Gazing into Korean Contemporary Art 

Melting Domain: Triangular Matrix of Korean Arts 

Blending elegant home décor with Asian contemporary art, nurturing a unique atmosphere where East and West cultures converge, has always been the core philosophy of Yi&C. As Lesser Fullness of Grain is approaching, Yi&C. with its unique eye for arts and culture, is pleased to present Melting Domain: Triangular Matrix of Korean Arts, a group exhibition curated by Moon Jung-Hee, which highlights the trendsetters of Korean contemporary art. 

As the Korean culture overwhelms the global fashion, cultural and creative, and entertainment industries, Korea's contemporary art has held a strong presence in the international art world. Looking to broaden the scope of the Taiwanese art scene, Yi&C. invites Moon Jung-Hee, visiting professor of the Tainan National University of the Arts, to curate Melting Domain: Triangular Matrix of Korean Arts. Moon is also an art historian and the chief researcher of the Korean Graduate School of the Arts. This exhibition focuses on three well-known contemporary artists in Korea. Switzerland-based Yang Kwang-Ja (b. 1943) and once U.S.-based Kim Bong Tae (b. 1937) are both tremendously influenced by Western Modernism in the 1970s, while Kim Sun (b. 1976), born in the generation of the mid-70s, is a rising star in Korea's art circle. The common thread that runs through these artists' art practices is that they construct a melting domain through the use of multimedia art forms and collage. Delving into issues such as self and identity, localness and foreignness, memory and reciprocation, these three artists reinterpret the diverse forms into which contemporary art morphs in their individual generations. 


《The Light Series》, Yang Kwang-Ja 

Since she graduated from the Berlin University of the Arts and settled down in Zurich, Switzerland to teach, Yang Kwang-Ja has been actively engaged in her art practice, which was profoundly influenced by Western Modernism in the 1970s. On display at this exhibition is her Light Series, distinguished by lyricism, and a mix of oil paint, ink wash, and egg tempera. Breaking visual boundaries, the artist layers on canvas an exuberant fullness with hefty oil paints, contrasted with ink wash and egg tempera that exudes an airy, poetic, and sensuous freespiritedness, as an emotional space simultaneously transparent and opaque materializes. Painting in an abstract style of German Expressionism, Yang boldly combines ink wash and oil paint on traditional canvas or Korean mulberry paper. It is not difficult to see her relentless search in Eastern and Western cultures for something that resonates with her identity as Korean, her longing to return to her motherland, and her pursuit of connection. In her work, ink wash applied closely to hefty oil paint, appears to be mottled traces but more like reflections of her state of mind, while a nostalgia so faint and obscure sprawls along the texture of her painting. 

《The Dancing Box Series》, Kim Bong Tae 

Kim Bong Tae, with a bachelor's degree from the University of Seoul, nurtured by the local Korean abstract style, has been practicing printmaking and sculpture in the United States for many years. His recent body of work demonstrates a great deal of sculptural 

collage in the painting that renders something flat three-dimensional. With the Dancing Box Series Kim's years of hard work in two-dimensional and three-dimensional arts have finally come to fruition. Several flat geometric shapes pop up in the box: a see-through interior space is formed by silhouettes of the geometric shapes, while a three-dimensionality is constructed by color blocks which transform into dancing figures. 

Intriguingly the Dancing Box, strongly influenced by Western simplicity and logic, is dominated by a vibrant and contrasting palette that enlivens the dancing figure with an aesthetic quality that evokes traditional Korean clothing. Neat and sprightly, Kim's work 

is a form of self-scrutiny on Korean artists in the global art world, each detail characterized by highly distinct pigments steeped in the culture of his home country, artfully blending aesthetics of the East and West. 

《The Nostalgic Series》, Kim Sun 

Born, raised, and based in Korea, emerging artist Kim Sun is known for her mixed-media art practic in photography and drawing. She first photographs the scenery, then hand-draws on transparency paper, and finally superimposes the photograph with the drawing, before taking an image of the combined piece as the final work. While the drawing conveys the artist's subjective awareness and emotions, the photograph portrays remnants of objective reality. The Nostalgic Series is — in a way — a question she poses to herself throughout her years of travel in foreign lands: Who am I? The traces of changing space and time, and surroundings/contexts are mixed and collaged with her superimposed images and expressive drawings, creating a surreal imagery in poetic filter colors. Kim Sun blends realistic observations with personal reflections, turning them into thoughtful visual manifestations. 

Believing in living space aesthetics and arts, every year Yi&C. presents meticulously curated exhibitions as a way to enrich the public's cultural understanding. Melting Domain: Triangular Matrix of Korean Arts is an attempt to transcend borders as well as an opportunity for art connoisseurs to experience firsthand the burgeoning Korean art scene. 




About the Artists │ Yang Kwang-Ja 

Born in 1943 in Naju, Korea, Yang Kwang-Ja went to study in Berlin, Germany in 1966. 

After she graduated from the Berlin University of the Arts, she settled down in Zurich, Switzerland, and has been living and working there as a teacher and an artist ever since. Her artistic style of abstraction is significantly influenced by German Expressionism, rendered in Western egg tempera, self-made ink wash, and Korean mulberry paper, as she breaks East-West boundaries in her conscious welding of materials. 

1943 Born in Naju, Korea 

1966 to Berlin, Germany 

1968-73 Postgraduate M.A. in Department of Painting, Berlin University of the Arts, Germany 

1969 Studied Western Art History in Free University Berlin, Germany 

1973-80 Studied in College of Education, Berlin University of the Arts, Germany, obtain a teaching certificate 

1978-79 Investigated the Museum in Germany 

1980 Settlement in Swiss 

1983 Studied the Asian Art History in Zurich University, Swiss 

1986-2004 Professor, Department of Oriental Painting, Zurich University of the Arts, Swiss 

Solo Exhibitions 

1977 Art and Craft Gallery, Berlin, Germany 

1983 Burgdorf Gallery, Burgdorf, Swiss 

Diebenturum Gallery, Luzern, Swiss 

1983 Studied the Asian Art History in Zurich University, Swiss 

1984 St. Gallen City Theater, St. Gallen, Swiss 

1985 Uelzen of City Museum, Uelzen, Grmany 

1986 Park Ryu Sook Gallery, Seoul, Korea 

Space Gallery, Seoul, Korea 

1988 Geothe Institut, Seoul, Korea 

1989 Park Ryu Sook Gallery, Seoul, Korea 

1991 Labyrinth Gallery, Basel, Swiss 

1992 Kumho Museum and Sam Gallery, Seoul, Korea 

1997 Kumho Museum and Pyo Gallery, Seoul, Korea 

1998 Colin Gallery, Lausnne, Swiss 

2004 Joachim Gallery, Tübingen, Germany 

2005 St. Greifensee Foundation, Zurich, Swiss 

2011 Bill Kristen Gallery, Zurich, Swiss 

2014 Claudia Geiser Gallery, Zurich, Swiss 

Group Exhibitions 

1975 5th Young Artist of Berlin Exhibition, Berlin, Germany 

1976 Gedock, Berlin, Germany 

1986 1st Korean Gallery Association show, National Museum of Modern and 

Contemporary Art, Korea 

1988 3th Asia Art Exhibition, Fukuoka Modern Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan 

1988 5th Park Ryu Sook Gallery’s opening ceremony show, Seoul, Korea 

1989 Kumho Museum’s opening ceremony show, Seoul, Korea 

1995 1st Women Art’s Association, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea 

1999 3th Change Diectory, Bern City Museum, Bern, Swiss 

2005 Frankfurt’s Galley Association Exhibition, Frankfurt, Germany 

2007 Christie’s Auction, New York, USA 

2008 Christie’s Auction, New York, USA 

International Modern Art of Karsruhe Galley Association, Karsruhe, Germany 

2008 Joachim Gallery, Tübingen, Germany 

2011 Perifair Gallery, Zurich, Swiss 

Awards and Collections 

Council of Bern, Fellowship 

Council of Zurich, Fellowship 

Uelzen of City Museum, Uelzen, Grmany 

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea 

EMC Record.co., Munich, Germany 

Kumho Museum, Seoul, Korea 

Face Museum, Seoul, Korea 

Kim Bong Tae 

Born in 1937, Kim Bong Tae graudated from the University of Seoul and went to study in 

the United States. He moved back to Korea after years of teaching in the U.S. His art practice is rooted in the abstract style of Korea's local culture, and later influenced by American printmaking and sculpture techniques. His recent body of work combines two-dimensionality with three-dimensional collage, eliciting sculptural character from planar works. 

1937 Born in Busan, Korea 

1961 B.F.A College of Fine Arts, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea 

1966 B.F.A., M.F.A. Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, 

California, U.S.A 

Selected Solo Exhibitions 

1970 Graphics Gallery, San Francisco(US) 

1971 American Cultural Service, Busan(KR) 

1973 ADI Gallery, San Francisco, Pacific Asia Museum, Los Angeles(US) 

1977 Jean Art Gallery, Seoul(KR) 

1978 Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Thousand Oaks(US) 

1979 Fisher Gallery, Los Angeles, ADI Gallery, San Francisco(US) 

1980 Dong San Bang Gallery, Seoul, American Cultural Center, Busan(KR) 

1985 Hankook Gallery, Los Angeles(US) 

1986 American Cultural Service, Gwangju(KR) 

1990 Hankook Gallery, Seoul(KR) 

1991 Johyun Gallery, Busan(KR) 

1992 Gallery 9, Seoul(KR) 

1993 The Thirty Years of Printmaking, Gong Pyung Art Center, Park Ryu Sook Gallery, Sampooong Gallery, DongSoong Gallery, Seoul(KR) 

1994 Song One Gallery, Bucheon(KR) 

1995 Fine Gallery, Seoul(KR) 

1996 The Seoul Club, Seoul(KR) 

1997 Galerie Bhak, Seoul(KR) 

2000 Galeriasia, Hong Kong(HK) 

2002 Hyundai Arts Center, Woolsan, Suka Art Space, Busan(KR) 

2004 Gana Art Center, Seoul 

2005 World Art Gallery, Tokyo(JP) 

2008 Gallery HYUNDAI, Seoul, Gallery Idm, Busan(KR) 

2009 Gallery Royal, Seoul, Gallery Idm, Busan(KR) 

2013 Busan Museum if Art, Busan(KR) 

Selected Group Exhibitions 

2000 The beginning of Korean Modern Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Postwar Abstract Art in Korea and the West: Passion and Expression, Samsung Museum, Seoul, New Millennium 3.24, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul(KR) 

2001 Asian Artists Exhibition, Brighton Polytechnic Gallery, Brighton(UK) 

2002 Understanding of Abstract Painting, Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, The Color of Korea, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul(KR) National Museum of Art, Osaka, Aichi Prefecture Museum of Art, Nagoya(JP) 

2003 Drawing:Irs New Horizon, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul(KR) Three Person Exhibition, World Art Gallery,Tokyo(JP) The Seoul Art Exhibition Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul(KR) 

2004 The exhibition of Seoul Art Association, Center of Association of Architects, Roma(IT) 

2005 Japan-Korea Art Exhibition, Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka(JP) 

2006 The 21st Asian International Art Exhibition, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore(SP) 

2007 Abstract art , Amusement on the Borders, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul(KR) 

2008 Bridge Art Fair, New York(US) 

2009 5Person 5 Character, Chang Ucchin's House, Yongin(KR) China.Korea Relation 17th Anniversary Art Special Festival, SunShine International Art Museum, Beijing, Sogo Art Fair, Beijing(CN) 

2010 Hong Kong Art Fair, The Columns Gallery, Hong Kong(HK) Portrait of Korean War, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul(KR) 

2011 The Changing Face of Busan, Busan Museum of Art, Busan(KR) 

2012 KIAF, Lee Hwaik Gallery, COEX, Seoul, Plasitic days,Pohang Museum of Art, Pohang(KR) Asia International Art Show, Bangkok(TL) Now Dance, Museum of Art Seoul National University, Seoul(KR) 

2013 70's Renaissance, EVE Gallery, Seoul, Contemporary art inside the book, Goyang Aram Arts Center, Goyang, COOL PRINT, Seoul Museum of Art,Seoul,Hommage to Whanki I, Hwanki Museum, Seoul, Park Soo Keun Museum, Yanggu(KR) 

Awards and Collections 

1977 Brand Ⅶ, Glendale, California College of the Siskiyous National Print and Drawing Competition, Weed, California 

1978 5th National Print Exhibition, California State University, Northridge, California 

2007 1st Artist of Korea Award, Department of Western style Painting 

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea Samsung Museum, Seoul, Korea Shimonoseki City Art Museum, Shimonoseki, Japan The British Museum,London, U.K. Constitutional Court of Korea, Seoul, Korea Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the Swiss Confederation, Kalcheggweg, Swiss White House, Washington D.C. U.S.A. 


Kim Sun 

Born in 1976 in Chungnam, Korea, Kim Sun works in mixed media of photography and drawing, with a solid foundation in techniques. Contrary to the grandioseness and sensationlism often found in contemporary photography, Kim Sun's work witnesses her return to the nature of visual aesthetics. Her poetic visual expression does not seek to provoke, but to convey the subtle feelings of the artist as pensive visual representations. 




1976 Born in Chungnam, Korea Live and works in Seoul 

1999 Graduated department of photography College of Fine Arts, The Sangmyung University, BFA degree 

2002 One semester course study of easel painting, College of Fine Arts, The Hongik University 

2006 Toscana Photographic Workshop, Italy. tutor: Todd Hido 

2007 Summer school; short term program, alternative photographic process study, The Central Sanit Martins Callege of Art and Design, London. tutor: Guy Paterson Selected Solo Exhibitions 

Selected Solo Exhibitions 

2013 "Photography with painting", KDS Design Studio, Seoul Selected Group Exhibitions 

2005 "Love and Farewell", Munhwaillbo Gallery, Seoul