Sunyoung Hwang was born in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. She lives and works in London. She received her BFA in Fine Art from the Slade School of Fine Art, London (2012), where she won the Steer Memorial Prize for her degree show; and completed a MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art, London (2016).
Exploring physical and psychological layering, Hwang’s abstract works create a sense of different layers, or strata, both beneath, between and within the picture plane. Hwang describes them as a tangible representation of the unconscious and incoherent flow of internalised thoughts, emotions, impressions and memories. For Hwang, the canvas is a place where they are reviewed, reconstructed, and re-approached, and where she attempts to unearth the invisible accumulation of these phenomena in layers of visible, tangible paint and colour. It is what Hwang would describe as 'emotional archaeology'.
Recent solo shows include: Frestonian Gallery, London; A-Lounge Gallery, Seoul; Galerie ERD, Seoul; Nunnery Gallery, London. Her work has also featured recently in group shows at Sid Motion Gallery, London; Guts Gallery, London; The Address Gallery, Brescia and Saatchi Gallery, London. Hwang was longlisted for the Jackson’s Painting Prize, selected as a finalist for Young Contemporary Talent and was the winner of the prestigious Chadwell Award (2016). Residencies include the Hangar Residency at Hangar Artistic Research Centre, Lisbon and the SÍM Residency at The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists, Reykjavík. Her work is held in collections in Asia, Australia, Europe, UAE, UK and the US.
Exploring physical and psychological layering, Hwang’s abstract works create a sense of different layers, or strata, both beneath, between and within the picture plane. Hwang describes them as a tangible representation of the unconscious and incoherent flow of internalised thoughts, emotions, impressions and memories. For Hwang, the canvas is a place where they are reviewed, reconstructed, and re-approached, and where she attempts to unearth the invisible accumulation of these phenomena in layers of visible, tangible paint and colour. It is what Hwang would describe as 'emotional archaeology'.
Recent solo shows include: Frestonian Gallery, London; A-Lounge Gallery, Seoul; Galerie ERD, Seoul; Nunnery Gallery, London. Her work has also featured recently in group shows at Sid Motion Gallery, London; Guts Gallery, London; The Address Gallery, Brescia and Saatchi Gallery, London. Hwang was longlisted for the Jackson’s Painting Prize, selected as a finalist for Young Contemporary Talent and was the winner of the prestigious Chadwell Award (2016). Residencies include the Hangar Residency at Hangar Artistic Research Centre, Lisbon and the SÍM Residency at The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists, Reykjavík. Her work is held in collections in Asia, Australia, Europe, UAE, UK and the US.