Artcube 2R2 to Hold Kim Deok-yong, Byun Yong-guk Duo Show 'Light Resting in the Grain,' With Yuhji Kobayashi Rooftop Special

Artcube 2R2 said Aug. 21 that it will open “Light Resting in the Grain,” a two-person exhibition featuring Kim Deok-yong and Byun Yong-guk, on Aug. 28.

The exhibition brings together two artists who have each expressed the radiant beauty of light unique to Korea through different materials and visual languages.

Kim reveals light held in nature by adding mother-of-pearl and lacquer to the grain of wood. Byun created a subtle glow emerging from within the canvas through the repeated act of layering and scraping away paint. Rather than merely depicting light, both artists trace the process by which light is generated and accumulated through materials and action.

Four of Kim’s works were recently officially added to the collection of the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris after about a year of review. Artcube 2R2 said the acquisition by one of Europe’s leading national museums specializing in non-Western art and culture highlights growing international recognition for Kim’s work, which extends distinctly Korean materials such as wood, mother-of-pearl and lacquer into a contemporary visual language.

The idea of “grain” appears differently in the two artists’ work. Kim brings out the natural grain embedded in wood, while Byun creates a new grain through repeated brushstrokes and accumulated layers of paint. The title “Light Resting in the Grain” refers to light resting on those different grains. It points to the moment when grain found in nature and grain created through the repetition of the hand connect as a single light.

The exhibition was organized at Kim’s suggestion and brings together two artists who had maintained a long friendship. It is also the first exhibition to be presented since Byun’s death.

Hong Ji-sook, head of Artcube 2R2, said the exhibition was timed to coincide with Frieze Seoul in order to introduce the distinctive materials and aesthetics of Korean art to overseas visitors as well as domestic audiences. The gallery will also present goods featuring Kim’s works and imagery, offering another way to experience his artistic world and encounter the beauty of Korean art in everyday life.

“Light Resting in the Grain” will span all three floors of Artcube 2R2. The exhibition will feature paintings by the two artists as well as media works based on their practice.

Alongside it, Artcube 2R2 will hold a special exhibition on its seventh-floor rooftop during Kiaf and Frieze Seoul. The show will present works by flower artist Yuhji Kobayashi and a sound installation that converts plants’ subtle life signals into sound, offering a new way to experience flowers and plants through both sight and hearing.

More information is available on Artcube 2R2’s website and official Instagram.