Sen Chung

Sen Chung has built an impressive body of work that presents an uncanny world with his subtle handling of paint and unique vocabulary employing a technique of light washes coupled with liberal accents of colour thus suggesting a metaphysical boundary.

Born in 1963, Sen Chung lives and works in Dusseldorf. He graduated from Hong-Ik University with a BFA in Korea, and received Masters degrees from Kunstakademie Dusseldorf in Germany and MA in Fine Art in 2006 from Chelsea College of Art, London. Solo exhibitions in the Netherlands, USA, France, Belgium, Germany and his native country followed, along with numerous international group exhibitions, including at the Jerwood Space, London, in 2006, Kukje Gallery in Seoul, Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, in 2009 and the Liverpool Biennial 2012. In 2009 he participated in the International Studio & Curatorial Program in New York. Chung has enjoyed artists' residences in various countries, most notably at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire. His work can be seen in collections in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, USA, Belgium and elsewhere. When he first lived abroad, not surprisingly, he tried to perceive the dichotomy between Eastern and Western culture. Gradually the coexistence of these two worlds created a strong emotional impact through the immediate accessibility of Old Master work and the highly cultivated atmosphere showing important traces he prefers to explore.

The contrast between forms and non-forms characterizes the tension found in both paintings and paper works. On cloudy backgrounds with an accentuated light base, coloured squares, circles or dots are connected to the centre of the picture with lines. The compositional framework thus created is the figure within the paintings, sometimes central, sometimes askew.

In his new paintings, the artist filled each canvas with rough graphic marks in addition to the geometric and static elements expressed in restrained lines and planes. These express the balance between emotional and rational by invisible forces.Through the geometric, abstract elements that quietly float within the square frames of a canvas, the artist emphasizes the indirectness of expression and ambiguity. In so doing, Sen Chung unfolds his ongoing personal research on 'painting aesthetics' or 'aesthetic judgements' in terms of contemporary viewpoint. 

Painting a great picture does not come easily. It takes most artists many years to get to the point. With a sense of mystery, he is trying to push the boundaries of painting and besides aiming to create something that has a timeless quality and at the same time that makes a picture special.