Galerie Almine Rech presents Dansaekhwa abstraction in Paris

Galerie Almine Rech Matignon in Paris is hosting "Forming the Monochrome – Masters of Dansaekhwa," an exhibition running until May 23, 2026. The show brings together key figures of Dansaekhwa, a Korean monochrome painting movement that emerged in the 1970s. Artists include Ha Chong-Hyun, Lee Ufan, Park Seo-Bo, Yun Hyong-Keun, and Chung Sang-Hwa. The exhibition recontextualizes the movement's origins in the 1950s, when Korean art rapidly transformed under European and American avant-garde influences. Dansaekhwa is neither a formal group nor a simple local variant of Western minimalism; it developed through a critical engagement with both Western influences and distinctly Korean conceptions of emptiness, gesture, and materiality. The term Dansaekhwa literally means "monochrome painting" and describes practices emphasizing constraint, slowness, and materiality. For a long time, the movement was viewed through a Western minimalist lens, but the exhibition argues for its unique aesthetic singularity. The show aims to illuminate this pivotal moment in Korean contemporary art history and its global impact.