HONG KONG.- Soluna Fine Art is presenting Obangsaek: Vermilion, an in-depth exploration of the connections between the colour vermilion and the Korean culture. The gallery exhibits five artists from Korea: Jeong Myoung Jo, Park Jisook, Uzine Park, Park Yoon-Kyung, and Song Kwangik. Vary in age, background and medium, the artists apply the colour vermilion into their works with different intentions and motives. Obangsaek: Vermilion is on view through 03 October.

This exhibition is part of the Obangsaek Series, a series of five exhibitions aim to explore and analyze art works constructed with the Five-Orientation-Colour, the traditional Korean colour spectrum (the Five-Orientation-Colour), often seen in folk arts and traditional textile patterns, and represents the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theories. It is also a continuation of this year’s first program Obangsaek: Indigo. The colour indigo or blue is associated with the element of wood and the direction east. In the Korean flag, this colour symbolizes “Yin”, the feminine energy. Indigo/blue is balanced by red in the Korean flag. While indigo/ blue represents its opposite, silence and calming energy, vermilion/ red represents the passionate energy of life. According to Korean tradition, the colour red associates with the south, fire, and “Yang”. With its powerful yang energy, vermillion is believed to ward off evil spirits and dictate the lives of living things. Throughout this collection, the works of art embody the essence of the colour vermillion: creation, passion, and love.

Jeong Myoung Jo was born in South Korea (1970). She received a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. both from Hongik University, as well as completing the Fine Arts doctoral program there in 2003. Jeong’s creative process begins with a model photographed in the statement Hanbok, after which the image is then brought to life on canvas using a hyper-realistic approach. Jeong’s works have been exhibited in Germany, the Netherlands and Israel, in addition to being sold out at the Dubai Art Fair. Her works are collected by numerous corporates and institutions, including the Amore Pacific Group, Merck, Shinsegae Group, Hite Collection and the GANA Art Collection.




Park Jisook was born in 1963 and received her Ph.D., M.F.A., and B.F.A. from Hongik University in Seoul. She is currently a professor in the Arts Education department at Seoul National University of Education. Working with pencil, pen or ink in combination with acrylic, Park believes in dynamic and creative freedom: Allowing the network of lines, dots and organic forms to flow freely onto her canvas. Her works have been exhibited widely in Japan, Beijing, China, Germany, France, and New York, and commissioned by numerous institutions including Faber-Castell (250th anniversary), Perrier-Jouët and others. Many arts institutions collect her work including the National Hyundai Museum, Hongik University Museum of Contemporary Art and the Sungkok Art Museum; Korean embassies in Myanmar, Japan and Sweden; and the corporate collections of Siemens, Daewoo Motors and Lego Korea.

Uzine Park grew up in Seoul, South Korea in the late ‘70s. After earning her B.A and M.F.A at Hongik University, she moved to the Netherlands to receive her Masters. Throughout her career, she has been in a number of solo and group exhibitions in South Korea and the Netherlands. Park also lectured on topics ranging from painting to upcycle fabric at Hongik University, Seoul National Education University, and Seoul Arts Center Children art Academy.

Park Yoon-Kyung was born in South Korea in 1976, and received her MFA from both the Goldsmith University of London and Hongik University in South Korea. During her time in London, Park discovered the method of painting on silk and chiffon, which then became the huge turning point for her artistic career. By applying multiple layers of paint on translucent materials, she cleverly combines the recto and the verso of a canvas, exposing the space behind and turning all three spaces into one work. Much like Lucio Fontana and his well acclaimed Spatial Concept Series, Park’s work breaks down the boundaries between dimensions, but in a more delicate and subtle way.

Song Kwangik was born in 1950, in South Korea. Song is a graduate at Graduate Seminar Art College at Kyushu Sangyo University in Fukuoka, Japan; and holds B.F.A. and Ed.A. degrees from Keimyung University in Daegu, Korea. His works were recently exhibited in Tong-in Auction Gallery (Seoul, 2017-18) and Bongsan Cultural Centre (Daegu, 2014); he also participated in many group exhibitions in Japan and Korea. In 2013, Song received the prestigious 27th Kumbok Cultural Prize from Kumbok Foundation.