Current Event
In Transit, In Formation
On view: March 5 - April 18, 2026
Tuesday - Friday: 10 AM - 6 PM / Saturday: 11 AM - 5 PM
Closed on Sunday and Monday
Venue: Korean Cultural Center New York
122 E 32nd Street, New York, NY, 10016 (1st & 2nd Floors)
This exhibition brings together four artists—Kakyoung Lee, Buhm Hong, Hong Seon Jang, and Sun You—whose practices unfold between movement and becoming. Transit functions as a condition of passage through time, labor, and cultural frameworks, while formation describes processes through which forms and identities take shape without closure. Working across sculpture, installation, animation, and video, the artists operate within these open-ended conditions, occupying a dual state: always en route, and at the same time, becoming something else.
These four artists share more than a generational proximity. Based in New York and shaped by contemporary Korean diasporic conditions, they have remained in ongoing dialogue for over a decade—observing one another’s practices, exchanging questions, and developing their work independently, yet in close awareness of one another. The exhibition emerges from a sustained familiarity, where distinct practices have evolved over time along parallel trajectories.
Ik-Joong Kang
Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About, 2024
20,000 Hangeul tiles (Mixed media on wood: 3x3 inches each)
Dimensions: Approximately 26 x 72 ft (8 x 22 meters)
Korean Cultural Center New York
Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About
Venue: Atrium at the KCCNY
- 122 East 32nd Street, New York, NY, 10016
The Hangeul Wall, measuring 26 x 72 feet (8 x 22 meters) and composed of 20,000 Hangeul tiles, connects the wisdom and experiences of global citizens. Developed in collaboration with LG CNS, KCCNY launched a website in May 2024, enabling people worldwide to create their own artworks using the site's translation and coloring functions under the theme “Things I Love to Talk About.” The website attracted over 8.2 million visits from more than 50 countries and received 7,000 artwork submissions within two months. From these, 1,000 pieces were selected through public online voting and artist review, culminating in this monumental installation.
The Hangeul Wall stands as a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of Hangeul and the universal freedom of expression, serving as a testament to our shared human narratives. Traditionally, walls are seen as barriers that divide and separate; however, the Hangeul Wall represents a different kind of structure—a wall of peace and unity. It transcends the conventional notion of separation to become a canvas of connection and harmony.
More than just an artwork, it marks a new chapter in Kang's artistic journey by fostering two-way communication with his audience, inviting them to co-create and participate in the artistic process through a digital platform. This collaborative approach not only underscores the dynamic interaction between the artist and the public but also suggests the future direction of Kang’s work, where collective voices and shared experiences play a central role in shaping his evolving artistic vision.
Upcoming Event
Lee Kang So: A Field of Becoming
On view: May 13 - June 20, 2026
Tuesday - Friday: 10 AM - 6 PM / Saturday: 11 AM - 5 PM
It is closed on Sunday and Monday.
Venue: Atrium & Gallery at the KCCNY
122 East 32nd Street, New York, NY, 10016
Opening Ceremony
Tuesday, May 12 (6-8 PM)
Over the past five decades, Lee Kang So (b. 1943) has developed a distinctive and influential practice within Korean contemporary art. Working across painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and performance since the 1970s, he has consistently challenged fixed definitions of artistic form, approaching art as an open and evolving process rather than a finished object.
This exhibition, A Field of Becoming, brings together works from the 1970s to the present, tracing the continuity and transformation of Lee’s practice. From his early experimental works—where action, material, and environment intersect—to later paintings and sculptures, Lee’s work unfolds through time, resisting closure and embracing change.
Lee’s artistic trajectory is closely connected to New York. In the mid-1980s, he was active as a visiting professor and artist at the State University of New York, Albany, and in the early 1990s participated in the Studio Artist Program at MoMA PS1. Decades later, this exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center New York marks a renewed encounter—bringing his work into dialogue with the city that played a formative role in its development.
Past Events
