Barakat Contemporary (Seoul) presented solo exhibitions of pioneering Korean artists Yunchul Kim, Chung Seoyoung and Sojung Jun.
Presenting three artists from their programme who are actively shaping the discourse around Korean contemporary art scene since the 1990s to the most current, Barakat Contemporary calls attention to the dynamic course and diversity of Korean contemporary art. Yunchul Kim, representative of the 2022 Venice Biennale Korean Pavilion, explores the artistic potential of the "world of materials" by incorporating novel materials created by the artist himself. Chung Seoyoung, a defining sculptor of the Korean contemporary art scene since 1990's, reflect on the language-object relationship and the multiplicity of sculptural practice by transforming commonly found industrial materials into artworks. Sojung Jun, whose video and writing works are situated in nonlinear space-time, awakens a new awareness of history and the present - often paying attention to the unheard voices in the periphery of society.
Various Small Fires (Dallas, Los Angeles and Seoul), presented a solo exhibition of Mark Yang titled 'Lucid Dream'.
Mark Yang explores the complexities and challenges of reading other human beings – a conceptual puzzle most of us are confronted with on a daily basis. Frequently, the viewer cannot discern which limb is connected to which body - one sees gratuitous limbs, all tangled up, but still communicating through expressions, gestures, and postures. Yang renders each form in an idiosyncratic, angular, graphically stylised manner. His palette consists of dark purples, acid greens, bright pops of yellow and orange and red. He combines fluid gestures, and undulating lines to create entangled, mysterious, asymmetric compositions that do not immediately give away the plot. For Yang, body language can be ambiguous, as can humans.
