Black Point

About the exhibition

Artists’ Sensory Experiments on “Absolute Black”

Kazimir Malevich (1878–1935), founder of Suprematism and a pioneer of abstract art, composed his canvases using minimal abstract shapes in their most condensed forms. Through simple compositions featuring squares, circles, triangles, and crosses, centered around the black square, he sought to express a “pure feeling that transcends nature,” formed not by symbols, geometry, or patterns but by an inner order. For Malevich, black represented the ultimate definition of color and the peak that painting could reach.

Black is the “complete void” reached after absorbing all color, yet it can appear white when strongly illuminated due to its reflective quality. As such, black is both a material color formed by mixing all pigments in the CMY system and a color that, under the RGB light model, can potentially turn into white. In this dual structure of absorption and reflection, darkness and brightness, matter and light, black operates not as a mere absence but as a latent space containing all colors, a philosophical realm that crosses the boundaries of sensation and perception.

Black is the “complete void” reached after absorbing all color, yet it can appear white when strongly illuminated due to its reflective quality. As such, black is both a material color formed by mixing all pigments in the CMY system and a color that, under the RGB light model, can potentially turn into white. In this dual structure of absorption and reflection, darkness and brightness, matter and light, black operates not as a mere absence but as a latent space containing all colors, a philosophical realm that crosses the boundaries of sensation and perception.

Charred wood used in prehistoric cave paintings represents one of humanity’s earliest expressive tools, revealing black as the most primordial color. Between ancient sensory expression and the logical structure of modern abstraction, black has functioned as both the origin and culmination of materiality and as a decisive color imbued with philosophical reflection. In this sense, black symbolizes the origin of art across the strata of Eastern and Western history, culture, matter, and spirit. This exhibition aims to shed light on artists’ sensory interpretations and experimental attitudes toward black as an absolute color.

The conceptual starting point of the exhibition is East Asian ink (known as meok in Korean and sumi in Japanese), which has been central to East Asian painting traditions. East Asian ink symbolizes a visual philosophy that seeks to express the world through a single color. Within it are condensed durations of contemplation and sensitivity to the invisible. The aesthetics of East Asian painting—defined by void, monochromaticity, immateriality, and condensed perception—are reinterpreted in a contemporary context throughout this exhibition. Each participating artist reimagines this tradition in distinct ways.

Exhibiting new works by Korean artists

Yongkook Jeong experiments with materials and pictorial construction rooted in East Asian ink. Area Park explores the photosensitivity and residual qualities of photography through black-and-white prints and manual techniques. Sun Choi creates structures where concept and practice intersect through repetitive actions and modest gestures. JeeMin Kim constructs pictorial narratives by reconfiguring cultural elements of East and West. Sungjin Jung utilizes 3D graphics to portray recombined spaces within dreams and the unconscious.

In the RGB additive color model, black is a state where all values are zero—seemingly nothing, yet a space of latent possibility encompassing all colors. East Asian ink symbolizes this infinitude and carries a philosophy of expressing the world with a single hue. Black Point revisits the physical and philosophical conditions of color to re-question the meaning of black.

Event “First day talk show”

Date: Thursday, September 4th, 17:00-18:00
(on-site and live-streamed on Instagram, reservations required, free)

Overview
A talk event will be held with the exhibiting artists and curators. Taro Amano (Chief Curator, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery) will be invited as a guest to talk about the concept of the exhibition and the works.

▼Speakers: Changje Yang (Owner and Curator of Sahng-up Gallery), JeeMin Kim (Artist), Sungjin Jung (Artist), Yongkook Jeong(Artist), Sun Choi(Artist), Area Park (Artist), Taro Amano (Chief Curator, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
*Sequential interpretation will be provided in Japanese and Korean on the day.
*The date and time of the event may be subject to change. Please see the website for the latest information.