Keimyung University Holds 'Geukjae Forum 2026'... Yoonhee Choi Wins 2nd Keimyung Geukjae Painting Award

Geukjae Forum and Exhibition Held Simultaneously, Expanding the Creative Ecosystem Expected

Solo Exhibition Celebrates Yoonhee Choi’s Award, Featuring "Time Standing in the Passage" and Other Signature Works

Keimyung University (President Ilhee Shin) held the 7th Geukjae Forum at the audiovisual hall of Dongsan Hall on Daemyeong Campus on May 13. The event included the awarding of the 2nd Keimyung Geukjae Painting Award and a discussion on the future direction of contemporary art in the era of convergence between technology and art.

The Geukjae Forum is an academic event established to honor the artistic achievements and educational spirit of Professor Jeong Jeomsik (1917–2009), a pioneer of modern Korean art who made significant contributions to the founding and development of Keimyung University’s College of Fine Arts.

At the 7th Geukjae Forum, artist Choi Yoonhee received the Keimyung Geukjae Painting Award. (From left) artist Choi Yoonhee, Shin Ilhee, President of Keimyung University. Courtesy of Keimyung University

Since its first session in 2012 under the theme "Vision 21: Art and Design of Tomorrow," the forum has invited distinguished professionals and scholars in the fields of art and design to provide insight into the trends of contemporary art and culture.

This year’s theme was "New Ground: Technology, Creation, and the Transformation of Contemporary Art."

The keynote address was delivered by Professor Min Sehee of Korea National University of Arts.

The subsequent panel discussion featured Professor Park Hyunjun of KAIST, Lee Younghee, Vice President of Korea Textile News, and Park Sehyun, President of the Korea Cartoon Webtoon Critics Association. The panel discussed the expanding creative possibilities resulting from the convergence of art and technology, as well as the future direction of art.

The forum also included the 2nd Keimyung Geukjae Painting Award ceremony, where the winner was artist Yoonhee Choi.

Yoonhee Choi received attention for her experimental paintings exploring themes of time and memory, including her oil painting "Time Standing in the Passage" (260×580 cm).

Choi Eunju, Director of the Seoul Museum of Art and chair of the judging panel, commented, "She pioneers original abstract painting by delicately yet powerfully expressing psychological and mental waves through her brushwork. Her experimental approach to exploring the inner self through changes in light and color stands out."

Yoonhee Choi said, "This award has given me an opportunity to reflect on my work."

"As it is the first award I have ever received, it is especially overwhelming and deeply meaningful," she continued. "There have been countless worries and experiments in the process of creating my work, and I feel greatly encouraged to think that those times were not in vain."

She added, "I will continue to pursue deeper artistic practices without letting go of my current questions and concerns, and I am sincerely grateful to Keimyung University for conferring such a meaningful award."

Yoonhee Choi graduated from the Department of Fine Art at Korea National University of Arts. Since her solo exhibition at OCI Museum of Art in 2019, she has expanded her artistic world through numerous solo exhibitions, including "Cutting the Spring," "To the Distant Beginning," "Mute," and "Tuning In."

She has participated in major exhibitions both in Korea and overseas, including at Daejeon Museum of Art and Mimesis Art Museum, and her works are part of collections at OCI Museum of Art and Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, among others.

In conjunction with the forum, an exhibition at Geukjae Art Museum has been running from May 6 to May 16.

The special exhibition room "White Gallery" hosts a special exhibition of Jeong Jeomsik, showcasing his final works reimagined as a large-scale, 20-meter-wide video installation.

In the permanent exhibition hall, visitors can continuously view his works and video archives of his artistic legacy.

The "Black Gallery" (Exhibition Hall 2) features a solo exhibition by Yoonhee Choi, while the "Creative Gallery" (Exhibition Hall 3) displays approximately 60 works selected from around 1,700 current students, offering a glimpse into how the next generation of artists perceives the transformation and potential of contemporary art.

Kim Yoonhee, Dean of the College of Fine Arts, said, "The Geukjae Forum is an academic venue that not only continues the artistic achievements and educational spirit of Professor Jeong Jeomsik, but also seeks new possibilities and roles for art amid rapidly changing technological environments. Through this event, which combines the forum and exhibitions, we were able to gain a multidimensional perspective on the convergence of art and technology."

The Geukjae Art Museum’s related exhibition is open to the public free of charge.

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