CHOI MYOUNG YOUNG (b. 1941, Korea)
Born in Haeju, Hwanghae Province, North Korea, in 1941, Choi Myoung Young fled to South Korea during the Korean War at just 11 years old. His family was torn apart, and he and his brothers had to survive without their parents, living as displaced persons in Gunsan and Incheon. During his childhood, he became captivated by the conditions of human life—suffering, survival, asceticism, and salvation.
In 1960, he began studying painting at Hongik University College of Fine Arts, having previously trained under master artist Chung Sanghwa at the Incheon National School of Education. To Choi, the canvas is a conditioned space for painting—both a body and a metaphor for the conditions of existence.
As a result, he believed that a painter must accept the absolute flatness of the canvas as a rational foundation for painting, a conviction that became the starting point of his artistic practice. He joined two influential art groups, Origin (1963–present) and the Korea Avant-Garde Group (A.G., 1969–1975), both of which played significant roles in the development of modern and contemporary Korean art. Within these circles, he refined his artistic approach and philosophy.
Choi Myoung Young has participated in group exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2024); and the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Japan (2017). His works are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Seoul; the Seoul Museum of Art; the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art; and the National Art Center, Tokyo.
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His Conditional Planes series has been a defining element of his artistic journey since the 1970s. This style emphasizes the flat surface of the canvas, aligning him with Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting), which is characterized by geometric compositions, simple and precise lines, and primary colors. During this period, Choi developed a unique technique that involved creating and erasing traces on the canvas using fingerprints and sandpaper.
By the mid-1970s, Choi's artistic approach took on a meditative quality. He began applying layers of paint with a roller in a manner reminiscent of a calligrapher completing a character with a single brushstroke. His work continuously explores the relationship between his body, the canvas, and the medium, repeating patterns until he achieves a meditative and spiritual rhythm akin to traditional East Asian literati painting.
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After the mid-1980s, his compositions became defined by horizontal and vertical lines, forming layered surfaces through repeated brushstrokes. Choi has compared his artistic process to the Buddhist tradition of transcribing scriptures, suggesting that his painting is an act of self-discipline. Since then, he has continued his exploration of the plane as a painting space through his ongoing monochrome series, Conditional Planes.
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ARTIST
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Studio Visit: Choi Myoung Young
“The act of painting itself is a part of my life, the process of living it, traces I leave behind.” - Choi Myoungyoung -
EXHIBITION
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Choi Myoung Young: Conditional Planes I
12 August - 20 September 2015Choi Myoung Young: Conditional Planes I 12 Aug - 20 Sep 2015 The exhibition introduces Myoung Young Choi’s (b.1941) oeuvre, whose significance ranges from the 1970s to the present. The... -
Choi Myoung Young: Conditional Planes II
21 June - 28 July 2019Choi Myoung Young: Conditional Planes II 21 June - 28 July 2019 The Page Gallery EAST Choi Myoung Young has endeavored coherence in his oeuvre for the past decades, seeking... -
CHOI MYOUNG YOUNG
21 April - 29 May 2022CHOI MYOUNG YOUNG 21 April - 29 May 2022 The Page Gallery EAST The Page Gallery is pleased to present CHOI MYOUNG YOUNG, the artist’s third solo show at the...
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NEWS
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A Korean Gallery Seeks to Expand Its Reach
The New York Times February 29, 2024By David Belcher Reporting from Seoul Feb. 29, 2024 In the Seongdong neighborhood of hipster bars and pedestrian streets crowded with the well heeled, the Page Gallery has made a... -
At TEFAF New York, These Rooms Come With a View
The New York Times May 2, 2024By Shivani Vora The period rooms in the Park Avenue Armory offer benefits, and challenges, to the exhibitors setting up their booths for the art fair. When speaking of art,... -
Choi Myoung Young Conditional Planes
Almine Rech September 7, 2023Almine Rech is pleased to announce the representation of Korean artist Choi Myoung Young in Europe, US, UK, and Asia (except Korea and Japan). The gallery will present his first... -
SQUARE MAN: interview with CHOI MYOUNG YOUNG
VOGUE KOREA
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PUBLICATIONS
