Park Seo-Bo, a prominent figure in the Dansaekhwa movement, has died at 91.
Portrait of Park Seo-Bo. Courtesy of Park Seo-Bo Foundation.
Park Seo-Bo, the prominent South Korean artist revered for his influence on the Dansaekhwa movement, has died at 91. According to a South Korean news agency, the artist died of lung cancer. In February 2022, Park announced his advanced cancer diagnosis, stating his decision to opt for treatment.
Perrotin, the Paris-based gallery that represented the artist, confirmed his death, writing in a statement, “Like the Korean scholars and Buddhist monks who saw writing as a purifying process, Park Seo-Bo saw painting and the repetitive gesture from which his monochromes emerged as a catharsis.”
Born in North Gyeongsang in 1931, the South Korean artist studied Western and Oriental painting at Hongik University in Seoul. In 1950, Park’s studies were interrupted by the Korean War when he was drafted to serve in the military. After the war, he returned to painting, eventually living in Paris. There, he worked on his “Primordialis” series, amorphous illustrations inspired by the Art Informel movement as well as his experience in the Korean War.
Dansaekhwa, which translates to “monochrome,” differs from Western abstract art, which often reacts against realistic images. Instead, Park’s Dansaekhwa emerged after he immersed himself in traditional Buddhist and Korean philosophy. His “Écritures” series, representative of the artistic movement, features abstract characters associated with calligraphy. Works are created by repetitive gestures and texture on canvas, and made in a meditative state. His artistic philosophy, which relates to traditional Korean beliefs, sees nature and society as interconnected.
This May, after only two years, South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale canceled a $100,000 art prize funded by Park. Critics complained Park’s work lacked the political impetus of the biennial’s core mission.
Despite the recent scrutiny, a museum dedicated to Park’s work will open in 2024 on Jeju Island, South Korea. GIZI Foundation, the non-profit founded in 2019 to manage Park’s archives, will operate the new museum.
