His friends called him "the one who stacks." Sculptor Jeon Kuk-kwang (1945-1990) built works from traditional hard materials like stone, wood, and metal, yet shaped them to appear soft and drooping like paper, cloth, or dough. He named this body of work the "Jeok" series, after the Chinese character meaning "to stack."
After dominating the 1970s with his Jeok series, Jeon sought to escape the heaviness inherent in sculpture during the 1980s. In his artist's notes, he described himself as "the one who demolishes"—committed to boldly tearing down what he had built.
This trajectory inspired the title of "Jeon Kuk-kwang: The One Who Stacks, The One Who Demolishes," a retrospective organized by the Seoul Museum of Art. Running through February 22 at the Nam-Seoul Museum of Art, the exhibition marks the first public museum tribute to an artist whose life was cut short by an accident at age 45, during his creative prime.
The show presents approximately 100 works, including sculptures, drawings, and maquettes—small-scale models created as preliminary studies for larger pieces. Six outdoor sculptures are displayed in the museum's front garden.
An untitled work at the exhibition entrance features the artist's name written repeatedly on yellowed paper and stacked high. Though cast in plite, it curves and undulates as if made of actual paper.
"Through stacking—through being stacked upon—the clay slabs bend and expand on their own, forming shapes. Watching this 'becoming,' I know it is finally my turn to cast the spell. I only wish for it to be revealed truthfully, as it is. And so, I stack and observe," Jeon wrote in his notes.
The exhibition's first section focuses on the Jeok series from the 1970s, which revealed gravity—nature's invisible force. His stone carvings and fiberglass works sag downward despite their rigid materials. "Rest" (1988), carved from a single stone block, masterfully evokes the feeling of someone slumped on a sofa, despite being an abstract work.
Born in Seoul in 1945, Jeon grew up without a father in difficult financial circumstances. At 15, his grandfather introduced him to memorial sculptor Park Jae-so, launching his artistic career. He learned fundamentals while assisting first-generation female sculptor Yoon Young-ja (1924-2016) and abstract sculptor Park Seok-won (83) before enrolling at Hongik University's sculpture department in 1967. Recognition came quickly, with awards at the National Art Exhibition beginning in 1969.
"Monument to Mass" (1981) won the grand prize in the non-figurative category that year. The work embodies his determination to break free from sculptural weight while acknowledging the importance of mass and volume. It marked a turning point toward his "Inner Mass" series of the 1980s, during which he experimented with wire, acrylic, clay, paper, and tree branches alongside traditional materials.
"Inner Mass-Magnetic Force-0.027㎥" resembles a giant black spider clinging to a white corner. Its charcoal-black wooden blocks, each 30 centimeters long, would form a 30-centimeter cube if stacked neatly—hence the title's volume measurement. Hinged connections allow the work to fold and unfold, adapting to different spaces. The piece demonstrates the flexible, open-form sculpture Jeon achieved through his late-1980s experiments in dismantling mass.
The exhibition also features newly revealed archives, including work notes provided by the artist's family, along with some 30 maquettes offering miniature glimpses into his creative process. BTS member RM, a known art enthusiast, recently posted photographs on social media of words Jeon had scribbled on manuscript paper—reflecting the sculptor's love of poetry and wordplay.
