Honoring the Life and Art of Seo Seok, Master of Ink Wash Abstraction

Riman Muffin, Seo Seok (1929?2020) Memorial Exhibition 'Sam Sedae (Three Generations)'

Suh Se Ok, Self Portrait, 1970s. Collection of Seongbuk Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea. Photo by Tagsu Jeon. Photo by Liman Muffin

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "To pursue eternal beauty and absolute beauty, it must be condensed with only dots and lines."

An exhibition honoring the Korean ink wash abstraction master, the late Seok Seok (1929-2020), will be held.

On the 26th, LehmanMuffin Seoul announced that it will hold the exhibition "Sam Sedae 三世代 Three Generations," showcasing works created by the Korean ink wash abstraction master Seok Seok and his family members.

The exhibition brings together works created by Seok Seok's family members, including his son and grandson, in memory of Seok, who passed away at the age of 91 in November 2020. LehmanMuffin explained that the "Three Generations" exhibition was organized to commemorate the life and art of Seok, who could not be fully mourned due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of his passing in 2020.

The exhibition consists of seven innovative ink wash paintings and drawings by Seok Seok, alongside works by nine of his family members. The exhibition reflects on the creative environment extensively cultivated by Seok's son, artist Doho Seo, architect Eulho Seo, and Seok's wife, advisor Minja Jeong, making this exhibition a highly personal project that contemplates themes such as connectivity, place, and memory.

In particular, the collaborative works by family members of different generations serve as a tribute to the open and experimental approach to creation that Seok Seok passed down through three generations. Seok, a philosopher, poet, and calligrapher, expanded artistic horizons from the 1950s, presenting a new vocabulary of dynamic painting represented by the movement of the brush.

Portrait of Suh Se Ok in his studio, 2018. Photo by Joo Yeon Lee. Photo provided by Lehman Muffin

Additionally, the artist served as a professor at Seoul National University for over 40 years and contributed to establishing an avant-garde movement deeply rooted in Korean tradition and philosophy. The works presented in "Three Generations" are a family tribute to his achievements, including dynamic drawings and paintings, wall sculptures, and video works.

The family members' works on display can also be interpreted as contemporary responses to Seok Seok's exploratory legacy and the themes he meticulously contemplated: "the individual transcending time and space" and "the connectivity of community."

The videos and small sculptures in the exhibition embody Seok Seok's broad influence on themes such as language, parenthood, and the role of the artist. The exhibition space features Seok Seok's personal desk, where visitors can freely share their thoughts about the artist through a guestbook placed on the desk. The exhibition runs until January 20, 2023, at LehmanMuffin in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

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