Solo Exhibitions (Brief)

Son Hyunseon was represented by solo exhibitions, 《Hole Way》 (5%, Seoul, 2022), 《In the Middle of Oasis》 (A-Lounge, Seoul, 2021), 《Standstill - Spin - Sphere》 (Chapter II, Seoul, 2017), and 《Eyes Breathe Time》 (175 Gallery, Seoul, 2016).

Group Exhibitions (Brief)

Son has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, including 《Back Side》 (Primary Practice, Seoul, 2024), 《House on Fire》 (Esther Schipper, Seoul, 2024), 《Hysteria: Contemporary Realism Painting》 (Ilmin Museum of Art, Seoul, 2023), 《What We Talk About When We See Exhibition》 (SeMA Bunker, Seoul, 2021), 《“1+1” A Collector’s View》 (ONE AND J. Gallery, Seoul, 2021), 《Us Against You》 (Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan, 2020), 《Unreachable》 (Perigee Gallery, Seoul, 2019), and 《DOOSAN Art Lab 2017》 (DOOSAN Gallery, Seoul, 2017).

Residencies (Selected)

Son was selected as an artist-in-residence at the K-Arts Creative Studio in 2024 and the SeMA Nanji Residency in 2022.

Originality & Identity

Son Hyunseon begins her artistic practice with a fundamental inquiry into the act of “seeing.” In her early series While Revolving around(2015–2016), she repeatedly observed and depicted the rotating ceiling fan, moving beyond mere external representation to translate the temporal dimension of “movement” and the conceptual associations it generates onto the canvas. The resulting works go beyond static visual reproduction, functioning as experiments that capture the object’s dynamism and the abstract thought embedded within.

In her subsequent series Like the Moon(2016–2017), Son uses the industrial structure of a concrete mixer as a motif, fragmentarily presenting only parts of the object, such as the direction of light or protrusions on the surface. By erasing the concrete depiction of the object, she emphasizes the conceptual state of “rotation.” Thus, her paintings expand into tools that explore the unstable and fluid boundaries between object and concept, visibility and invisibility.

From her solo exhibition 《In the Middle of Oasis》(A-Lounge, 2021), the act of “seeing” extends into a bodily dimension. Through the materials of mirrors, fire, and paper folding, she evokes sensory elements beyond vision—such as touch, temperature, and imagination—and concretely reveals the relationship between the visible and the invisible. Here, the separation and disconnection between the viewer and the object are repeatedly problematized, leading to an integration of new bodily perceptions.

In her recent works, including Back Map: thermos – between – us(2024) and Back to Back: through warmth(2024), Son focuses on the expanded relationality of “contact” with others. Through the act of sitting back-to-back with another, she experiments with the exchange of invisible energy and visualizes sensory and psychological relationships that transcend personal boundaries. This trajectory expands her long-standing exploration of “relational painting” and reflects a critical perspective on contemporary corporeality and social tensions.

Style & Contents

Son Hyunseon’s work has been grounded in a non-representational approach from the beginning. In While Revolving around, she repeatedly deconstructs and simplifies the physical form of the ceiling fan, leaving only fragments or traces of its movement. The resulting gray semi-circles or lines on the canvas shift focus away from the object’s physical information and toward its essential motion.

In the Like the Moon series, she adopts the motif of a concrete mixer, showing only shadows or surface protrusions to evoke the conceptual state of “rotation” rather than specific, representational cues. Son consistently employs non-representational formal language, calling forth abstract or conceptual states on the canvas rather than literal depictions of objects.

Since 2021, she has actively incorporated the body into her practice. In 《In the Middle of Oasis》, she uses paper folding, mirrors, and flames to visualize tactile and temperature-based transformations in painterly terms. Folding paper adds a haptic experience to visual perception, while painting flames directly exposes the relationship between body, object, and time.

In the recent group exhibition 《Back Side》(Primary Practice, 2024), she integrates thermochromic ink, thermal imaging, text, and sound to create a multi-sensory experience. In particular, Back Map: thermos – between – us visualizes physical traces of “relationality” through color changes triggered by the viewer’s body temperature. Through these diverse media—painting, installation, and performance—Son experiments with new forms that integrate the body and invisible sensory dimensions.

Topography & Continuity

Son Hyunseon has established the distinctive concept of “relational painting.” Her early works, including While Revolving around and Like the Moon, deconstruct the exterior of objects and translate immaterial states such as rotation, movement, and temporality onto the canvas. Through this, she fluidly expands the boundaries between object and concept, the visible and the invisible.

Since 2021, she has concretized the act of “seeing” as a bodily and sensory experience. Paper folding, painting flames, and the opaque qualities of mirrors critique the vision-centered tradition of painting, introducing tactile, thermal, and energetic elements into her formal vocabulary.

In 《What We Talk About When We See Exhibition》(SeMA Bunker, 2021), she expanded the relational dimension of painting through the participatory performance Invisible Talk. In 《Hole Way》(5%, 2022), she unified painting, space, and relationality through the motif of the “hole.” More recently, in 《Back Side》(2024), she has further developed her experiments by dismantling the sensory boundaries of contact and dialogue with others, deepening the concept of “relational painting” in connection with corporeality and social relations.

Today, Son Hyunseon is at the forefront of exploring “sensory immateriality” and “relational form” within contemporary art, working across painting, installation, and performance based in Korea. Moving forward, she is expected to further deepen her investigations into the relationships between the individual, society, the body, and invisible energies, expanding the discourse of painting on an international scale through a renewed focus on bodily experience and non-visual sensation.