Nam, Tchun-Mo Gestures in Lines
24 May 2022
Nam, Tchun-Mo – Gestures in Lines
The South Korean artist Nam Tchun-Mo, born in Daegu in 1961, is attributed to the Dansaekhwa movement. Dansaekhwa is an art movement that has been established in South Korea since the 1960s. It works in a radically abstract and mostly monochrome way and is perhaps most comparable to the European ZERO movement in this respect. Formally, Nam Tchun-Mo's works are largely reduced to the basic element of the drawn line. Depending on the group of works, it has a different character, e.g. it can appear elegant and gently curved, as in the spring works, strictly formal and dead straight, as in the works of the beam group, or improvised and ingenious brushstroke style, as in the stroke line works. However, the line does not remain on the picture carrier. It rises into the third dimension, reinforced with synthetic resin to create a relief-like structure.
Exploring line and capturing light – a parallel to the work of Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem (Collecting Light works) – is at the heart of Nam Tchun-Mo's creative work. The effect of light on his multicolored works, the play of light and shadow on his reliefs, is a reference to his childhood when sunlight and shadow danced across the furrows of fields stretching far and wide.
The film The Artist Nam Tchun-Mo. Beam Lines Spring Stroke by Riveruns Official (2022) grants the viewer insight into how Nam Tchun-Mo works. With Korean and English text by Nam Tchun-Mo.
On June 11, 2022, the vernissage of the new exhibition Gestures in Lines by the Korean artist Nam Tchun-Mo will take place in the Cadoro – Center for Art and Science in Mainz. New works from the last five years are presented on two floors of the spacious exhibition venue. We look forward to welcoming you on this festive occasion.
