KANG Cheolgyu
cheolgyukang@gmail.com
2019 MFA Fine Arts, Hannam University
2015 BFA Painting, Hannam University
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Perfect Body Perfect Soul, Gallery IN HQ, Seoul
2022 Sinking Body, Chapter II, Seoul
2022 Hoppipolla, Art Space 128, Daejeon
2021 Collection of Short Stories: Not to Die, M2 Project-room, Lee Ungno Museum, Daejeon
2020 Go to the Wood, Artist Residency TEMI, Daejeon
2018 Eva, Gallery Gabi, Seoul
Selected Exhibitions
2024 Landing Point, ARARIO GALLERY Seoul, Seoul
2023 Threeperson Match Part 2, Art Space 128, Daejeon
2023 Human Class: Floating Souls, Art Space IAa, Jeju
2023 Zero Gravity, Doonamjae Art Center, Seoul
2022 The Flexible Boundaries, Gallery Baton, Seoul
2022 Better Not to Be Named, Chapter II, Seoul
2021 Loss, Everything That Happened to Me, Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon
2021 Abandoned, Daejeon Sejong Research Institute, Daejeon
2019 Naver On Stage X: Sound PlayNaver Foundation, Rayer57, Seoul
2018 Farewell, Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon
2017 Our Journey, Galley Gabi, Seoul
2016 Exit, Alternative Space NOON, Suwon
2015 Show Case-Review, Gallery Gwang, Sejong Center, Seoul
Residencies
2023-25 The 10th Studio White Block, Cheonan
2021-22 The 5th Chapter II Residency, Seoul
2020-21 The 7th Artist Residency TEMI, Daejeon
Cheolgyu Kang presents narrative paintings where reality and fiction intersect, drawing from his autobiographical
experiences. He projects inner conflicts onto specific subjects, reconstructing them through symbolic imagery
that reflects his psyche and offers refuge from anxiety. His early works depicted dissolving figures in desolate
settings, symbolizing self-loathing and powerlessness, while later works show them as active agents. In his
exhibition Projection Note, Kang explores existential anxiety through the contrasting motifs of the “stranger” and
the “predator.” Hybrid human-animal figures symbolize his fragmented self, revealing inner turmoil. No longer
passive, they engage in primal acts like logging and hunting, confronting fears and reclaiming agency. Drawing
on mythological allegory and classical painting, Kang extends beyond personal experience to explore universal
themes of anxiety, self-discovery, and identity amid uncertainty