“Kishio Suga” Installation view ©Johyun GalleryJohyun Gallery presents a solo exhibition of Kishio Suga, a leading figure in the Japanese Mono-ha (もの派) movement of the 1970s. The exhibition will be held through June 30, at Johyun Gallery Seoul, located in The Shilla Seoul. This solo exhibition of Kishio Suga extends from the large-scale exhibition presented last year at Johyun Gallery Dalmaji located in Busan, and includes installation works from the 1990s, as well as flat object works and drawings created in 2020. Among these, two pieces will be unveiled for the first time in this exhibition.
Kishio Suga is a key artist in the Mono-ha (もの派- “school of things”) movement, which emerged in Japan in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Mono-ha is an art movement that does not merely reproduce objects as subjects but liberates them from utility and practicality, representing their innate materiality. The movement emphasizes the exploration of objects, the interaction between objects and space, and the relationships with people encountering them. Within the Mono-ha movement, Kishio Suga was particularly focused on the objecthood (もの) -ness as they are. His works positioned bare and undisguised objects—natural and artificial—and focuses on situations where the essence of a thing is revealed.
Across the large installation work, five flat object works, and four drawings by Kishio Suga who has unwaveringly embodied the essence of Mono-ha across decades and variations, we look forward to exhibition visitors’ discovery of the Mono-ha spirit and engagement with the artist’s works.
