July 16 July 31, 2002

Gallery Korea at the Korean Cultural Center New York
(460 Park Ave. 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022)

SUK KANG
PABALMOOK PAINTINGS

Gallery Korea is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition Suk Kang: Pabalmook Paintings on July 16th. There will be a reception for the artist on July 18th and the exhibition will continue until July 31st.
The exhibition will include many Rocky Mountain paintings in which the artist exploits the rich aesthetics of the Pabalmook process. This is an innovative technique originated by the artist that combines India ink, watercolor and glue. Pabalmook is a Korean term and describes a three-part method: Pa: exploring; Bal: dispersing; and Mook: darkening and coloring. Using this technique Kang effects a dynamic transformation of the landscape genre and articulates his feelings of awe and serenity when beholding the Rocky Mountains.

There is a visionary quality to the vivid colors that contrast with the dark masses of the mountain imagery. These streams of energetic life appear to summon the very birth of the mountains in the pyrotechnics of volcanic eruption. The colors suggest both geological time and immediate sensation as in the washes of pale tones that recollect the diaphanous mist of pine forests. In these works the expansive space of Eastern landscape painting converges with the expressive coloration of Western abstraction to produce imagery of enduring beauty.

Suk Kang was born in Korea but now lives in Canada. His work has been exhibited in North America, Europe and Asia and it is part of many public and private collections including the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada.