Showing Off in L.A.
- Over 630 Korean art works displayed in L.A. Art Fair May 1-June 12

Los Angeles Art Fair 2005 kicked off its run from May 1 to June 12 at a number of art galleries in Los Angeles and about 76 Korean artists have participated in the art fair putting on display some 630 pieces of their work, the largest in any international art event held thus far.
Administrative director of KFGA(Korea Fine Art Globalization Association) Kim Jung-soo said they are glad to have a chance to introduce work of that many Korean artists to American people through the international exhibition.. He said probably it is the first time that Korean modern artists' works are introduced to American people on such a large scale. The KFGA administrator said they believe that most American people have had few chances to appreciate Korean artists' works so far.
The pleasure from the difference of culture will be beyond the boundary of a nation and human races. When one looks at the same flower, American artists' point of view may be different from that of Korean ones. That difference can be regarded to present pleasure. He said they are happy to have had not a few chances to appreciate American artists' works in Korea.
He said Korean artists have to feel the difference of culture severely when they stand before American artists' works.
Through this exhibition, he said , they sincerely desire that various genres of Korean fine arts will get much closer to American people. And through Korean arts, Oriental spiritual world will be mingled with that of American arts.
"By all means we sincerely hope that American people will enjoy fully the pleasure from the difference of culture between Korea and America through Korean artists' exhibition on a large scale this time," Kim said.
Some of the works on display at the exhibition included those of painter Kim Jung-soo in a series of Azalea such as Azalea, Oil on canvas, 30x30cm, 2004.
The artist said the azalea blossoms remain longer than any other flower in the memory of Korean people. Perhaps, they are the same ones as chrysanthemums. I wanted to draw pictures focusing on the spiritual identity of Korean people having stayed in Paris for a long time. "Having remained overseas like an alien, I seem to feel returned to my mother's breast. My work represented my desire to mingle together returning to the identity of Korean people."
Painter Park Jong-sook's work on show in Los Angeles included those on a series of Small Memory. "I tried to express the combining past time and past memories with the Oriental thinking world pictorially." She studied painting Grand Chaumidere Academie in Paris. She held her first solo exhibition at Gallery 3 in Los Angeles and the second one at Insa Art Center in Seoul.
Lee Chung-ji's work brought to the United States included a number of her works in a series of circle such as Circle-21, Oil on Canvas, 180 x 150 cm, 2005.
Her dynamic stroke of brush and its effect are worth seeing in her pictures. The way to give out pictorially repeating letters is excellent. She is a 1966 graduate of College of Fine Art, Hong Ik University. She held solo exhibitions 19 times from 1972 to 2005.
Painter Hong Suk-chang put on display a number of his work done in brush and ink including Flowers in the Mirror, 29 x 34.5 cm, 2004. Magnanimous manipulation of brush and handling of brush skillfully can make anything good works, which prove that this hands are the same as Midas' touch. Searching the spiritual world of Korea and China and studying deeply in technical expression as well, each of his works reveals the true character of a great artist. Hong participated in the International Ink Biennial Shenzhen in Shenzen, China in 2004. Korea-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition in 2003. nw