Artists

Ham
Korean, b. 1942

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Korean artist Ham Sup (b. 1942) has worked with hanji—traditional handmade mulberry paper—as his medium for over 30 years.  This durable, versatile, and prized material has been an integral part of Korean daily life for centuries.  Ham is regarded as a pioneer in hanji art for his revolutionary approach to what has typically been considered a utilitarian medium.  His abstract and expressive compositions effectively combine tradition and Modern abstraction, celebrating the Korea of both the past and present.

Ham grew up in the Chuncheon province of Korea—an area renowned for its natural and rural beauty.  His abstract compositions often resemble landscapes or allude to elements of outdoor scenery.  The pieces in this exhibit are from Ham’s ongoing “Day Dream” series, a collection of works inspired by personal reflection, as well as Korean culture and tradition.

The painting-like appearance of Ham’s hanji compositions stems from his artistic training and education; Ham studied Western-style painting and life drawing at Hong-Ik University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1966.  Ham originally worked in oils like the Western Masters he had studied, but eventually sensed that the medium limited his creativity.  “However hard I tried,” he explains in his 2001 interview with The Korean Times, “I could not avoid producing works similar to other artists in the world.  All of us are human beings, we cannot help it.  But I want to be original.”  Ham’s inherent knack for innovation and ardent desire to create something unique led him to begin experimenting with hanji.

The artist’s palette consists of the five traditional colors—red, ochre, blue, black, and white—which he creates using natural dyes.  Large sheets of hanji are soaked in water.  The artist then tears and kneads the medium, and uses hard brushes to add texture and affix the pieces to a hanji canvas.  The original appearance and nature of the hanji sheets are completely transformed, and the traditional material is deconstructed and “reborn” into a unique artistic piece.

Ham’s work has been very successful internationally.  He has participated in several major art fairs, including the San Francisco Fine Art Fair, Art Chicago, Art Miami, Art Basel, and Art Cologne.

Biography
1942 Born in Chuncheon, Korea
1966 B.F.A, College of Fine Arts, Hong-Ik University, Seoul
1983 M.F.A, Dong-Kuk University
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2013 Invitation Exhibition of Wonju Hanji Theme Park
Westbrook Modern (Westbrook Galleries, Inc.) Invitation Exhibition, Carmel, California, USA
Chuncheon Museum (7th Memorial Exhibition for Dong-gok award)
2011 Seoul Arts Center, Seoul
Westbrook Modern (Westbrook Galleries, Inc.) Invitation Exhibition, Carmel, California, USA
2010 Galerie Bhak, Seoul
2009 Art & Museum Invitation Exhibition
2008 Gallery Sonamou Invitation Exhibition
The Opening Invitation Exhibition Gongpyeong Artspace, Seoul
2007 Galerie COVALENCO, Geldrop, Holland
2006 Galerie Bhak, Seoul
Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery
2003 Galerie Bhak, Seoul
POSCO Gallery, Pohang
2001 Galerie COVALENCO, Geldrop, Holland
Galerie Bhak, Seoul
Gallery Asia, Hong Kong
2000 Gallery Asia, Hong Kong
1999 Galerie Bhak, Seoul
1998 Gallery Amber, Holland
1997 Galerie Muller-Brunert, Koln
1996 Chongro Gallery, Seoul
1994 Chongro Gallery, Seoul
Yemac Gallery, Seoul
Galerie Muller-Brunert, Koln
1993 Hyundai Art Gallery, Seoul
Kangnam Gallery, Seoul
1992 Dan Gallery, Seoul
1991 Indeco Gallery, Seoul
1987 Whan Gallery, Seoul
1986 Woo-jung Art Gallery, Seoul
1985 Suk Gallery, Seoul
1983 Total Gallery, Seoul
1978 The Korean Culture and Art Foundation Center, Seoul

Selected Group Exhibitions
2012 Hanji Project, New York, Usa
Art Gwang Ju Special Exhibition
The 11th KIAF (Korea International Art Fair), Mee Galerie, COEX Hall, Seoul
Korea Galleries Art Fair, Mee Gallery, COEX Hall, Seoul
KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) XII, Seoul Art Center, Seoul
San Francisco Fine Art Fair, Westbrook Modern (Westbrook Galleries, Inc.), Fort Mason Center, California, USA
2011 KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) XI, Seoul Art Center, Seoul
Powerful Gangwon Exhibition, Chuncheon National Museum, Chuncheon, Korea
2010 Toronto Art Expo
Korean Art Show in New York, USA
KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) X, Seoul Art Center, Seoul
2009 Peace Dream Arts Festival: “Es Corazón,” Arte de Corea Ahora (Contemporary Korean Art), Seville, Spain
The 8th KIAF (Korea International Art Fair) Galerie Bhak, COEX Hall, Seoul
Germany Karlsruhe Art Fair, Gallery Bhak
KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) IX, Seoul Art Center, Seoul
Spectrum Exhibition: “Rhythm, Shape, Communion,” Sejong Center, Seoul
2008 “Korean Abstract Art 1958-2008,” Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
ARCO ‘08, CAIS Gallery, Spain
Korea International Art Fair, Seoul
Art Chicago 2008 at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) VIII, Seoul Art Center, Seoul
2007 ARCO ‘07, Galerie Bhak, Parque Gerial Juan Carlos I, Madrid, Spain
Korea International Art Fair, Seoul
Art 2007 Chicago at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
2006 “The Essence of Korea: Traditions in Taste & Style,” Daegu Culture Center, Daegu, Korea
KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) VI, Seoul Art Center, Seoul
The 5th KIAF (Korea International Art Fair), Galerie Bhak, COEX Hall, Seoul
Art Cologne 2006, Galerie Bhak, Rhineside Halls, Cologne, Germany
Exhibition of Korea-China Contemporary Arts, Seoul
Korea-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Sejong Center, Seoul
ARCO ‘06, Galerie Bhak, Parque Gerial Juan Carlos I, Madrid, Spain
Arte Fiera, Galerie Bhak, Bologna Exhibition Center, Bologna, Italy
2005 Arte Cologne 2005, Galerie Bhak, Rhineside Halls, Cologne, Germany
Korea-China Contermporary Art Exhibition, Sejong Center, Seoul
Gongju International Art Festival, Gongju, Korea
Korea-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Sejong Center, Seoul
Korea Contemporary Art Exhibition: “For a New Art,” Noam Gallery, Seoul
China-Korea Contemporary Art Exhibition, China
Art 2005 Chicago at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) V, Seoul Art Center, Seoul
ARCO, Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I, Madrid, Spain
San Francisco International Art Exposition, Galerie Bhak, Fort Mason Center, California, U.S.A
2004 “Korean Paper & Spirit,” Sejong Center, Seoul
Japan-Korean Contemporary Art Festival, Tokyo
Shanghai Art Fair, Royal Melbourne Center, Melbourne, Australia
Art Cologne 2004, Galerie Bhak, Rhineside Halls, Cologne, Germany
“Perspective of Contemporary Fine Art,” Sejong Center, Seoul
Art Chicago 2004 at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
San Francisco International Art Exposition, Galerie Bhak, Fort Mason Center, California, USA
ARCO in Seoul, Galerie Bhak, Seoul
ARCO, Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I, Madrid, Spain
KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) IV, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul
2003 “Tradition & Innovation,” Gallery Hyundai, Seoul
Art Chicago 2003 at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
San Francisco International Art Exposition, Galerie Bhak, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, California, USA
Korea-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition
KCAF (Korea Contemporary Art Festival) III, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul
The Seoul Art Exhibition 2003, Seoul
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seoul
The 2nd KIAF (Korea International Art Fair), COEX Hall, Seoul
“Koreanisohe Gegenwartskunst” (“Tradition & Innovation”), Museum for Ostasiatische Kunst, Berlin
2002 San Francisco International Art Exposition, Galerie Bhak, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, California, USA
“Koeanisohe Gegenwartskunst” (“Tradition and Innovation”), Museum Zollverein Halle 6, Essen, Germany
“Tradition & Innovation: Korean Contemporary Art,” UN Office, Geneva, Switzerland
Art Chicago 2002 at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
Art 33 Basel, Gallery Hyundai, Hallen der Messe Basel, Basel, Swiss
Art Cologne 2002, Galerie Bhak, Rhineside Halls, Cologne, Germany
Seoul Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
“Asian Spirit: In Remembrance of Busan Asian Games,” Busan, Korea Municipal Museum of Art, Busan, Korea
World of Korean-Japanese Paper 2002, Matanggol Museum, Seoul
Korea-Japan Contemporary Art 2002, Gana Art Center, Seoul
Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Melbourne Center, Melbourne, Australia
2001 Seoul Art Exhibition, Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul
“Korean Contemporary Art Since 1980,” Galerie HAHA, Kronberg
“Korean Contemporary Art Since 1980,” Korean Culture Center in Germany, Berlin
Featherstone 2001: “Visions Through Glass & Paper,” Galerie ASIA,
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA
“A Decade of Transition and Pyramics,” National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul
Art Cologne 2001, Galerie Bhak, Rhineside Halls, Cologne, Germany
Art 32 Basel, Gallery Hyundai, Hallen der Messe Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Art Chicago 2001 at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
Palm Springs Art Fair, Galerie Bhak, Palm Springs Convention Hall, Palm Springs, USA
2000 Art Cologne 2002, Galerie Bhak, Rhineside Halls, Cologne, Germany
Opening Art Exhibition for Korean Culture Center in Russia, Moscow
Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Melbourne Center, Melbourne, Australia
San Francisco International Art Exposition, Galerie Bhak, Fort Mason Center, California, USA
Art 31 Basel, Gallery Hyundai, Hallen der Messe Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Art Chicago 2000 at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
Art Miami 2000, Galerie Bhak, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, USA
1999 Art Cologne ‘99, Galerie Bhak, Rhineside Halls, Cologne, Germany
The Contemporary Korean Paper Exhibition, Gorcum Museum, Gorcum, Holland
Seoul Art Exhibition, Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul
San Francisco International Art Exposition, Galerie Bhak, Fort Mason Center, California, USA
FIAC ‘99, Galerie Bhak, Pavillon du Parc-Porte de Versailles, Paris, France
Art 30 Basel, Gallery Hyundai, Hallen der Messe Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Art Chicago 1999 at Navy Pier, Galerie Bhak, Festival Hall, Illinois, USA
Art Brussels ‘99, Galerie Bhak, Brussels Exhibition Center, Brussels, Belgium
The 4th Sharjah International Art Biennial, Sharjah Expo Center, Sharjah, UAE
1998 Art Cologne ‘98, Galerie Bhak, Cologne Messe, Germany
San Francisco International Art Exposition, Galerie Bhak, Fort Mason Center, California, USA
1997 Seoul Art Fair ‘97, Gallery Cho-Sun, Seoul
Seoul Art Exhibition, Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul
NICAF ‘97, Gallery Cho-Sun, Tokyo, Japan
1996 NIAC ‘96, Gallery Cho-Sun, Paris, France
NIAC ‘96, Gallery Cho-Sun, Seoul
Seoul Art Fair ‘96 Gallery Cho-Sun, Seoul
Seoul Art Exhibition ‘96, Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul
1995 Korean Fine Arts (invitational exhibition), Seoul Arts Center, Seoul
“Korean Paper, Emotion and Molding,” Whanki Museum, Seoul
1994 Seoul National Modern Art Festival, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Kwachon, Korea
Art New York International, New York, USA
The 8th Triennale India, New Delhi, India
1993 Art Expo New York, New York, USA
1992 Art Korea and Hong Kong Art Center
‘92 IAA in Seoul, Hangaram Museum, Seoul
Invitational exhibit at Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul
1991 “Physical Properties & Changeability of Korean Paper,” Total Art Museum, Seoul
1990 Contemporary Art Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul (1990-92)
1987 Salon des Artistes Francais, Grand Palais, Paris, France
The 18th Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil

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