Hei Myung C. Hyun “sing again, like never before…” | May 1 – May 11, 2021

Curated By: Grace Yeonsook Ji

One Art Space is proud to introduce the work of Hei Myung C. Hyun to a New York audience.

Educated in Korea, Hyun completed her art education in the US in the early 1970s. Merging her western art training and her eastern cultural heritage, she seamlessly fuses abstract and naturalistic painting. The subtle shifts throughout Hyun’s oeuvre link back to this binary approach to expressing a unifying vision. Subtle organic lines overlap carefully drafted grids that section the compositions into squares of space featuring the most delicate of marks. Contrasting these misty and ethereal pieces, Hyun’s works since 2017 employ strong, coarse lines that engulf the negative space around silhouetted figures or linear renditions of birds, animals, and sometimes houses. Also featuring collaged Korean texts and bold, bright colors, these compositions are strikingly different from the earlier work. However, Hyun’s immaculate application of her craft always conveys a clear sense and purpose: harmonious planes of shapes and colors repel discord and embrace completeness.

The poise and equilibrium of Hyun’s paintings offer a tonic in this era of cruel contrasts and inter-human alienation. The artist’s mastery of compositional balance, honed over decades, echoes the inner calm and harmony of a mature, spiritually rich person. Her works can serve as gentle lessons in the art of embracing difference. In Hei Myung C. Hyun’s contemplative works, the merging of ancient and modern, east and west, naturalistic and naïve, and figurative and abstract reinforce the interconnectedness of the world and capture the essence of living with grace and in harmony.