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| Yun Hyong-keun's "Burnt Umber" (1980) / Courtesy of David Zwirner, PKM Gallery |
By Park Han-sol
Late "dansaekhwa" (monochrome painting) master Yun Hyong-keun has come under the spotlight at the heart of the French capital this month with his never-before-exhibited pieces unfurled on "hanji" (traditional Korean paper made with mulberry trees).
Exhibition "Yun Hyong-keun" mounted at David Zwirner's Paris location ― his first solo show held in the city since 2006, a year before his passing ― presents the artist's oeuvre dating from 1979 to 1984.
The period encompasses Yun's two-year-long stay in Paris, where he and his family found refuge in 1980 in pursuit of peace and freedom of expression amid political turbulence in his home country.
The artist is best known for painting monolithic, dark columns on canvas in a concentrated mixture of burnt umber and ultramarine that best represented his tumultuous state of mind following his brush with the Korean War and South Korea's postwar authoritarian regimes.
He was incarcerated several times for his political beliefs and openly critical remarks against the administration, including in 1973 when he spoke up against corruption in the school system while teaching at Sookmyung Girls' High School. His "crime," the authorities deemed, was having violated the Anti-Communist Act.
That year at the age of 45, after decades of struggle against the corrupt authorities, he turned to art to express his pent-up frustration and sorrow.
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| Yun Hyong-keun's studio in Paris in 1981 / Courtesy of PKM Gallery |
The artist declared his new series to be called, "Cheonjimun" (Gate of Heaven and Earth): "Blue is the color of Heaven, while umber symbolizes the color of the Earth. Hence, I call them Heaven and Earth, with the gate serving as the composition."
His brushstrokes bled naturally across the linen or cotton raw canvas ― appearing light brown as its fabric was not bleached ― reminiscent of traditional East Asian calligraphy or ink and wash paintings.
It was during his residence in Paris that Yun furthered the artistic vocabulary he had already established by actively incorporating hanji into his practice and adding variations to the composition of his dark pillars on canvas.
This creative exploration was partially fueled after he learned of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when hundreds of civilian activists and students protesting against South Korea's Chun Doo-hwan administration were brutally persecuted and killed. This massacre was what prompted his family to relocate to France in the first place.
The Paris show features a curated selection of 25 of Yun's seminal pieces, including 12 hanji works produced in 1981.
"Yun Hyong-keun," held in collaboration with Seoul-based PKM Gallery, runs through Feb. 23 at David Zwirner Paris.
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| A photograph of Yun Hyong-keun, right, and his family in Paris in 1981 / Courtesy of PKM Gallery |
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