‘Monochrome Master’ Artist Ha Jonghyun Receives Acclaim for Venice Biennale Solo Exhibition

Venice Palazzetto Tito Retrospective Exhibition
Reexamining 60 Years of Artistic Work

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The solo exhibition of Hajonghyun, a master of monochrome painting, is gaining attention in Europe.

Since the 23rd, Hajonghyun has been holding a large-scale solo exhibition at Palazzetto Tito in Venice as a parallel exhibition of the 2022 Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition (Biennale Arte) until August 24.

This exhibition, which reexamines Hajonghyun's 60 years of artistic career, is jointly hosted by Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, International Gallery, and Tina Kim Gallery. It is a retrospective featuring a carefully selected 20 or so works from the artist's representative 'Jophap' series, including both old and new pieces.

Kim Sunjung, the artistic director who planned the exhibition, stated that the retrospective is composed of five sections: ▲ the 'Birth' series from 1967 to 1968 highlighting traditional elements and the 'Urban Planning White Paper' series capturing urbanization phenomena ▲ Informel paintings from the early 1960s, works from the period focusing on AG activities starting in 1969, and early 'Jophap' series ▲ works from the 1990s to 2010s capturing the development process of the 'Jophap' series ▲ the 'Post-Jophap' series from 2008 to 2012 ▲ works after 2020 and new works created for this exhibition.

The view of Ha Chonghyun's solo exhibition, a parallel event of the Venice Biennale, which opened on the 23rd (local time) at Palazzetto Tito in Venice, Italy (Bebiracqua La Masa Foundation). Photo by International Gallery

Director Kim said, “This exhibition, which looks back on the artist's experimental spirit evolving through formal changes since the 1960s to the present, is expected to encompass a facet of Korean art history and serve as an opportunity to introduce it to the world.” She added, “This retrospective will be a meaningful occasion to contemplate Hajonghyun's profound artistic world led by infinite creativity and experimentation, as well as the artist's long journey that has greatly contributed to the development of art by creating a new chapter in Korean contemporary art.”

According to International Gallery, world-renowned collectors have visited Palazzetto Tito during the exhibition and praised the master's experimental spirit.

Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa is a non-profit cultural foundation that has been introducing contemporary art locally in Venice since 1899, selecting artists for the Biennale parallel exhibitions through rigorous screening each time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.