Bae Yoon Hwan: Deep Diver at Space K Seoul

One who dives deep into the water knows the way toward the light.

Space K Seoul is pleased to present Deep Diver, a solo exhibition by Bae Yoon Hwan (Korean, b. 1983) from August 14 to November 9, 2025. Bae strips away the familiar layers of light and guides us into the achromatic world of black. This darkness is not a void, but a space of profound contemplation. The artist’s work forsakes color and minimizes form, drawing our gaze inward, ever deeper. Just as a diver holds their breath and enters the silence, viewers are invited to stand before the canvas, pause their thoughts, and open their senses to face the profound depths.

Bae Yoon Hwan has consistently expanded his perspective from personal experiences to global issues. He has become a leading figure in contemporary painting by channeling both his personal creative struggles and the symptoms of our era, such as the dissolution of communities, disasters, and war, into his own allegorical language. In this exhibition, the artist unfolds this narrative with even greater breadth and depth through a diverse range of works, including paintings, drawings, installations, and videos.

Bae Yoon Hwan lives and works in Jeju Island. He received his BFA from Seowon University and his MFA in Painting from Kyungwon University. He has gained recognition for his narrative paintings that combine mythological imagination with social reality. While his practice is rooted in painting, it spans various media including installation and video. Bae Yoon Hwan has held solo exhibitions at Incheon Art Platform (2023), Gallery Baton (2022, 2017), Doosan Gallery New York (2018), and Space Mom Museum of Art (2014). The artist has participated in group exhibitions at Seongnam Cube Art Museum (2025), Seoul Museum of Art (2024), and Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art (2019). Bae Yoon Hwan was named a finalist for the SongEun Art Award in 2024 and was the recipient of the Grand Prize at JoongAng Fine Arts Prize in 2014. His work is held in the collections of major institutions including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, and Museum of Contemporary Art Busan.