Upcoming Exhibition

The Columns Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Korean artist Lee Hyun Joung, marking her return to Seoul with a new body of work following her 2023 exhibition. This presentation brings together recent paintings created in 2026, reflecting the artist’s continued exploration of materiality, contemplation, and the poetic relationship between nature, time, and the inner landscape.

Contemplation, 2026, Ink, pigment on handmade Korean mulberry paper, 64 x 78 cm

Working with traditional Korean materials, including hanji (Korean paper), muk (ink), and natural pigments, Lee develops a distinctive visual language in which delicate textures, rhythmic forms, and subtle variations of colour evoke imaginary landscapes. Her compositions suggest mountains, flowing water, geological formations, and the organic structures of the natural world, yet resist any fixed interpretation. They exist between representation and abstraction, the familiar and the unknown.

Quietude, 2026, Ink, pigment on handmade Korean mulberry paper, 95 x 128 cm

In her latest works, deep blue pigments emerge alongside layered monochromatic surfaces, introducing a heightened sense of depth, movement, and atmosphere. Repeated lines and undulating contours create a visual rhythm that recalls the slow passage of time and the continuous transformations of nature. What initially appears monumental and powerful gradually reveals a quiet intimacy, inviting viewers to move beyond the physical image toward a more contemplative experience.

Insolite, 2026, Ink, pigment on handmade Korean mulberry paper, 112 x 160 cm

Through works titled Quietude, Contemplation, Insolite, and Chemin infini (Infinite Path), Lee considers stillness not as the absence of movement, but as a state in which energy, memory, and transformation quietly coexist. Her paintings embody a delicate balance between control and spontaneity, material presence and spiritual reflection.

Chemin infini, 2026, Ink, pigment on handmade Korean mulberry paper, 112 x 160 cm

Returning to Seoul with this new series, Lee Hyun Joung offers an evolving interpretation of traditional Korean artistic sensibilities through a contemporary abstract language. Her works invite viewers to slow down, observe, and discover the profound resonance that exists between the visible world and the landscapes of the mind.