GROUP EXHIBITION: THE ABSENT ONE
GALLERY HYUNDAI New York Project Space is pleased to present The Absent One, a group exhibition bringing together an intergenerational group of Korean and Korean diasporic artists whose works revise the notion of inheritance not as something that is passed down but planted as a seed.
March 12–April 25, 2026
And like seeds, it is not a given that they will grow, but requires ritual, care, and a balance between agency and withdrawal. For some artists, these seeds are experienced as absence, causing memories of one's homeland and its traditions to be experienced as fugitive, while the one who longs for it constructs language in order to create rhythm and shape to their waiting. Whether it is through objects such as the Moon Jar, contours of Korea's hilltops, folktales, or an amalgamation of sensations, materials, and people, in the works by Ik-Joong Kang, Minjung Kim, Seulgi Lee, and Choong Sup Lim, ideas and memories of the homeland are invoked. Therefore, the figure of the mother, ideas of non-patriarchal lineage, and nonbiological forms of kinship are a specter throughout this show.
Gallery Hyundai New York Project Space will host the special exhibition *The Empty Space* from March 12 to April 25. Introducing artists from various generations based in Korea and the Korean diaspora, this exhibition begins by viewing "inheritance" not merely as a legacy passed down, but as a process of planting and growing like a seed.
For an inherited legacy to grow, ritual, care, and a balance between self-consciousness and giving are required. Some artists experience these seeds as absence, perceiving the memories and traditions of their homeland as wandering entities. Individuals harboring longing create their own unique languages to imbue the time of waiting with rhythm and form. For instance, Kang Ik-joong, Kim Min-jung, Lee Seul-gi, and Lim Chung-sub have established distinct artistic worlds by invoking concepts and memories of their homeland through objects such as the moon jar, unique Korean ridges and the folklore embedded within them, and the totality of sensations, matter, and humanity. In this way, *The Empty Space* is a space that showcases the existence of the mother, non-patriarchal lineage, and the resonance of solidarity that transcends biological boundaries.