Exhibition Opening: Paik 'Gannomi' Tchurl Geuk Retrospective

The Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles (KCCLA, Director Sangwon Jung) proudly presents the LA Art Project Exhibition " Paik 'Gannomi' Tchurl Geuk Retrospective " which will open with the reception at the Korean Cultural Center Art Gallery (located at 5505 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036) from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 10th.

Paik 'Gannomi' Tchurl Geuk (1912-2007) was a first-generation Korean American artist and also the first-generation abstract artist from Korea. During his lifetime, Paik lived and worked in Montreal, Los Angeles, New York, and Paris.

Among his artworks, "Aggressor" and "L'avion" were selected by the Korea National Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art in a permanent collection in 2009. The artist’s alias "Paik Gannomi" was the signature name the artist used for his artworks, and Paik Tchurl Geuk was his official Korean name. He died in Los Angeles, California in 2007.

This exhibition will have on display over 24 paintings, croquis/drawings, memorabilia such as photographs, and his personal letters. These works will truly resonate a sense of warmth and passion within the viewers' hearts.

The exhibition will be open to the public and is scheduled to run until July 1st, 2022.

Paik 'Gannomi' Tchurl Geuk (1912-2007)

Korean-American abstract painter Paik Gannomi in his terse five flowing strokes produced Sonaggi (Rainstorm) in 1973, New York. Abstaining from being elaborate or superfluous in expressing a natural phenomenon, Rainstorm, he stated through bare minimum of lines and colors. In his use of line, he shares commonality with the Korean form of calligraphy art Seoye, in which a force of stroke must come alive with an inherent movement and rhythm. Artist Gannomi’s strokes add profound dynamism by characteristic embodiment of deep red within black. Ensuing space created by the lines is another trademark of his works influenced from Korean traditional art.

His art can be categorized as an abstract expressionism in line with Franz Klein and Jackson Pollack. Most of Paik Gannomi’s work was not consciously created with a title in mind, rather a perfunctory impression emerged from the lines and spaces.

While his contemporaries back in Korea found fascination with the monochrome movement in 1970’s, he held his own forte with the unique style of aquamarine background overlayed with the flowing red on black lines. The epitome of his works came to fruition when he was awarded the Prix d'Audonne for "Paysage de Seine" at Grand Palais, Paris 1981. Previously, in 1980, he received the Mayor's award at Palais Vincennes, Paris for "l'Automne" and "Sainte Face."