Ha Chong-Hyun Art Center opens in Paju, South Korea

Ha Chong-Hyun Art Center opens in Paju, South Korea, offering a profound insight into the practice of the pioneering artist Ha Chong-Hyun.

Located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in a repurposed former building that formerly housed a publishing company, the Ha Chong-Hyun Art Center spans nearly 3,000 square meters over four stories and offers an unprecedented look into the life, philosophy and experimental trajectory of Ha, a pivotal figure in the history of "dansaekhwa," or Korean monochrome painting.

The art center, operated by the Ha Chong-Hyun Art Foundation, showcases not only the artist's extensive oeuvre— from his early Informel pieces to the groundbreaking "Conjunction" series— but also the restless, generative spirit behind his six-decade-long inquiry: "What is painting?"

— Kwon Mee-yoo, The Korea Times.

Ha Chong-Hyun came to prominence with his Conjunction series in the early 1970s. These early experiments have led him to build his signature style, pushing the paint from the back to the front of hemp cloth. As a leading member of the movement known as Dansaekhwa, or "monochrome painting", he has consistently used material experimentation and innovative studio processes to redefine the role of painting, playing a significant role bridging the avant-garde traditions between East and West.