The first female performing Artist in South Korea, Kangja Jung Holds Solo Painting Exhibition.

Courtesy ofⓒEstate of Jung Kangja and Arario Gallery

▲ Kangja Jung (1942-2017) ⓒArario Gallery

The first-generation Korean performance artist Kangja Jung's solo exhibition is held in Seoul.

Jung was an artist who performed the first nude performance 'Transparent Balloons and Nude' in South Korea in May 1968, suffering from a lot of criticism and censorship at the time.

Two years after the nude performance, Jung's first solo exhibition at the National Public Information Center in Sogong-dong, Seoul was forcibly removed three days after there was an element of social criticism.

▲ JUNG Kangja, The Bird and a Woman, 1997, Oil on canvas, 61x73cm,Courtesy ofⓒEstate of Jung Kangja and Arario Gallery.

The artist felt restricted in her work due to censorship of her art, and later moved to Singapore. After staying in Singapore for about seven years, she returned to Korea in the early 1980s. after that, she left numerous paintings.
 

The exhibition which runs from 15th to the 30th next month (15th Nov - 30 Dec), will be held at the Arario Gallery located in Jongro-gu, Seoul. The audience can see the changes in her works from the 1990s to the 2000s. 

▲ Lovers In A Jungle, 2009 Oil on canvas, 73x60cm ⓒ Arario Gallery

From the 1980s to the early 1990s, Jung traveled alone to foreign countries such as Latin America, Africa, and Southwest Asia, drawing the scenery and figures. On the other hand, this exhibition shows the change in Jung's painting style, which has become more abstract since the 1990s.

Although there was a lot of discrimination and censorship as a female artist, she continued to create by running an art class for a living.

▲ JUNG Kangja, Limited Life, 2000, Oil on canvas, 130x162cm, Courtesy ofⓒEstate of Jung Kangja and Arario Gallery.The Arario Gallery said, "She didn't receive a fair evaluation in the domestic art world for a long time, but she continued to paint until just before her death, making art both her life and her goal." and added, "Since the 2000s, the need for research and re-evaluation of Jung has begun to be raised, and recently various attempts have been made to re-examine her in the art world at home and abroad."▲ JUNG Kangja, Woman floating in a Forest, 2010, Oil on canvas, 194x259cm, Courtesy ofⓒEstate of Jung Kangja and Arario Gallery.

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Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com