Choi MyoungYoung

*Artist Choi Myung-Young will not be attending the opening reception due to unforeseen circumstances. However, the exhibition will proceed as scheduled, starting on August 24th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and kindly ask for your understanding.

Tokyo Gallery+BTAP is pleased to announce a new exhibition by Choi MyoungYoung, which marks his first solo exhibition in 24 years in Japan.

Choi Myoung-Young was born in Hae Joo, Hwanghae-do, South Korea in 1941. He obtained a degree in painting from Hongik University in 1964, and is currently based in Seoul.

In 1950s and 60s South Korea, the art world, and in particular the Seoul art scene, was dominated by Art Informel, a movement that focused on the expression of sensations and feelings. Choi, then a student at Hongik University, formed a group named Origin with Suh Seung-Won and Lee Seung-Jo. Together, the artists pursued abstract geometric painting under the slogan “logic and reason”. Choi went onto be a founding member of South-Korean avant-garde association AG, and was featured as an up-and-coming artist at the 1967 Bienniale de Paris and the 10th São Paolo Art Biennial (1969).

In the 1970s, Choi began focussing on the intrinsic planar nature of paintings, creating abstract works that explored the possibilities of planes. This marked the beginning of his Conditional Planes series, which continues today. While Choi’s paintings adopt the classic South Korean style of using primary colours and focusing on the relationship between materiality and spirituality, they are also characterised by the accentuation of the planar nature of the canvas, and the use of geometric lines and shapes painted in primary colours.

Early in his career, Choi would start a work by marking the canvas with fingerprints or sandpaper. He would then use rollers and apply multiple layers of pigment to create a thick canvas. Between 1980 and 2000, Choi also employed a style whereby he would fill the entire canvas with a multitude of horizontal and vertical lines.

The current exhibition features ten works by Choi Myoung-Young that date back to the 1980s, including four new works. We look forward to seeing you there.