Making sense of the abstract

Lee Hyun-sook. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Giving the shortage of materials needed for painting in his country in the 1970s, Ha gathered barbed wire and burlap for his art. Some people see similarities between his work and Western minimalism.

But, Ha says, "they often ignore the historical context" under which he created his pieces.

Park Seo-bo is another artist who will be featured in the same show. The 86-year-old's works－largely influenced by Taoism and Buddhism－make heavy use of pencils on wet paper.

He was attracted to scribbles while watching his son do his homework as a child.

"For me, it's a practice of Buddhism and Taoism to experience the state of being one with my art," explains Park, whose studio once caught fire.

But fortunately for his legacy, some of the works had been stolen before the fire and found their way to auction houses.

Park had struggled with poverty in the early years of his career, and to keep painting, he worked at art studios in schools to gather paints left by students after finishing his cleaning work.