HeeKyung Chung Solo Exhibition
A Ray of Light
By Elga Wimmer
Nov / 17 - 30, 2025
Paris Koh Fine Arts
201 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 1, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
pariskohfinearts.com
Whispering Light 19011, 2019, Mixed Media, 35.2 x 70.1 cm
Paris Koh Fine Arts is proud to present Korean artist Hee-Kyung Chung’s first solo show, Light Held by Wings, which ran from November 17 to November 30, 2025 in the gallery’s Fort Lee, NJ location. The gallery will expand to New York’s Chelsea art district in 2026.
The artist, well established in her native South Korea, showed a series of paintings that depict circles and squares emanating from a dark background, vibrating nuances of color, capturing light. Chung cites the inspiration of James Turrell and Mark Rothko in her work, as both artists worked with the nuances of light. We see this especially in her series of paintings entitled, Whispering Light, that resemble a lunar eclipse, with faint pink and dark blue outlines of a bluish half circle, emanating from an almost black background. In one such painting, the two half circles confront each other, almost touching, as if anticipating a kiss. This reminded me of my favorite Ellsworth Kelly paintings, where the artist drew inspiration for his abstractions depicting form and light by taking photographs of the shadows of buildings on street corners.
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Whispering Light 212105, 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, Dia.116 cm
The ephemeral quality of Chung’s paintings suggests a moon disappearing behind clouds, a lingering moment soon to vanish. She channels the fleeting, ineffable moments of life in her work, capturing slightly out of focus half circles using acrylic paint and sponge applicators to create an illusion of movement comparable to the impressionist work of George Seurat.
In discussing her work, Chung explains that she strives to express what is felt through an inner light. This light represents wisdom, enlightenment, salvation, and manifests as joy, peace, and the presence of the spiritual realm.
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Whispering Light 202323, 2023, Acrylic on Canvas, 72.7 x 53 cm
In South Korea today there is movement towards spiritual engagement, with programs such as temple stay, meditation retreats and even shamanistic practices. Artists interpret this renewed interest in spirituality, entwining the traditional Asian belief that the making of art, the process, is as essential as the work itself.
Kandinsky in his publication The Spiritual in Art issues a call for a spiritual abstract revolution in painting, emboldening artists to express their own inner lives in abstract non-material terms. His search for spiritual exercise in painting resonated with Japanese concepts, such as spirit (kami) and mind (mushin) without distraction. This thinking combined with art making is embedded in Asian culture
Whispering Light 15064, 2025, Acrylic on Canvas, 40.9 x 53 cm
In the same vein as Hilma Af Klint, Chung utilizes painting to create a spiritual, mystic atmosphere that lifts up the viewer to a meditative state. Where Klint was interested in spiritual investigation, Chung likewise regards light as a spiritual savior, showing a pathway to the inner soul.
Elga Wimmer
Elga Wimmer is an esteemed art critic and curator known for her insightful writing and curatorial work that bridges contemporary art with philosophical, cultural, and historical contexts. With a career spanning decades in New York and beyond, she has contributed to the visibility of international artists, particularly those exploring conceptual, feminist, and cross-cultural themes. Her critical voice is marked by intellectual depth and a keen sensitivity to the spiritual and political undercurrents in contemporary artistic practices.
Chief Editor: Paris Koh