서울시립미술관 SEOUL MUSEUM OF ART

The exhibition of the Korean abstract art; 1958-2008 aims to look back art made by Korean artists between 1958 and 2008 when the Korean modern art has been in full flourish, and to anticipate the future of the Korean abstract art. This exhibition is also designed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of opening the Seoul Museum of Art in 2008.

In the special exhibition art generated in the half century of the Korean abstract art is classified into 4 major themes: 'spaces and properties of matter (물성)', 'repetition and structures', 'actions and pastimes' and 'color-field and light'. Selected are 80 unparalleled pieces produced by 44 excellent artists, which can be suitably categorized into the above-mentioned 4 themes, amongst Korean artists who left their amazing marks on the stage of the Korean abstract art for the past 50 years.

The section of 'spaces and properties of matter' is centered around artists steadily groping for the matters of the plane in paintings and the specificity of materials. They started from hot abstract art and gradually establish their own methods. Under the theme of 'repetition and structures' are artists who show the repetition of single colors and are aware of the plane as the structure, which is quite unique in the Korean abstract art.

The section of 'actions and pastimes' consists of Korean artists who are aspired by passionate abstract impressionism and have eyes to post-abstract impressionism. The section of 'color-field and light' is organized with works by color-field abstract artists and the artists who actively embody the concept of light. In this section artists usually quote light as divine revelation and/or focus on the pure incarnation of light.

This exhibition aims at classifying the changing processes of the Korean abstract art for the past 50 years into 4 themes, and at trying to communicating between the two generations living this era in the Korean society. In this exhibition you can enjoy the pure awareness of beauty by the generation who consider 'abstract art' is equal to 'modern art', and the young generation pursuing multiple and diverse concepts of 'art.' Sincerity and passion that generated from participating artists all the time will make contribution to the production of far more in-depth and abundance of the contemporary art.