Bang Hai Ja Retrospective Traces Six Decades from Early Abstraction to Light
Published August 6, 2026 10:16 PM
Jason Yim
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the MMCA
MMCA is presenting “Bang Hai Ja – Scattering the Light of the Heart Across Heaven and Earth” at its Cheongju branch as part of events marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France. The exhibition examines changes in Bang's artistic methods and subjects through works from different periods. MMCA currently lists approximately 80 works for the exhibition.
Born in 1937, Bang graduated from Seoul National University's College of Fine Arts in 1961. She held her first solo exhibition at the National Library of Korea that year before traveling to Paris with proceeds from the exhibition. She subsequently studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and developed her practice between Korea and France. Her work incorporated elements of European painting alongside Korean materials and artistic traditions.
Bang's early practice focused on abstract painting using oil paint and canvas. Her 1961 work “Au Coeur de la Terre,” also known as “지심,” is part of the MMCA collection and represents this period. She later expanded her use of Korean materials, including hanji and natural pigments. “햇님 나들이,” completed in 1977, combines oil paint on canvas with a hanji collage.
Her interests gradually expanded toward light, the universe and life. “정관묘오,” completed in 1993, uses natural pigments on paper, while “우주의 빛,” from 2001, uses oil paint on nonwoven fabric. “하늘의 땅,” completed in 2011, combines a panel, paper and natural pigments. The works show her continued experimentation with materials and surfaces as she developed ways of representing light through physical matter.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the MMCA
Bang's works are also held by major French institutions. The Musée Cernuschi in Paris holds her 2007 work “Lumière née de la lumière,” made with paper and pigments. The Centre Pompidou also lists multiple works by Bang in its collection, including works from the 1960s through the 2020s.
Bang is regarded as part of the generation of Korean abstract artists who developed their careers in France. The Musée Cernuschi notes that she became connected with the Paris art scene after arriving in France in 1961 and developed a practice incorporating elements from both Korea and France.
Her practice also extended beyond conventional painting. She experimented with traditional Korean paper and natural pigments and later worked with stained glass. In 2018, she participated in a stained-glass project at Chartres Cathedral in France.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the MMCA
The exhibition includes works such as “지심,” “햇님 나들이,” “정관묘오,” “우주의 빛” and “하늘의 땅.” Together, the works show changes in her materials and visual language, from early oil-based abstraction to works incorporating hanji, natural pigments and later explorations of light and the universe.
The exhibition title, “Scattering the Light of the Heart Across Heaven and Earth,” is taken from Bang's poem “In Search of Light.” MMCA said the exhibition examines the meaning of light in Bang's work and how its visual expression changed throughout her career.
The exhibition is on view at the fifth-floor special exhibition gallery of MMCA Cheongju through September 27. Admission is KRW 2,000. The exhibition provides an opportunity to examine Bang Hai Ja's position within Korean modern art through works spanning her early abstraction and later experiments with light, materials and space.
SayArt.net Jason Yim yimjongho1969@gmail.com
Works from Korea and France presented in Cheongju as exhibition examines the artist's changing materials and themesThe installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the MMCA
MMCA is presenting “Bang Hai Ja – Scattering the Light of the Heart Across Heaven and Earth” at its Cheongju branch as part of events marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France. The exhibition examines changes in Bang's artistic methods and subjects through works from different periods. MMCA currently lists approximately 80 works for the exhibition.
Born in 1937, Bang graduated from Seoul National University's College of Fine Arts in 1961. She held her first solo exhibition at the National Library of Korea that year before traveling to Paris with proceeds from the exhibition. She subsequently studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and developed her practice between Korea and France. Her work incorporated elements of European painting alongside Korean materials and artistic traditions.
Bang's early practice focused on abstract painting using oil paint and canvas. Her 1961 work “Au Coeur de la Terre,” also known as “지심,” is part of the MMCA collection and represents this period. She later expanded her use of Korean materials, including hanji and natural pigments. “햇님 나들이,” completed in 1977, combines oil paint on canvas with a hanji collage.
Her interests gradually expanded toward light, the universe and life. “정관묘오,” completed in 1993, uses natural pigments on paper, while “우주의 빛,” from 2001, uses oil paint on nonwoven fabric. “하늘의 땅,” completed in 2011, combines a panel, paper and natural pigments. The works show her continued experimentation with materials and surfaces as she developed ways of representing light through physical matter.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the MMCA
Bang's works are also held by major French institutions. The Musée Cernuschi in Paris holds her 2007 work “Lumière née de la lumière,” made with paper and pigments. The Centre Pompidou also lists multiple works by Bang in its collection, including works from the 1960s through the 2020s.
Bang is regarded as part of the generation of Korean abstract artists who developed their careers in France. The Musée Cernuschi notes that she became connected with the Paris art scene after arriving in France in 1961 and developed a practice incorporating elements from both Korea and France.
Her practice also extended beyond conventional painting. She experimented with traditional Korean paper and natural pigments and later worked with stained glass. In 2018, she participated in a stained-glass project at Chartres Cathedral in France.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the MMCA
The exhibition includes works such as “지심,” “햇님 나들이,” “정관묘오,” “우주의 빛” and “하늘의 땅.” Together, the works show changes in her materials and visual language, from early oil-based abstraction to works incorporating hanji, natural pigments and later explorations of light and the universe.
The exhibition title, “Scattering the Light of the Heart Across Heaven and Earth,” is taken from Bang's poem “In Search of Light.” MMCA said the exhibition examines the meaning of light in Bang's work and how its visual expression changed throughout her career.
The exhibition is on view at the fifth-floor special exhibition gallery of MMCA Cheongju through September 27. Admission is KRW 2,000. The exhibition provides an opportunity to examine Bang Hai Ja's position within Korean modern art through works spanning her early abstraction and later experiments with light, materials and space.
