Where the flame takes us: Kwon Yongrae presents "Eternal Flame"

Gallery Joeun presents Kwon Yongrae’s solo exhibition, Eternal Flame, from April 10 to May 10, 2025.

This exhibition explores the intersections of metal and light, transience and time, energy and sensation. Through his signature sculptural language—stainless steel and the lingering traces of welding flames—Kwon visualizes both the physical and emotional qualities of light.

The artist showcases a refined selection of only ten works, including a large-scale new piece. This deliberate limitation allows for deeper engagement and contemplative space around each work. Under the theme of an “unquenchable flame,” the exhibition invites viewers to experience the shifting relationship between light and metal within the gallery space.

The Variations of Light

Kwon Yongrae’s work traverses the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and installation. Eschewing traditional paints and brushes, he constructs each surface with hundreds of meticulously assembled stainless steel units. The delicate traces left by welding flames remain like calligraphic marks on the metallic surface, while light cast upon them generates ever-changing scenes.

Light, far from being a mere visual effect, becomes central to the work. The shimmering and flow of reflected light imbue each piece with a sense of temporality and spatiality. Depending on the viewer’s position and angle, new images are continuously revealed.

Organic patterns born from flame flicker softly at particular angles, producing a poetic rhythm. Cold metal shimmers with warmth, and across the static canvas flows a “music of light,” awakening a rich array of sensations.

A Poetic Dialogue Between Light and Metal

Kwon began his practice focused on painting. However, fatigue from repetitive processes and a devastating flood in his studio led him to search for new materials and methods of expression. Through experiments with materials such as foil, can lids, and aluminum fragments, he eventually discovered stainless steel—a material that retains its shape and resists discoloration.

Utilizing laser cutting technology, Kwon produces large quantities of intricate units and constructs a unique visual language rooted in the interplay of material and light.

His process begins with attaching each metal unit by hand onto a gessoed canvas. Using a hammer to shape the metal and layering pigments, the work unfolds at the intersection of craft-like labor and painterly intuition. Once completed, the surface comes to life when light hits it. Memory and experience, meaning and concept, layer upon the piece, infinitely expanding its visual space.

Kwon Yongrae holds both a BFA and MFA in Western Painting from Seoul National University. He has received major accolades including the Dong-A Art Award (1992) and Honorable Mention at the JoongAng Fine Arts Prize (1989). His works are part of the permanent collections at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, Daegu Art Museum, Ulsan Museum of Art, Kwan Hoonpin Art Museum (Hong Kong), and Beijing Art Museum (China), among others. They are also installed in various public and commercial spaces, including the Marriott Hotel, Samsung Medical Center, Palacio Can Marques Hotel (Spain), The Chedi Xinchang Resort Hotel (Shanghai), and the Grand Hyatt Jeju.

Eternal Flame captures fleeting moments and expands them into eternity through the language of light and metal. Like a flame that flares and vanishes, yet leaves traces like lingering light, the exhibition presents a poetic inquiry and sculptural response from Kwon within the contemporary art landscape.