Myonghi Kang - Visit encompasses the major works in the six-decade artistic career of Myonghi Kang (b. 1947). She has established a unique realm of painting by exploring the essence of natural landscapes and capturing the relationship between existence and nature on canvas through long-term observation. Leaving Korea in 1972 to work around the world, Kang has created paintings that embody the influences of diverse cultures and the interplay of color and sensitivity between East and West. The title Visit, borrowed from one of her works, reflects her nomadic lifestyle of never fully settling in one place and the artistic inspiration from her transient encounters. Her works may appear to be abstractions filled with brilliant light and colors, but, in fact, they originate from a very specific natural element, serving as a concentrated output of contemplation through tenacious discipline and the repetitive act of “emptying out.”
Kang has persistently explored the essence of nature, traveling from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and Patagonia in South America to Antarctica, India, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan in pursuit of pristine landscapes. The brushstrokes and fragments layered on the flat canvas sway and collide like the movements of nature. The seemingly calm and peaceful images are the result of an intimate dialogue with the world or nature, established with countless brushstrokes applied over a long period of time. In this era in which nature itself is endangered, Kang’s paintings, completed through a process of relentless discipline and purification, draw viewers in by encapsulating the history and memory of the earth, destruction and death, and creation and extinction. Experiencing these large-scale images, they encounter nature reinterpreted by the artist as if they are wandering in a boundless world.
Since returning to her homeland in 2007, Kang has resided in Jejudo and continued to create abstract paintings that capture the vibrant natural landscapes there. Entering a phase of artistic maturity, her art reflects a profound contemplation of nature and humanity. In contrast with contemporary civilization and cutting-edge technology, her artworks exude a powerful energy of life and rebirth, comforting contemporary wounds and pains through the power of art. Myonghi Kang - Visit consists of three sections based on the artist’s spatio-temporal experiences and stream of consciousness rather than on the chronology of her career. The section titles are taken from the artist’s work: “1. Living in Seogwangdong-ri” presents her latest works centered on Jejudo, “2. Visit” highlights her work in France and travels around the world, and “3. Secret Garden” features early works that feed into her current works and provide clues for interpreting her oeuvre.
1. Living in Seogwangdong-ri
“Living in Seogwangdong-ri” presents relatively recent pieces created since Kang began living in Jejudo in 2007, including paintings connected to her daily life. She works at multiple studios on the island according to her circumstances and needs and has maintained a studio in Seogwangdong-ri for about ten years. While residing in Jejudo, she has continued to spend time creating art abroad, and this section of the exhibition provides an overview of her 18 years of life and art since making Korea her home again. Along with the indoor and outdoor landscapes observed from the studio and still lifes, the paintings on display feature locations in Jejudo such as Hallasan Mountain and Sanbangsan Mountain, Hwanguchi Beach and Daepyeong Sea, and Andeok Valley. Kang often depicts the same place repeatedly and sometimes spends years completing a single piece. The artworks in this part of the exhibition not only capture the beauty and dynamics of nature accumulated over time but also touch on a wide range of themes, including the destruction and wounding of the earth, contemplation and regret over endangered nature, and communication mediated by nature.
2. Visit
“Visit” showcases works from Kang’s life in France and her international journeys. During this time, she traveled about every six months, starting with Mongolia and Chile in 1994, until the late 1990s. Her adventurous spirit led her to the Gobi Desert eight times and other challenging destinations such as Patagonia, Antarctica, and India, where she captured the vivid scenery that she saw. The works created in her studios in Paris and Touraine, France, subtly reflect her daily life and sentiments in this period. In her Touraine studio, which she began using in the 1990s, she created the North Garden, Courtyard, and Visitation series, which portray the garden and landscape there. Visitation, inspired by a pheasant that flew into the garden behind the studio, transforms an ordinary moment into a spiritual and artistic experience. The Syria series, painted in France and Jejudo, represents an artistic stand against the immense violence of war in a distant land through art. Since the 2000s, she has expanded her artistic world by engaging with numerous Chinese poets and presenting exhibitions that integrate painting and poetry.
3. Secret Garden
Kang’s works from the 1960s to the 1980s are more figurative than her later pieces, often reflecting life and reality directly or in a descriptive manner. The early pieces painted after moving to France in 1972 reflect her memories of Korea and the circumstances in the country at that time. In particular, the Developing Countries series created in the mid-1970s includes her most vigorous criticism of the social and political reality amid the modernization of Korea. Her work then gradually shifted to a more metaphorical and implicit approach. These early pieces also serve as a key for interpreting the entire body of work. Though not included in this exhibition, Secret Garden, which takes the rear garden of Changdeokgung Palace as its subject, was also produced during this period. This piece demonstrates the artist’s sustained interest in nature and is characterized by a fluid movement between abstraction and figuration. It can be seen as a starting point in the artist’s artistic journey.
