landscape of Suamdong, Oil on canvas, 152x326cm, 2011

“An old map is the way of recognizing the land in ancient time, like a picture rendered through topography. The core of an old map is how a site of life is placed in a natural environment. A balanced space of local government buildings, Confucian schools, and temples, which are the main part of our everyday life, bridged to a mountain ridge, shows a way of setting up a site for drawing.” - Min Joung Ki -

    Artist Min Joung Ki represents histories, narratives, and scenes of life in painting. His warmth towards an individual’s environment and society has persisted in work since the 1980s, when he was a member of the Reality and Utterance artist group, depicting daily scenes in Samgakji, Seoul, also working in natural scenery and historical landscapes after moving to Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do.

Byeokgye Nine Valleys, Oil on Canvas, 81x312.5cm, 2007

Byeokgye Nine Valley, Oil on canvas, 157.5x326cm, 2011

     In landscape paintings from the Yangpyeong period of the 1990s he used layers to form specific space-time, incidents, historical records, and stories. Of these Byeokgye-gugok, located near his studio, is a constant subject matter he has steadily depicted after moving to Yangpyeong. These pieces can be said as his major works. While Byeokgye-gugok from 2007 is an eloquent manifestation of the mountain ridges ancient scholars considered utopia, Byeokgye-gugok in 2011 conveys detailed narratives and history hidden in topography, including the Gyeongchun expressway newly built last year, depending on the drawing method of ancient maps.

Ipo Ferry in Yeoju, Oil on Canvas , 158x363.5cm, 2011

Sunset Glow of Sungam-dong, Oil on Canvas, 79x482cm, 2011

     Also exhibited are results from his residency in the Gyeonggi Creative Center, (artist-residency belongs to Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art), in Seongam-dong, Ansan. In Sunset Glow in Seongam-dong, featuring Seongam-dong village seen from the studio, Min depicts details of a space where he stayed for one year; and in Suam-dong Scene, and Ansan on an Ancient Map, he presents a studied Ansan with an affectionate, considerate eye. These works eloquently show his perception of reality.

Ansan on Antique Map, Oil on Canvas, 213.5x192cm, 2011

     Ansan on an Ancient Map depicts present Ansan on an ancient map of the area, showing how ancient people saw the world and used landscape, the changes the space underwent, and the stories it carries.

(Written by Hwang Rock Joo, Curator in Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art)

Min Joung Ki

1949 Born in Seoul, Korea

1972 Seoul National University, Painting, B.F.A.

|Solo Exhibitions|

1983 The 1st Solo Exhibition, Seoul Art Center, Seoul

1986 The 2nd Solo Exhibition, Seoul Art Center, Seoul

1992 The 3rd Solo Exhibition, Garam Art Gally, Seoul

1996 The 4th, Garam Art Gally, Insa Gallery, Seoul

1999 The 5th Solo Exhibition, Art Space, Hakgojae, Seoul

2004 "Min Joung Ki - WalkScape", Marronnier Art Center of the Korean Culture & Arts Foundation, Seoul

2007 A commemoration exhibition_ Lee Joong-Sub Award, gallery chosun, Seoul   

|Awards| 2006 Lee Joong- Sub Award, The Chosun Ilbo, Seoul

|Residency| 2009~2010 Gyeonggi Creation Center, Gyeonggi-do

|Public Collections|

Seoul Museum of Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of History, Korean Embassy Toronto Canada, Seoul National University Museum, National Assembly

<Copyright(c)2002 GGC All rights reserved.>