PRESS RELEASE

Changha Hwang Three-Fold

Benrimon Contemporary

April 7, 2011 – May 7, 2011 For immediate release

Benrimon Contemporary is pleased to announce Three-Fold, Changha Hwang’s first solo exhibition with the gallery.

Hwang creates abstract paintings that deal with spatial and temporal notions of painting. The artist’s main concern is the relationship between the “Controlled” and the “Uncontrolled” in the process of composing color, line and shape in painting. Hwang is fascinated by the tension that is created by this relationship.

Though many see digital influences in his works, Hwang’s points of reference are Islamic tiles, traditional Jewish paper cuts, Venetian lace, stained glass windows and Peruvian Nazca Lines. He studied several different visual languages, such as trace paintings and drip paintings and found that a compilation of these styles helped him find his own visual language. This unique visual language and Hwang’s various reference materials allow him to create three-dimensional space within his paintings. His painting technique also allows him to produce multiple spatial planes within the work. Hwang’s process involves organically plotting out each element to make sure that every mark relates to both the previous and the next.

The work Three-Fold, the namesake of the exhibition, is a perfect example of Hwang’s ability to build his paintings architecturally. Here he layers panels of rich hues with geometric areas of negative space to create depth. Three-Fold also exemplifies Hwang’s ability to create a visually interesting painting without overwhelming the viewer’s eye.

Changha Hwang was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to the U.S. in 1990. He received his B.F.A. in Painting from Parsons School of Design in 1998 and earned his M.F.A. in Painting from Hunter College in 2002. Since 2002, Hwang has had numerous solo shows in Paris, Madrid, Brussels, New York and Seoul. He has also participated in several group exhibitions in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, and Geneva. In 2007, one of Hwang’s paintings was purchased by the National Collection of France. His works have been exhibited in many art fairs since 2004 and one of his paintings was most recently shown at Pulse NY 2011 with Benrimon Contemporary. Hwang currently lives and works in New York.

Benrimon Contemporary is located at 514 West 24th Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10011 between 10th and 11th Avenues. Our hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 12pm to 6pm by appointment.