Suh Yongsun, also Yong Sun Suh or Seo Young-Sun (; born 1951 in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

), is a Korean painter and sculptor. In his art he mainly portrays human existence. Suh lives and has his main studio in

Gyeonggido Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

near Seoul.

Life

Suh Yongsun studied Fine Arts at

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY (universities), SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities. The university's main c ...

from 1975 to 1982 and worked as a professor at the College of Fine Arts at this University from 1986 to 2008. After withdrawing from his long-time professorship, he was elected Korea's Artist of the Year for 2009 and honored with a solo show at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, South Korea. He was invited to residency programs in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

in the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

in 1995 and to the

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, both in 2006 and in 2010. He also worked at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

in 2003. In 2001 he was a visiting professor in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany.

Work

In his art, Suh brings together traditional Korean styles with Western and especially European influences such as

German Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

and

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...

. In the early 1980s he began with painting a series of pine trees. A few years later he changed to the topic of social and historic subjects. Since then he "explores various subjects including portrait, scenery, history, war, myth, etc, but he is most well known for his work expressing humanity in a metropolitan environment, as well as his historical series that depicts historical accidents." Visiting

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

strongly influenced his paintings, which often show urban scenes with roughly executed human figures that often appear masked.

Exhibitions

Suh Yongsun's artworks have been presented in many museums. * 2011: Festart,

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, Japan * 2011: galerie son, Berlin * 2010: "The Flower on the Snow", Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon, Korea * 2009: "Artist of the Year", National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Korea * 2009: "Remembering the Future", Parksoogun Museum, Yanggu, Korea * 2009: "Beginning of New Era", National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea * 2005: Crecloo Art Gallery, New York, USA * 2004:

Ilmin Museum of Art Ilmin Museum of Art is a private art museum of South Korea, located on Sejongno street in Jongno District, a central district of Seoul, known for exhibiting mainly Korean art. The museum was established and run by the Ilmin Cultural Foundation () ...

, Seoul, Korea * 2004: Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, Korea * 2001: Cultural department of the Korean Embassy, Berlin, Germany * 2001: The Traveling Museum, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, Gwacheon * 2001: Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea * 2001: Korean modern art: Reinstatement of painting, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea * 2001: Exposition de echanges interuniverstaires 2001, Galerie Bernanos, Paris, France * 2000: Contemporary Art from Korea,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Palace, Beirut, Lebanon * 1999: Korea contemporary art - The sound of nature, Triangle Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada * 1996: '96 Seoul Art Exhibition, Seoul City Museum, Seoul, Korea * 1995: Korea-China, Art Center, Seoul, Korea * 1993: Self Portrait Drawing, Swan Gallery, New York, USA * 1990: "Expression & Imagination", Contemporary Art Exchange Show, Dong-bang Museum of Art & Los Angeles Art Core Gallery, USA * 1987: 19th Cagnue International Painting Exhibition, Cagnue, France

Projects

* 2009: "The Wall in the World", Art Project, Berlin * 2008: Director of Tri Angle Project * 2007: Director of CheolAm Public Art Project (murals) * 2001: CheolAm mine village art project

Awards (selection)

* 2009: "Artist of the Year 2009" (National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Korea)

Publications

* "1975-2007 SUH Yongsun I,II,III", Gallery 604,Busan, 2010 * "Artist of the Year 2009 SUH Yongsun", National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, Gwacheon, 2009 * "SUH Yongsun", Art Vivant, Sigongsa, Seoul, 1994

Notes

External links

* * Galerie Son website
English
an

on the website of the Goethe-Institut with a shor

Korea Digital Archives for the Arts - Suh Yongsun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suh, Yongsun 1951 births Living people South Korean sculptors South Korean contemporary painters Postmodern artists Artists from Seoul Seoul National University alumni 20th-century sculptors