The first solo show of Hyojun Hyun opens at House of Egorn in Berlin, where the young artist has now set up his studio. The exhibition though, titled Strange Days, carries strong echoes from the artist’s previous residency in the UK. Having arrived in Glasgow from his native country South Korea, Hyojun Hyun was immediately taken by the amount of derelict buildings he encountered.
Impressed by the solemn beauty such abandoned places displayed he decided to set out on extended exploration around the city and it has now emerged that the artist’s biggest painting to date is indeed inspired by St Peters Seminary, the then forgotten Modernist masterpiece which only this year has been re-emerged into public attention when plans for a second lease of life for the complex started to be discussed. After the artist had spent days and nights on location, discovering the ruined hallways and tunnels, he then painted his major work El Dorado entirely from memory in his studio.
About the artist:
Born in South Korea, Hyojun Hyun lives and works in Berlin now, following recent residencies in the Netherlands and the UK, where his work attracted attention at Saatchi’s New Sensations. Heavily influenced by his surroundings, yet always working from memory, the artist’s detailed studies have been described as many layered snapshots of the artist’s mind, with hidden stories and psychological reflexions interwoven in the delicate textures. Warschauer Strasse, centrepiece of Strange Days, is one of the few paintings that gives away the location where its inspiration stems from. Other works are designed to leave the visitor guessing, using hints of familiar places, situations and urban codes to create an investigation into mind and memory of each viewer. Hyojun Hyun’s works invites the audience on a personal journey, addressing questions of identity and belonging, and highlighting the contingency of human life and personal experience.
Hyojun Hyun: Strange Days – House of Egorn – until 28 November