An artist rooted in Gwangju and South Jeolla. Markets, Jeonil Building rooftops, village rice mills — Park Seongwan draws out the sense of an era from the small, overlooked moments around him.
Park Seongwan has rarely left Gwangju and South Jeolla.
After graduating from Chonnam National University's Department of Fine Arts and completing a master's degree in Western painting at the same institution, he made Gwangju-Jeonnam the foundation of his life and work. Daein Market, Jeonil Building, the rice mill in Gangjaeng — everything captured on his canvas maps to a single point in Honam. Yet from that single point, he summons an entire era.
Thick, Powerful Brushwork and Memory
Bold strokes and vivid color. Compositions that bring fresh air to everyday scenes. His work draws out a sense of the era and a community's memory from ordinary landscapes and the trivial moments around them.
The Gwangju Biennale's local artist program described his work as "reinterpreting the small things of everyday life and the surroundings with an impressionist sensibility, focusing in particular on revealing 'our story.'"
From Construction Site Diaries to Candlelight Squares
The titles of his solo exhibitions alone reveal his concerns.
2012 Construction Site Picture Diary (Asia Culture Maru), 2015 UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Construction Site Diary (Space K Gwangju, Kumho Gallery). The work of recording neighborhoods that disappear behind construction barriers. 2021 (Chonnam National University Yongji Hall). 2024 (Gallery Saenggak Sangja). Each exhibition title carries a distinct grain of time.
