S otheby’s Hong Kong is pleased to present Korean artist, Je Yeoran’s exhibition in Hong Kong. Curated by Jang-Uk Lee, Chief Curator at Space K, Seoul, the solo exhibition will showcase abstract paintings produced between 1997 to 2025, ranging from Je’s signature Usquam Nusquam series, to a rare example of her earlier Untitled series.
"I think the advantage of the sculptural element of my paintings is that you can experience the work in 360 degrees and it awakens your senses. I want my work to be an experience that dares to cross borders."
Je’s journey in abstraction began in the 1980s during a period where pioneering abstract Asian artists such as Park Seobo, Lee Ufan and Kazuo Shiraga were working. She is one of the few female abstract painters of her generation from Korea. Je’s sole use of the squeegee as a tool as opposed to a traditional paint brush, makes works iconic. As she tames the flat rubber blade, it becomes as extension of her body, and each work becomes a performative accumulation of bodily gestures, driven by her internal impulses.
"Water is nature’s best sculpting tool. Almost knife-like, as collisions and reconcilements between various forces renders mountains and rocks with curvatures and textures, it is hard to tell how high the peaks rise and how deep the valley’s sink when observed from above. Similarly with Je’s paintings, it is hard to ascertain which areas still contain moisture of fresh paint, and which areas are drier, with wrinkles of time."
In the earlier days of her practice, Je was mostly engaged in lithography, a flat medium. It was only after her sojourn in Europe in 1987, that she progressed to painting, showcasing her relentless dedication to artistic experimentation, thus introducing texture and investigating the characteristics of painting, by introducing a squeegee into her practice.
“After wrapping up a phase in 2006, I felt the need for using colours from the inside. For me, certain turning points in my career and demand for change came from my paintings, not outside.”
Usquam Nusquam (2006 onwards), the artist’s most prominent series, embraces the “anywhere and nowhere”-ness of reality in all its messy, multilayered complexity. Drawing inspiration from nature, the fabric of time, and human energy flows, Je also takes reference from her mother’s deft approach to dealing with life, "my mother turned a patch of barren ground into fertile land that she cultivated. I wish my work would do the same." Her paintings represent the juxtaposition of colour and movement, intertwining antagonism and dynamism, expansion and contraction, anger and ecstasy. These elements are skillfully balanced in her works to ultimately bring calm and a peaceful state of mind to the viewer. This harmony is reflected in the title, Usquam Nusquam, where the visual power of the paintings amount to everything and nothing at the same time.
27 November 2025 - 10 January 2026
Monday–Saturday | 11:00AM–7:00PM
Sunday & Public Holiday | 11:00AM–6:00PM
Sotheby's Maison, Hong Kong
G/F, Landmark Chater, 8 Connaught Road Central, Central
Claire Dong
claire.dong@sothebys.com
Jing Jing Wang
jingjing.wang@sothebys.com
Mengyue Li
mengyue.li@sothebys.com
Tina He
tina.he@sothebys.com
B
orn in 1960, Je is currently based in Uiwang, Korea. She received her BFA & MFA in painting at Hongik University in Seoul, during which she lived in Europe with Germany as her base, before settling in Uiwang on the outskirts of Seoul. Je’s major solo shows include Total Museum (Seoul, Korea), Mimesis Art Museum (Paju, Korea), Jeon Hyeok Rim Museum (Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea) Space K, (Seoul, Korea), and has participated in group exhibitions at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul, Korea), Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore (Singapore), Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea), Busan Museum of Art (Busan, Korea), Jeonnam Museum of Art (Gwangyang, Korea) among other galleries and institutions.
Je’s works are in the permanent collections of Ludwig Cologne Foundation, Germany; Fondation Louis Vuitton, France; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Korea; Seoul Museum of Art, Korea; Posco Center, Korea; Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea and Paradise Cultural Foundation, Korea among others.
J
ang-Uk Lee (@janguklee.art) is the chief curator of Space K, a private art museum operated by the Kolon Group and founded in 2011. Since then, he has curated more than 160 exhibitions, including notable shows with Hernan Bas (2021), Neo Rauch & Rosa Loy (2021), Ryan Gander (2021), Yuichi Hirako (2024), and Eddie Martinez (2024). He also organized the first solo exhibitions in Korea for Zadie Xa (2023), Daniel Richter (2022), Rose Wylie (2016), and Caroline Walker (2015). In addition, Lee is deeply committed to discovering and supporting emerging artists worldwide, while re-examining and championing overlooked Korean artists.
