TINA KIM GALLERY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sen Chung February 25 – April 7, 2011

Tina Kim Gallery is very pleased to present recent works by Korean painter Sen Chung. With his subtle handling of paint and unique vocabulary, Sen Chung has built an impressive body of work that explores subjective themes of nature and a nostalgic eroticism. Employing a technique of light washes coupled with liberal accents of color, Chung’s oil paintings present an uncanny world populated by sensuous depictions of woman and a menagerie of birds and horses.

While the artist’s subjects are classical in inspiration, he clearly locates them in a contemporary milieu that highlights an unstable psychological landscape. The coupling of animals and human subjects creates a dynamic hybrid of baroque and fragmentary themes where there is no explicit narrative. In this respect the artist locates his subject in the unconscious ego as it relates to nature, highlighting the ontological tension between the self and its surroundings.

For his exhibition at Tina Kim Gallery, Chung will be showing works that explore the theme of “terra incognita” or unchartered land. This interest in an unknown, undiscovered place is leavened by the artist’s perpetual return to past memories of people and places. Taken together, the narrative that unfolds within this atmosphere is one that is equally sublime and full of anxiety — like a fevered Eden. Using his masterly approach to brushstroke and color, Chung’s lush paintings convey a perfectly poised balance that pull the viewer into a surreal atmosphere.

One of the highlights of the exhibition will be Someone to Love, a large painting that depicts a mysterious young girl holding a bird. Another canvas, Love Story, depicts a female figure following the guidance of a bird and this same depiction of human and animals seemingly communicating can be seen in Foggy Winter, where a lonely bird perched in a maze of tree branches evokes a sense of transient reflection. This allusion to a metaphysical boundary – a recurring subject for the artist – can be best seen in A Life in Nature where a faintly identifiable female figure hovers in a gray background surrounded by chaotic strokes of pure color.

Sen Chung graduated from Hong-Ik University with a BFA, and received Masters degrees from Kunstakademie Dusseldorf in and Chelsea College of Art & Design in London, UK. He has held solo and group exhibitions in Korea and internationally including Ilmin of Art, Korea, Galerie Triangle Bleu, , and Museum of Young Art, . The artist currently resides and works in Dusseldorf, Germany.

A catalog is available in conjunction with this exhibition. Tina Kim Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm. For further information, please contact [email protected] or call (212) 716-1100.

545 WEST 25TH ST NEW YORK NY 10001 TEL 212 716 1100 FAX 212 716 1250 TINAKIMGALLERY.COM