Kwak Soo Young 곽수영
Kwak Soo-Young was born in Daegu in 1954 and graduated from the Department of Painting at Hongik University. In the mid-1980s, he moved to France, where he earned a master’s degree in Fine Arts from Paris 8 University. Since then, he has been based in Paris, actively establishing his presence in the European art scene. He was named “Korean Artist of the Year” by the Korean Cultural Center in France and founded Sonamou, an association of Korean artists in France, contributing to the growing presence of Korean art in the country.
Kwak’s practice is rooted in a repetitive process of building up and stripping away layers of color. Using oil paint, acrylic, and ceramic glaze, he gradually constructs richly textured surfaces, or matière, before scratching and peeling them away with a metal stylus to create lines and forms. Through this process, colors concealed beneath the surface are revealed, bringing depth and vitality to the canvas as if light were slowly emerging from darkness. Created through this continuous cycle of accumulation and erasure, his paintings embody traces of material and time, forming a distinctive pictorial space where color and light intersect.
Exhibitions
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024 A2Z Art Gallery, Paris, France
2021 Gana Art Center, Seoul, Korea
2020 Olmi Art Space, Seoul, Korea
2016 Galerie PHD, Paris, France
2009 Galerie 89, Paris, France
2009 Galerie JMD, Paris, France
2006 Invitational Exhibition, Korean Cultural Center, Paris, France
2005 Gana Insa Art Center, Seoul, Korea
2005 Sejong Gallery, Pohang, Korea
2001 Gallery Artside, Seoul, Korea
2000 Galerie Gana Beaubourg, Paris, France
1999 Parsons School of Design Gallery, Paris, France
1997 Space Untitled, New York, USA
1996 Girim Gallery, Daegu, Korea
1996 Seoul International Print Exhibition, Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
1995 Shilla Gallery, Daegu, Korea
1995 Seoul Gallery Association Exhibition, Gallery May, Seoul, Korea
1995 Galerie Municipale 43, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
1994 Espace Arsenal, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
1992 Gangnam Gallery, Seoul, Korea
Group Exhibitions
2024 Prism: Reflection of Light (Datz Museum of Art, Gyeonggi)
2024 Companionship: 40 Years with Gana Art (Gana Art Center, Seoul)
2021 #SONAMU (Korean Cultural Center, Paris)
2021 #SONAMU (Gallery Now, Seoul)
2020 Korea-France Korean Artists Special Exhibition (Schema Art Museum, Cheongju)
2018 Where is Our Home (Seoul Arts Center, Seoul)
2018 Art Paris (Grand Palais, Paris)
2018 Construction Time Again (Bastille Design Center, Paris)
2018 Sehansamwoo (Gallery Dongwon, Daegu)
2017 Le Temps Visible (Gallery Paris Horizon, Paris)
2016 Art Paris (313 Art Project, Grand Palais, Paris)
2015 Seoul–Paris–Seoul: Figuration Coréenne (Musée Cernuschi & Mairie du 8e, Paris)
2015 Beautiful Bridge 2 (Seoul Arts Center, Seoul)
2014 Noir & Blanc / Couleur (Musée Français de la Carte à Jouer, Issy-les-Moulineaux)
2013 Hymne à la Vie (OECD, Paris)
2013 Avec (Galerie Pont des Arts, Paris)
2013 Art Monie (Galerie Fablicque, Ivry-sur-Seine)
2013 Triptich (Gallery LeeC, Seoul)
2012 Healing Camp (Art Park, Jangheung)
2012 Paris–Seoul (Ara Gallery, Seoul)
2012 Exposition (Korean Gallery, New York)
2011 Humanism (Gallery Space Womb, New York)
2011 Arbre et Vent (Médiathèque Sartroux, Issy-les-Moulineaux)
2010 Women in the Land of Calm Morning (Gallery Lipao-Huang, Paris)
2010 Gallery Lumen (Paris)
Prizes & Achievements
1987 M.F.A. in Fine Arts, Paris 8 University, France
1980 B.F.A. in Painting, Hongik University, Seoul, Korea