Friendship forged among Kim Whanki and young artist couple in NY

Moon Mi-aie's oil paintings and Han Yong-jin's stone sculptures are on display on the first floor of Hyundai Hwarang in central Seoul, for the exhibition titled "Kim Whanki's New York Period, Han Yong Jin and Moon Mi Aie." Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

Exhibition sheds light on three trailblazing creators' New York oeuvre: Kim Whanki, Han Yong-jin and Moon Mi-aie

By Park Han-sol

Painter Kim Whanki in his New York studio in 1971 / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

Hailed as one of Korea's greatest abstract masters, Kim Whanki (1913-74) forged his legacy when he birthed a series of pointillist paintings during his final years spent in New York (1963-74).

While the painter's earlier focus in Korea lay in depicting classical East Asian motifs like moon jars, apricot flowers, cranes and deer, his so-called "New York period" ushered in a new creative era ― best characterized by a seemingly infinite constellation of dots dominating the canvas, awash with blue, red, yellow and black.

Created in yearning of his homeland and its sky, these mosaic-like dots remain as his signature imagery to this day. In November 2019, his 1971 diptych, "Universe 05-IV-71 #200," fetched 13.2 billion won (HK$88 million) at Christie's Hong Kong, making history as the most expensive Korean art piece ever auctioned.

But for Kim, New York City wasn't just a birthplace of his new artistic style.

A photo of artist couple Han Yong-jin, left, and Moon Mi-aie taken during the mid-1960s / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

Rather, it was the place where he, as an alien creator in the city that was rising as a hub of the modern art world, was able to forge lifelong friendships with a handful of fellow artists from his home country.

Among them were the pioneering young artist couple: painter Moon Mi-aie (1937-2004) and sculptor Han Yong-jin (1934-2019).

And it is these bonds shared among the trailblazing Korean creators in a foreign land that Hyundai Hwarang in central Seoul has brought under the spotlight with its latest exhibition, "Kim Whanki's New York Period, Han Yong Jin and Moon Mi Aie."

Accordingly, a total of 45 works ― Kim's signature dot paintings, Han's stone sculptures and Moon's encaustic and oil paintings ― are placed in dialogue with one another throughout the gallery's two floors.

Kim and Han first crossed paths in the 1950s when Han, as a high school senior, was presented with an award by Kim at an international students' art competition organized by Hongik University. Kim was a professor at the university's college of fine arts at the time.

"You and I are the same (in height)," Kim playfully told the young Han.

Who could have known then that their creative relationship would continue later, beyond Korea's borders? In 1963, the two artists together represented Korea at the 7th Sao Paulo Biennial. And in the following years, they met again in New York City along with their partners: Kim with his wife Kim HyangAn and Han with his wife Moon.

Kim occupied a towering presence in Han's life both as his life mentor and father figure. When Kim died in 1974, Han created the tombstone for his grave in New York.

Kim Whanki's "Untitled 20-III-71" (1971) / Courtesy of Whanki Foundation, Whanki Museum

The first floor of Hyundai Hwarang is dedicated to the couple's art, its walls adorned with Moon's canvases enveloped in colorful and wild brushstrokes. Her free-spirited approach to painting and improvisatory, gestural technique were influenced by Art Informel, which encompasses the abstract, non-geometric style that emerged in the 1940s and 50s.

Meanwhile, Han's stone sculptures, marked by the unobtrusive, earthy tones of granite and basalt, strike a nice visual balance with Moon's dynamic paintings.

As a member of the first generation of Korean abstract sculptors, Han adhered to his approach of respecting the stone's original character and energy. As a result, rather than shaping the stones in predetermined forms, he focused on adjusting his carving methods based on each material's quality and limiting his touch to a minimum.

"Han produced artwork that was somewhat crude and coarse, conveying the sense of having been formed naturally over years rather than sculpted artificially," Gallery Hyundai said in a statement.

The gallery's second floor is filled with Kim's iconic pointillist paintings, tracing his steps from when he began to introduce dots on paper along with other geometric shapes during the late 1960s to the moment he finally filled the entire canvas with colorful constellations. It also includes three of the painter's works produced during the final year of his life.

"Kim Whanki's New York Period, Han Yong Jin and Moon Mi Aie" runs through June 30 at Hyundai Hwarang.

Kim Whanki's oil paintings from the late 1960s are on view on the second floor of Hyundai Hwarang, for the exhibition titled "Kim Whanki's New York Period, Han Yong Jin and Moon Mi Aie." Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn
Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn