Yoo Geun-Taek

Yoo Geun-Taek is a significant figure in contemporary Korean painting. Since the 1990s, he has been exploring the redefinition of visual narratives derived from observation and the influence of the Dansaekhwa art movement that swept the Korean painting field of the 70s and 80s. Geun-Taek’s work is energetic, hypnotic, sensual and meditative. His practice incorporates the traditional techniques and materials of Korean painting, hanji paper (mulberry paper), inks and oyster shell powder. Geun-Taek has honed a visceral visual language that is often created by dense and bold gestures that show repetitive elements, and by adding layers upon layers of ink and oyster shell powder onto the paper. Geun-Taek distinctive paintings are imbued with what he calls “a new space of accumulated time”, re-interpreting Korean contemporary history and the future of Korean painting.