Ha Chong-hyun retrospective showcases evolution of artist’s styles, colors and shapes

Ha Chong-hyun poses alongside his “Conjunction” paintings at the Art Sonje Center in central Seoul on Feb. 13. [ART SONJE CENTER]

 
When naming dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome paintings) artists, the name Ha Chong-hyun is among several artists that always come to mind. But when considering the works of the artist, who turns 90 this year, it would be a mistake to simply reduce his lifelong practice to only this style.
 
The transformation of his works, particularly amid the socially tumultuous period between 1959 and 1975, is reflected in the Art Sonje Center’s latest exhibition, “Ha Chong-Hyun 5975.”
 

“Self portrait” (1959) by Ha Chong-hyun [ART SONJE CENTER]

 
Ha’s work in the latter half of the 20th century is divided largely into four different chapters, each responding to the circumstances at the time of a ragged, post-war nation undergoing rapid modernization.
 
Metaphors make up a large part of his work, as shown in two installations of ropes each in different forms — one in a loose bundle and another stretched out to the verge of snapping — to reference the contrast of a free and oppressed society.
 
Kim Sun-jung, artistic director of the Art Sonje Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, described the exhibition in a recent press conference as an “evolution” of Ha’s work throughout the years.
 
Ha’s one and only self portrait from 1959 is displayed at the exhibition.
 

“Untitled B” (1965) by Ha Chong-hyun [ART SONJE CENTER]

 
Ha’s “Informel” series from 1959 to 1965 drew inspiration from the Art Informel movement, meaning “formless art” in French, which rejected traditional techniques and compositions following World War II.
 
His reinterpretation added Korean sentiments, employing thick paints onto the canvas and searing its surface, and dark palettes that also symbolized the traumas of the Korean War (1950-53). Some paintings had string attached, detailing Ha’s experimental attempt to deviate from the conventional 2-D format, Kim said.
 
From 1967 to 1970, Korea’s intense industrialization prompted Ha to create geometric abstraction paintings. They were characterized by vivid colors and repetitive patterns that represented the urbanized landscapes.
 
The “White Paper on Urban Planning” series was particularly based on then-President Park Chung Hee’s second Five-Year Economic Development Plan, which geared the nation into heavy industry to bolster its global competitiveness. It was comprised of paintings that implemented bright, primary colors and patterns reminiscent of dancheong (traditional Korean decorative coloring). Some had rippled, accordion-like effects on the canvas surface, which were referencing the major highways that were built during that time.
 

“White Paper on Urban Planning” (1967) by Ha Chong-hyun [ART SONJE CENTER]

“Work 73” (1973) by Ha Chong-hyun [ART SONJE CENTER]

 
The formation of the Korean Avant Garde Association (AG) in 1969 contributed to artists producing more experimental works, embracing new techniques and materials, such as toilet paper, wire, newspaper and cement powder. Comprised of 12 artists and theorists — including Ha — artists would create metaphors that tackled the social context, such as the media censorship that was prevalent at the time, through exhibitions and publications.
 
Although the association was short-lived, disbanding in 1975, the museum describes the AG to have “played a critical role in shaping contemporary Korean art, opening up new creative possibilities and challenging existing artistic paradigms.”
 
Ha’s “Conjunction” series, which catapulted the artist to fame, began in 1974. These dansaekhwa paintings are the result of the self-devised baeapbeop, in which he thickly applies oil paint on the back of a sackcloth canvas and then presses the paint so that it seeps through the front. This technique overturned the conventional paradigm of painting directly onto the front of the canvas.
 

“Conjunction” (1974) by Ha Chong-hyun [ART SONJE CENTER]

“Conjunction 74-17” (1974) by Ha Chong-hyun [ART SONJE CENTER]

 
Ha has previously said in 2022 that he got the idea for baeapbeop after realizing that the coarse texture of sackcloth made it difficult to directly draw on, therefore opting to apply paint on the back and push it forward instead.
 
His “Post-Conjunction” series (2010-) features more pops of color and was produced by placing planks of wood wrapped in canvas cloth on top of wet paint, causing the paint to be pressed through the gaps of the planks.
 

Ha Chong-hyun poses alongside his “Relation 72-1” (1972/2025) installation at the Art Sonje Center in central Seoul on Feb. 13. [ART SONJE CENTER]

 
When asked which piece he considers most representative of his body of work, Ha simply said, “They’re all like my children.”
 
“Ha Chong-Hyun 5975” continues until April 20. Art Sonje Center is open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays. General admission is 10,000 won ($6.90).

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]