NOVEMBER 16, 2023 – FEBRUARY 10, 2024
Young Sup Han (b. 1941) uses two and three dimensional works to explore the relation between form and phenomena. Forms, or the objects we see in front of us, are immediate and static, whereas phenomena are fluid and immaterial, such as the way the sunlight falls across the object. Han incorporates “indefinite natural phenomena” in his works, using materials such as boiled acorns, collected dirt, and dyed paper to capture the evocative expressions of nature.
Han’s use of Korean mulberry paper, hanji, and takbon is another manifestation of this meditation between the expression of form and the phenomena of nature through his art, while also expanding the boundaries of hanji techniques in contemporary art. Han employs the “Takbon” rubbing process, a form of Korean print making, over materials such as stones, twigs, perilla leaves and corn stems to create abstract patterns of bold, linear strokes that fill the entire surface with dynamic movement. The use of unconventional media, as well as the pressure and speed of his technique, create diverse textures that capture the beauty of the small, almost imperceptible changes found in nature.
Han’s practice focuses on the spirituality of nature and its correlation to the artist. The Korean philosophy of nature posits a complementary relationship between humans and nature – the self is inseparable from the surrounding environment. Rough, unpolished, and jagged lines imbue nature with sentiment. With hanji’s permeability for light and air, Han creates raw contours that portray the eternal and infinite cycles of nature. By manipulating the force and speed of his brush, Han seeks the undifferentiated state of the subject within a single movement. The abstract elements display the simplicity and poignancy inherent to the organic properties of hanji itself. Han’s forms capture the grandeur of nature that in- spires him, and the Infinite Relation between nature and self.
ABOUT YOUNG SUP HAN
Born in Gaecheon, Pyeongannam-do, Korea, Young Sup Han recently relocated to the U.S. He currently resides in New Jersey. He received an advanced degree at Dongguk University and is a Professor Emeritus of Sangmyung University in South Korea. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions globally such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art (Korea), Osaka Foundation of Culture (Japan), Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (Japan), Rade Museum (Germany), and Mt. San Antonio College Art Museum (US). His artwork is currently on view at the Guggenheim Museum, as part of the exhibition Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s-1970s.
Infinite Relation is produced in collaboration with the Donghwa Cultural Foundation.