Changha Hwang: 3-Fold

Benrimon Contemporary has announced “Three-Fold,” South Korean painter Changha Hwang’s first solo exhibition with the Chelsea gallery, which is on display until May 7, 2011.

“Hwang creates abstract paintings that deal with spatial and temporal notions of painting. The artist’s main concern is the relationship between the “Controlled” and the “Uncontrolled” in the process of composing color, line and shape in painting. Hwang is fascinated by the tension that is created by this relationship.

Though many see digital influences in his works, Hwang’s points of reference are Islamic tiles, traditional Jewish paper cuts, Venetian lace, stained glass windows and Peruvian Nazca Lines. He studied several different visual languages, such as trace paintings and drip paintings and found that a compilation of these styles helped him find his own visual language. This unique visual language and Hwang’s various reference materials allow him to create three-dimensional space within his paintings. His painting technique also allows him to produce multiple spatial planes within the work. Hwang’s process involves organically plotting out each element to make sure that every mark relates to both the previous and the next.

The work “Three-Fold,” the namesake of the exhibition, is a perfect example of Hwang’s ability to build his paintings architecturally. Here he layers panels of rich hues with geometric areas of negative space to create depth. Three-Fold also exemplifies Hwang’s ability to create a visually interesting painting without overwhelming the viewer’s eye.”

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