Kim Kangyong, Reality+Place 79, 1979, Oil and sand on cancas, 116×244cm. MMCA
Hyperrealism
* Source: Multilingual Glossary of Korean Art. Korea Arts Management Service
Related
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What is the Realistic Painting of the Postwar Generation?
What Is the Realistic Painting of the Postwar Generation? is an exhibition on hyper-realist paintings held from March 16 through 22, 1978 at Art Center. Five young artists born between 1950 and 1954, Moon Youngtae, Song Gamun, Lee Sukju, Rhee Jaikwon, and Jo Sang-hyeon, participated in the exhibition, which was curated by Jo Sang-hyeon. Hyper-realist paintings first emerged in the Korean art scene when Lee Sukju and Jo Sang-hyeon received an honorable mention for their hyper-realistic works in the Western-style non-figurative painting section of the twenty-second National Art Exhibition (Gukjeon) in 1973. In the late 1970s, non-government exhibitions hosted by newspaper companies began to shed light on hyper-realist paintings with new forms. In 1978, at the Korean Art Grand Award Exhibition, which is considered a precursor to Korean non-government exhibitions, Kim Hongjoo won the Best Frontier Award for his Door. Song Yunhi and Ji Seokcheol won the Encouragement Award for Tape 7811 and Reaction 78-13, respectively. In 1978, Dong-A Art Festival and JoongAng Fine Arts Prize were launched as well. Byun Chong-gon won the Grand Prize at the first Dong-A Art Festival with his January 28, 1978. At the JoongAng Fine Arts Prize, Ji Seokcheol and Lee Hochul won an Encouragement Award for Reaction and Car Window, respectively. Besides individual artists’ brilliant exploits in these exhibitions hosted by newspaper companies, a series of organizations related to hyper-realist paintings were founded and relevant exhibitions were held, including Escape in 1977 and Fact and Reality, Form 78, and What Is the Realistic Painting of the Postwar Generation? in 1978. In 1981, the exhibition Message of Sight was held. The first Young Artists Exhibition held in the same year by the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (now MMCA) introduced a vast body of hyper-realist paintings, proving that they were the most promising new trend of art at the time. These exhibitions also impacted art theorists and art historians. In 1979, Park Yongsuk, then director of Dongduk Art Gallery, organized a workshop (July 16–17) for artists and theorists on the topic of “Hyperrealism” and published its results with Youlhwadang Publishers.
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Fact and Reality
Fact and Reality was a Hyperrealism artist organization that was active in the 1970s. Alumni of Hongik University’s art college, such as Kwon Soo-an, Kim Kangyong, Kim Yongjin, Seo Jungchan, Song Yoonhee, Jo Deokho, Ju Taeseok and Ji Seokcheol, were the main members. Their works demonstrated a precise style of painting that accurately depicted everyday materials that could be obtained around them, such as sand, bricks, cushions, tables, and railroad tracks. Fact and Reality members tried to systematize Hyperrealism painting as a collective group, arguing that their work is fundamentally different from Realism by presenting a new approach to reality. From March 2 to March 8, 1978, the group held a foundational exhibition at the Korea Culture and Arts Foundation Art Center and held a regular exhibition every year until 1982. Facts and Reality members were painters who led the so-called “People's Era,” which began in earnest in the late 1970s, and won awards at numerous private exhibitions, including the 1978 The Korean Art Grand Award Exhibition and the JoongAng Fine Arts Prize.
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