Kwang Young Chun

Exhibited by Gana Art

Material Mixed media with Korean mulberry

Dimensions 145 x 112 cm (57.1 x 44.1 in.)

Status Not Vetted

About the Work

Chun Kwang-Young (b. 1944-)’s signature Aggregation series is characterised by a meticulous and labour-intensive process in which thousands of triangular pieces of Styrofoam are individually wrapped in Korean mulberry paper (hanji), often sourced from historical texts such as The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, legal codes, and classical novels. These wrapped pieces are then bound with twisted paper strings and systematically arranged on wooden panels, forming highly textured, sculptural reliefs.

Drawing inspiration from traditional Korean herbal medicine shops—where medicinal herbs were wrapped in paper and tied together—Chun deconstructs and reconstructs this cultural practice through a contemporary aesthetic, bridging past and present. By weaving together fragmented narratives on pieces of hanji, he creates dynamic visual effects and tensions that reflect the complexities of human history.

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Provenance

Acquired from the artist's studio

Literature

Boreum L and Jiwon C (eds) (2025) CHUN KWANG YOUNG | Aggregations: Resonance, In-between (Center for Interpreting and translation, HUFS trans), Gana Art, Seoul