Easy does it when tackling tricky business

The stark artworks of Choi Sunho illustrate the painter's belief that complex concepts can be expressed in a simple form.

Choi's exhibition Flower World opened at the Pyo Gallery Beijing on October 27. This is the first time that this representative of Korean Abstract Art has staged a solo show in China.

"I intended to express the beauty of simplicity created by the harmony of Korean traditional colors - red and purple, for instance - in contrast to complications of modern life and architecture," the 50-year-old says.

Choi explains that he used Western materials - rather than those traditionally from East Asia - when creating the hues because, "oil painting is a channel for the expression of color".

Although the word "flower" appears in the title of the exhibition, blossoms scarcely appear in the 30 works on display.

"The subject - the flower - does not mean the abstract beauty of a flower but rather, the ideal beauty of the world," he explains.

The researcher of East Asian art studies has staged some exhibitions previously in other countries, including the United States, Germany and Britain.

"The main reason I chose Beijing this time is because the city is the center of not only traditional Chinese art, but also of the contemporary form," Choi says.

He adds that Beijing has become one of the world's most powerful cities, and he appreciates its global cultural influence.

The show will close on November 19.

"The paintings can refresh my old ways of thinking," the gallery's curator Yu Rimkim says. "I have seen so many complex paintings. Choi's works feature a simplicity of colors, which makes it attractive."

According to Yu, a new trend is emerging in which a growing number of Korean artists are staging art exhibitions in China. Over the past decade, more than 100 contemporary Korean artists have hosted shows in Beijing, he says.

(China Daily 11/01/2007 page18)