Colors of Winter: Rice Grains Form Moving Monochromes by Moon Su-man
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Gallery Jak in Seoul presents Moon Su-man’s solo exhibition “Colors of Winter” (Dec 3–20). Trained in engineering, Moon merges analytical thinking with painterly intuition to build unique color-field paintings using rice grains as his key material. The rice—treated as physical particles—also symbolizes digital datasets, linking material units to information structures. His signature “Cloud” series layers thousands of rice grains over single-color grounds so that from afar each work reads as a flat monochrome, while up close reveals varied particles, subtle color bands and rhythmic layers—a “moving monochrome.” Many works use horizontal compositions to suggest extension and landscape rather than a central focus. Gallery director Kwon Jeong-hwa says Moon’s paintings continue the spirit of Korean monochrome painting while reclaiming a visual language for the digital age.
