HONG Seongwung

Created in 2013, “Baengnyeongdo Island – Paper Crane” is a woodblock print piece, depicting the sinking of the Cheonan warship near Baengnyeongdo Island in the Yellow Sea. More than 40 Korean sailors were killed and six seamen went missing from this event. This piece, portraying the incident of Cheonan sinking, was designed to shed light on the harsh reality caused by the division of Korea.
By portraying the agony experienced by citizens of both sides as they fought with guns and explosives, this art invites you to empathize with their deep despair and horror.
The printing presents paper cranes with Baengnyeongdo Island as the background, expressing condolences to the 46 innocent victims who lost their lives in the exchange. The paper cranes, which represent the deceased, aim to make us feel a sense of strong desire to fly across the sky of the united motherland.
<Dokdo 1 – You are Beautiful> was created to show our devotion to protect our island by illustrating a peaceful image of fishing on Dokdo Island. Dokdo Island has a huge economic and military value for our people. This art work asserts that Dokdo is our land that our ancestors had protected in the past and it further emphasizes that East Sea is also our sea.
<Dokdo 2 – Blooming Island> was inspired by Do Jonghwan’s poem called ‘Blooming Island’. Dokdo Island, surrounded by assorted flowers such as sedum oryzifolium, aster spathulifolius, dianthus superbus, and rugosa rosa, stands tall in the midst of our East Sea, forever living beautifully in our hearts.
Colored print of Camellia Flower is another name for dongbaek flower. The last verse from Choiui monk’s poem, <Rebuilding Iljiam> of post Chosun era is very interesting. ‘As I looked around for inspiration to construct a line of poem, I discovered amidst the snow, Camellia flower, blossomed in bright red.’ How delightful to even imagine enjoying a cup of tea, while listening to a white-eye bird that is sitting on a thatch house, surrounded by bright red Camellia flower on the steep Duryun mountain

HONG Seongwung
Born in 1952, Anseong, Korea

EDUCATION
1979   BFA, Fine Arts, Chungang University,Seoul, KOREA

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITION
2008   Solo Exhibition Hong Seonwung’s Tea and Maewha(mume), Shinsegae Gallery, Inchon, Korea
2001   Solo Exhibition Hong Seonwung’s Trip to Woodcut, Insa Art Center/ Shinsegae Gallery, Seoul/Inchon, Korea

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITION
2017   The 6th Ulsan International Woodcut Print Art Festival, Ulsan Culture Art Center, Ulsan, Korea
2016   Art This Flower Coastline, Jaharu Museum, Hanam, Korea
2015   Eight Views and Nine-Bend Streams of Gyeonggi, Gyeonggido Museum, Ansan, Korea
2013   The 3rd Sea of Peace, Baengnyeongdo Sherter, Baengnyeongdo Island, Korea
2011   Asia plate and Print exhibition, Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts Taipei National University of the Arts, Taipei, Taiwan
2007   Art toward the Society: Realism in Korean Art 1945-2005, The Nigata Bandaijima Art Museum/Fukuoka Asian Art Museum/Miyakonojo City Museum of Arts, Japan
2007   Contemporary Korean Prints 1958-2008, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
2005   Red Blossom: Contemporary Woodblock prints of Korea-China-Japan, Ilmin Museum of Arts, Seoul, Korea
1994   Korean Minjoong Arts 15 years: 1980-1994, National Museum of   Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
1991   Cultivating the Earth-The Print Exhibition of Three Artists, Hakgojae Gallery/Anparina Gallery, Seoul/Germany, Korea