Yangju City Jang Ukjin Art Museum to Hold Special Exhibition "Spreading and Remaining: Jang Ukjin Ink Paintings"

Yangju City, Gyeonggi Province, will hold the special exhibition 'Spreading and Remaining: Jang Ukjin Ink Paintings' at the Yangju City Jang Ukjin Art Museum from September 30, 2025, to April 5, 2026.

Yangju City Jang Ukjin Art Museum Special Exhibition 'Spreading and Remaining: Jang Ukjin Ink Paintings'. Provided by Yangju City

This exhibition has been planned to broaden the scope of research on Jang Ukjin, which has previously focused mainly on oil paintings, and to strengthen the museum's research function regarding its collection.

The exhibition will feature approximately 40 ink paintings by Jang Ukjin, including works from the museum's collection that have not been released to the public before.

In particular, the exhibition will newly highlight the value of Jang Ukjin's ink paintings based on the research outcomes of the academic conference 'Once Again, Looking at Jang Ukjin,' which was held in 2024 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the museum's opening.

Jang Ukjin's ink paintings, produced in large numbers around 1980, are a genre that, along with his oil and marker paintings, represents his artistic world.

Although ink paintings use ink and paper as materials, similar to traditional ink wash paintings, they are distinct in that they reinterpret the symbolic motifs found in traditional ink wash paintings both in content and form.

Art historian Choi Kyunghyun commented at the academic conference, "Although traditional materials such as brush, paper, and ink were used, the artist clearly established this as a new genre because he did not want to dichotomize Western and Eastern painting." This statement well illustrates the originality of Jang Ukjin's ink paintings.

The exhibition examines Jang Ukjin's ink paintings through three themes: folk painting, Buddhism, and everyday life. These three themes appear repeatedly in his works and provide important clues to understanding his worldview.

Lee Gyeyoung, the museum director, stated, "This exhibition focuses on the influence that Jang Ukjin's ink paintings had on his overall artistic world," and added, "Visitors will be able to appreciate both the art historical value and unique beauty of his ink paintings."

Detailed information about the exhibition can be found on the Yangju City Jang Ukjin Art Museum website below.

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