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OH SUFAN
오수환
b.1988, Daegu, Korea. Lives and works in Seoul, Korea
Oh Sufan (b. 1946, Jinju, Korea) has been exquisitely incorporating East Asian calligraphy tradition on canvas for the last forty years, depicting the harmony between humans and nature. Oh was formally trained in Eastern calligraphy and painting by his literati father, then later attended Seoul National University, where he learned Western academic painting. After he graduated, Oh participated in the Vietnam War, where he witnessed the fragility of humanity and the urgency for freedom. Reflecting upon his experience, Oh found abstraction—specifically the line—to be the perfect form to express freedom and contemplate the coexistence between humans and nature. In his work, Oh’s brushstrokes exuberate an unrestricted and vibrant presence as its deep hue starkly contrasts with the bright colors of the ground. For Oh, “line is the most natural way of expressing nature, human and mind.”
Oh received BFA in Painting at Seoul National University. He has had solo exhibitions at many spaces including his first solo show at Munhean Gallery, Gana Art Center, and the Kim Chong Yung Museum. He took part in a large number of group and international exhibitions at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Korea, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and the Haverford Art Museum. Oh was awarded the Kim Swoo-Geun Award and the Young Artist’s Award by the Korean Ministry of Culture and Public Information. His works are currently included in the list of collections of many institutions such as the MMCA, Gana Foundation for Arts and Culture, and the National Library of France in Paris.
Exhibitions
Korean Abstractions: Four Poems
In collaboration with Gana Art
Curated by Sunhee Kim
February 16 - March 12, 2022