In Lieu of Higher Ground

This catalogue is devoted to the Korean artists Park Suk Won, Park Jang-Nyun, and Song Burnsoo for their lifelong commitment to the establishment of contemporary Korean art. In the 1970s and 1980s, Park Suk Won presented his wood sculptures, through which he pursued his artistic practice of accumulation. In large-format paintings Park Jang-Nyun dealt with the depiction of hyperrealistic forms made of hemp fabric. Song Burnsoo is represented by a large tapestry made in the early 1990s and his later paintings in which his exploration of religious symbols is articulated.

This richly illustrated publication offers insight into the oeuvres of three important contemporary Korean artists.

About the Authors

Park Suk Won (*1941) is one of the most prominent figures of Korean postwar art. Although he was still rooted in Abstract Expressionism at the beginning of his career, his minimalist works from the 1970s onward have made him a luminary of abstract Korean sculpture.

Park Jang-Nyun (1938-2009) became an important representative of the Korean Monochrome movement in the 1970s, known as Dansaekhwa. He occupied himself with representing shapes of hemp fabric in a hyperrealistic manner.

Song Burnsoo (*1943) is an internationally renowned contemporary Korean artist whose works are exhibited both nationally and internationally and can be found in many prominent collections. A vast range of Song's artworks encompasses prints, tapestries, paper reliefs, and environmental installations.