Yeondoo
Jung, born in Jinju, graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the Seoul
National University College of Fine Arts and completed his studies at Central
Saint Martins, London. He received his MFA from Goldsmiths, University of
London. He
currently resides in Seoul and serves as an associate professor in the
Department of Fine Arts at the College of Art, Sungkyunkwan University.
Yeondoo Jung
(56) has been selected as the recipient of the 4th Ha In-Doo Art Award. Working
across a wide range of media—including video, photography, sculpture, and
performance—he has presented his works at major institutions around the world.
Traversing heterogeneous subjects, his practice reveals the fissures of the
times and awakens new sensibilities. He brings together unfamiliar and striking
themes to form a cohesive and comprehensive exhibition narrative.
His
exhibition 《The Inevitable, Inacceptable》,
currently on view at Kukje Gallery Busan through July 20, likewise presents new
works composed of meju (fermented soybean blocks), flour, blues, and text,
gathered within the exhibition space to offer a complex artistic experience.
The artist’s characteristic warmth and gentle humor, free from cynicism, stand
out. At the same time, another exhibition of his work is being held at the
Peabody Essex Museum through January 25 next year. This exhibition includes a variety
of works, among them the ‘Evergreen Tower’ series, which brought him widespread
recognition.
The Ha
In-Doo Art Award was established in 2022 by ART CHOSUN to honor the artistic
spirit of Ha In-Doo (1930–1989), who built an independent painterly language,
led Korean abstract art, and made a meaningful impact on modern and
contemporary Korean art history.
Ha In-Doo
passed away at the early age of 59, at a time when he was deeply immersed in
his artistic practice. Even during his prolonged battle with illness in his
later years, he never put down his brush, burning with creative passion and
leaving behind numerous works, including ‘Honbul,’ which are regarded today as
masterpieces.
Inheriting his spirit of seeking originality and sustaining
fervor for art even amid adversity, the Ha In-Doo Art Award is awarded to
Korean artists under the age of 59 who have established distinctive artistic
worlds, as well as to artists who have been active in Korea for more than three
years. The age limit derives from Ha In-Doo’s passing at the age of 59.
Although Ha himself was unable to continue beyond that age, the award carries
the hope that its recipients will pursue even more vigorous artistic activities
after turning 59.
Yeondoo Jung,
Evergreen Tower, 2001, printed 2024. Set of 32 chromogenic
prints © Yeondoo
Jung
As part of the award benefits, the recipient
receives a prize of 10 million KRW, a commemorative solo exhibition at ACS (Art
Chosun Space) in the following year, and, with the support of the Gana Cultural
Foundation, the opportunity to participate in a residency at the Cité
internationale des arts in Paris.
Since its establishment in 2022, the Ha In-Doo Art
Award has selected Kim Hyunsik as its first recipient, followed by Shin
Meekyoung in 2023 and Park Jongkyu in 2024. The first awardee, Kim Hyunsik,
captured Korean sentiment through the tonal language of his own abstract
vocabulary. The second awardee, Shin Meekyoung, established an international
presence through originality that penetrates the emotional essence of East and
West, past and present, by employing the everyday material of soap. The third
awardee, Park Jongkyu, presented a body of work that simultaneously fulfills
the aesthetic sensibilities of both the analog and digital eras at a
transitional moment between the two.
Jeong Jonghyo, Chief Curator of the Busan Museum of
Art and Chair of the Jury for the 4th Ha In-Doo Art Award, explained the
significance of the selection: “Ha In-Doo was an artist who sublimated
transcendental concepts into abstract expression based on Korean sentiment and
Buddhist philosophy. His works expanded into four-dimensional concepts upon a
two-dimensional surface, resulting in creative forms that transcend time and
space.
This year’s recipient, Yeondoo Jung, continues a practice that extends from
individual narratives to grand narratives through photography, video, and
installation. The expanded concept of originality shared by the two artists is
a point of resonance. Recognized as a leading contemporary Korean artist who
connects different times and spaces through his work, he has been evaluated as
the most fitting recipient of this year’s Ha In-Doo Art Award.”
Meanwhile, Yeondoo Jung graduated from the
Department of Sculpture at Seoul National University and earned an MFA from
Goldsmiths, University of London. He is currently based in Seoul. He was
selected as the “Artist of the Year 2007” by the National Museum of Modern and
Contemporary Art, Korea. Major solo exhibitions include the National Museum of
Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (2023); Ulsan Museum of Art (2022); Norton
Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, USA (2017); Art Sonje Center (2017); MAC VAL,
Vitry-sur-Seine, France (2015); Art Tower Mito, Japan (2014); PLATEAU (2014);
K11 Art Space, Shanghai, China (2013); and PERFORMA 09, New York, USA (2009).
He has also participated in the Gangneung International Art Festival (2025);
the 60th Venice Biennale Korean Pavilion 30th Anniversary Exhibition (2024);
the Gwangju Biennale (2021); and the Venice Biennale International Architecture
Exhibition (2016). His works are currently held in the collections of the
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea; Leeum Museum of Art;
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Seattle
Art Museum; and MAC VAL, among others.
