Suh Yongsun’s practice stands in productive contrast to the Dansaekwha movement (“Korean Monochromaticism”) prevalent during his formative years. His works are instead characterised by a figuration brought about through his eminently recognisable bold brushstrokes and striking colour palette.
His subjects cover a wide range- drawn out as he is in the task of capturing life through a lens dually mythological and phenomenological. From the fables of the Goddess Mago; to the tragedies of King Danjong; to the scenes of urban life in major cities, which might place Suh down in a Harlem barbershop or on the seat of a Beijing bus equally. Suh’s underlying interest is in seeing the world transparently, “as it is”, without however losing sight of the human meanings which pervade such transparency.
