drawings, archives, and new works. In this solo exhibition, particular attention is given to the artist's perspective on drawings: for Chung, drawings hold the same status as sculptures, surpassing the role of mere sketches. In keeping with this perspective, the exhibition is organized to display his sculptures and drawings in harmony.

In preparation for this exhibition—where his new works are mainly featured— Chung strived to discard his longstanding sculptural habits and established ideas. Even while integrating materials such as timber weathered by time, wood charred black by forest fires, and tons of shredded materials into becoming artworks, Chung has assumed the role of an observer rather than a creator for years. More than 30 years later, Chung remains a steadfast observer, still aspiring to "wander well." The reflections of this seasoned observer—directed towards the "uncommonness of trivial things"—are profoundly interwoven into this exhibition.

Curated by Bo Bae Lee, Curator at Seoul Museum of Art, together with Minji Kim, Exhibition Coordinator

Organized by Seoul Museum of Art

Supported by Hyundai Steel

For further information, visit sema.seoul.go.kr
Press inquiries: Kim Chae ha, chaeha@seoul.go.kr
General inquiries: Bo Bae Lee, bb.bobaelee@seoul.go.kr