Bae Yoon Hwan, Circus-Mr. Bacon(Grab Bar), 2025 © Bae Yoon Hwan

Eleven years ago, artist Bae Yoon Hwan (42) presented only a portion of a painting that completely filled a 50-meter-wide canvas in his solo exhibition at Insa Art Space in Seoul’s Jongno District. The exhibition space was far too small to display the entire work.

Visitors could view only half of the painting—25 meters—while the remaining half stayed rolled up. Since that period, Bae has often been associated with large-scale paintings teeming with stories and visual activity.

Now, in his solo exhibition 《Deep Diver》, which opened on September 14 at Space K Seoul in Seoul’s Gangseo District, Bae has revealed a markedly different style of painting. Speaking at the museum on September 12, he said, “For the past four or five years, I’ve wanted to erase that sense of ‘bustle’ from my work, but I never quite had the courage. I think I’ve finally managed to do it.”

“When I was making those paintings, I enjoyed hiding clues within them. If I worked through the night, I sometimes felt as though I was living inside the world of the painting. But I also felt that if I couldn’t move beyond that approach, I would spend the rest of my life being dragged along by my own shadow.”


Bae Yoon Hwan, Sunscreen, 2025 © Bae Yoon Hwan

The results of this effort to move beyond his established style can be seen in the painting series ‘Circus’, Sunscreen, Siren, and ‘Strike Twice’. In the ‘Circus’ series, figures appear to run and leap, emphasizing a sense of dynamism. Sunscreen focuses on the tactile act of applying cream to the face, foregrounding touch. Siren centers on the auditory experience of loudspeaker noise.

Rather than unfolding extended narratives, these works capture intense, singular sensations. At the far end of the exhibition is a large mural installed alongside Cradle, a painting depicting a ship rocking violently from side to side. The use of lines, geometric forms, and text to fill the wall marks another departure from Bae’s earlier works.

Most of the works in the exhibition are restricted to black-and-white tones. Such a limitation of color is a bold choice, particularly because darker paintings can be challenging for general audiences and collectors to embrace.

Jang-Uk Lee, Senior Curator at Space K, explained, “Bae first gained attention through powerful paintings characterized by dark tonalities, and later found recognition in the art market through his use of color. Through this exhibition, the museum wanted to create an opportunity to revisit the artistic capabilities of a professional artist who has sustained a long-term practice.”


Bae Yoon Hwan, Strike Twice, 2025 © Bae Yoon Hwan

The title of the exhibition, 《Deep Diver》, refers to descending into the depths of one’s inner abyss and bringing forth things that have remained unspoken. Bae explained, “I imagined quietly circling around and observing stories that had remained lodged in my throat. That image became the title.”

The exhibition also includes works made in Bae’s earlier style. The ten-meter-wide painting We're Good presents miners inside a cave scratching, digging, and breaking apart materials through a densely layered composition. Although the miners are in constant motion, each holds a playing card in hand. The artist describes them as “people struggling onward while holding their own individual hand.”

Installed nearby, the series ‘Strike Twice’ depicts gold emerging from the faces of miners who appear to have been struck. The works convey the idea that something new can only be gained through the destruction of one’s former self. “This is the first time I’ve shown my work in a ticketed exhibition,” Bae said. “I hope visitors feel that the admission fee is well worth it.” The exhibition runs through November 9.

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