OKNP (Busan) is pleased to present A Certain Scenery, a solo exhibition by Shim Moonseup, on view from September 9 to October 11, 2025. Recognized as a master who has opened a new chapter in contemporary Korean sculpture, Shim (b. 1943) currently resides in his hometown of Tongyeong, where he translates the light and waves of the sea into painting. This exhibition introduces his latest series of paintings, works imbued with the luminous hues of the sea and profound contemplation.

After graduating from the Department of Sculpture at Seoul National University in 1965, Shim Moonseup gained early acclaim in the Korean art scene with his Point series. Incorporating industrial sensibilities and new materials, he was awarded the Minister of Culture Prize at the National Art Exhibition in 1969 and 1970, the Speaker of the National Assembly Prize in 1971, and the Prime Minister’s Prize at the inaugural Korean Art Grand Prize Exhibition in 1970. At the same time, he participated in the avant-garde collective AG (Korean Avant-Garde Association), pioneering experimental practices and introducing new sculptural vocabularies with stainless steel and acrylic. His landmark work Point-77 (1969) erased the trace of the artist through zigzag structures and modular repetitions, presenting an industrial aesthetic distinct from the Informel generation and reflecting the sensibilities of future cities and technology. As he declared at the time, “Materials are not merely tools suited to the artist’s individuality; they themselves possess the potential to embrace space,” a statement that broadened the horizon of Korean sculpture.

In the 1970s, Shim shifted his focus toward natural materials in his Relation and Presence series, emphasizing that “materials are the work itself.” Throughout the 1980s, he further explored the themes of matter and nature through series such as Wood God, Earth Images, Metaphor, Presentation, and Reminiscence, solidifying a distinct sculptural language. Former National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) director Oh Kwang-su noted that the Wood God series evoked “the rustic texture of unfinished wood vessels, recalling the collective memory of an agrarian culture.” His work thus transcended experimentation to engage with collective identity and cultural memory.

Internationally, Shim’s work also garnered wide recognition. He participated in the Paris Biennale three times (1971, 1973, 1981), the São Paulo Biennale (1975), and the Venice Biennale (1995, 2001). In 2007, he was invited by the French Ministry of Culture to present a solo exhibition at the Palais-Royal Garden in Paris, for which he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2016, his retrospective Sculpting Nature at MMCA celebrated five decades of his oeuvre, affirming his reputation as a “sculptor who molds nature.”

The title A Certain Scenery has long served as a symbolic phrase in Shim’s practice. It was first used for his exhibition at Ibu Gallery in Paris, and more recently for his 2025 solo show at Perrotin New York. This exhibition in Busan marks the third iteration of A Certain Scenery, presenting new paintings that extend the trajectory of his artistic language from sculpture to painting, translating the seascapes of Tongyeong onto canvas.

Reflecting on this body of work, Shim states:
“With fewer colors and fewer words, I seek to convey a deeper resonance. By embracing the materiality and possibilities of canvas, I allow canvas, brush, paint, and the act of creation itself to reveal their own essence. At times they collide, at times they harmonize, but ultimately they converse, creating their own landscape.”
His words resonate with former MMCA director Oh Kwang-su’s assessment of his paintings: “By immersing himself in nature, the artist achieves a unity of human and nature—an experience of presence that recalls Laozi’s teaching of wu wei zi ran (effortless naturalness).”

This exhibition is especially significant as it takes place in Busan. In 1965, Shim introduced experimental sculpture to the city with his solo exhibition at the Busan Public Information Hall, later holding another solo exhibition at Gallery 604, establishing a long-standing relationship with the region. If his 2023 exhibition at the Gyeongnam Art Museum reaffirmed his regional roots, A Certain Scenery at OKNP reintroduces “the present of a master” in the cultural center of the southeastern region.

More than a landscape, A Certain Scenery embodies a lifelong pursuit of communion with nature, now extended into painting. Through his canvases, viewers encounter the light and substance of the sea, experiencing profound reflections on nature, humanity, and the essence of existence.