KwangHo Shin

b. 1983, Seoul, Korea

In his paintings, KwangHo Shin attempts to capture the complex relationship between the expression of emotion and the experience of the mind. Rooted in Abstract Expressionism, he employs intense and vibrant oils juxtaposed with charcoal to distort the facial features of his subjects, confronting them psychologically.

The artist deliberately rejects the depiction of precise form and proportion in an effort to transcend conventional representation, instead confronting a more visceral type of portraiture. Faces are deconstructed but retain their expressive power as Shin reimagines them in a patchwork of carefully yet energetically applied strokes of color. His paintings convey the inner psychological processes of his subjects while also reminding the viewer of the artist’s presence. “The fear of the blank canvas is dissolved as the colors take shape and are formed on the picture plane... This moment is the process of bringing something out from the artist’s inner spirit — it is the climax of the creative energy,” writes Yu MyeongJin.

Shin graduated with a BFA from Keimyung University in Daegu, Korea, in 2009, and has since been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including at the Goethe Institute Korea Gallery, Berlin (2011); Gallery Jung, Seoul (2013); ArtRaum Berlin Galerie, Berlin (2013); and Bien Gallery, Seoul (2013). Shin has also been featured as “One to Watch,” a distinction awarded by the Saatchi Gallery to promising emerging artists.