Hyundai Hwarang is pleased to announce Vivid Symmetry, a solo exhibition of renowned Korean abstract painter Yoo Hee-young (b. 1940). The exhibition features thirty works that represent the culmination of Yoo’s two decades of continuous exploration in “color-field painting.”

Since the 1980s, Yoo Hee-young has been a pioneering figure in Korean abstract art, developing a distinct style of "color-field painting" that has expanded the boundaries of the genre. While engaging in a critical dialogue with Western modernist abstraction, Yoo has maintained a deep connection to Korean sensibilities, rigorously exploring the central themes of Korean contemporary art.

Yoo first gained recognition through the National Art Exhibition in the 1960s. His work has continuously evolved, navigating between lyrical abstraction and geometric abstraction. Yoo’s artistic journey not only mirrors the broader development of Korean abstract art, but also defines his unique visual narrative.

Yoo's use of color transcends mere ornamentation and serves as a central medium through which themes and meanings are conveyed. Yoo remains committed to using traditional oil paint and employs his signature technique of layering a single color six to seven times to amplify its depth and density. Through a strict compositional balance of vertical and horizontal elements, he creates a sense of visual stability and quiet resonance on the canvas.

The bands of color, embodying both speed and temporality, infuse the color-field with vitality, forming a sensory rhythm. They guide the viewers into an unseen, untouchable, yet ever-present, rarefied inner world through layers of profound silence.

This exhibition presents the audience with a refined and meditative world of “color-field painting,” showcasing the sophistication of Yoo’s practice developed since the 2000s.