Monday, March 02, 2009

Paintings by Kwangpyo (Steve) Koh

Above: (Left) Koh - Afternoon, (Right) Koh - Birth & Son


Born on Jeju Island, South Korea, Kwangpyo (Steve) Koh shares some of his heritage in his paintings that reflect the 'Integration of human life and historical space through time.'

"Paintings by Kwangpyo (Steve) Koh" opened in Delavan Art Gallery's Wild Card space on February 12 and ran through February 28.

In his background bio, Koh tells the story of Jeju Island's one thousand year old black stone statue called Dol-hareubang or Grandfather Stone that is carved out of porous basalt rock. One of the best known symbols of the Island, the statue of bulging eyes, long flat nose, clenched lips and big hands resting on the belly illustrate the simple and humorous nature of people. Koh describes that inspiration to "bring the historic aesthetic of the stone carving to my life subjects."

"As an architect, I work with designs of all kinds of space form for one to experience the relationship between human life and place through time. I try to interpret how the past relates to the present," he says. His bright, colorful paintings feature the human figure with a variety of facial expressions, posed before venues of space that represent all moments or actions of life.

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