Hyunae Kang (b. 1959, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea) received her BFA and MFA in sculpture from Ewha Womans University, where she also studied painting, drawing, printmaking, and traditional Korean ceramics. Her career launched in 1991 with a solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai in Seoul, followed by significant shows at the Art Museum of Seoul (1993) and the Korea Fine Art Grand Exhibition (1995).
Kang's early sculptural work explored the tension between geometric modernism and organic abstraction, combining pure forms with primordial elements through contrasting materials like polished bronze, wood, marble, and obsidian. After immigrating to the United States in 1993, Kang transitioned to painting while maintaining her interest in texture and natural forms. Her paintings departed from the monochromatic Dansaekhwa movement, instead embracing vibrant colors influenced by American artists like Rothko, Motherwell, and Frankenthaler.
Over the past decade, Kang has exhibited extensively internationally, with solo shows across the United States, Monaco, Mexico, Russia, and Italy, as well as group exhibitions in Korea, Hong Kong, and China. Her recent career retrospective, "Dialogues with the Sacred," was held at the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, California.
