I've said often that painting water drops is a way of erasing my ego. This is an idea close to Taoism and Zen Buddhism. In the West, I feel that Marcel Duchamp and Dada came closest to these philosophies. - Kim Tschang Yeul
Kim Tschang Yeul belongs to the first generation of modern artists in South Korea and is one of the most influential figures in modern Korean art history. He achieved international fame primarily through his simple and clear paintings of water droplets. Painting these again and again means to the artist, who was deeply influenced by the Korean War, to process his memories and fears. Thus, he devotes himself to the unique motif over five decades. In doing so, he moves painterly on the narrow border between abstraction and figuration, minimalism and photorealism and subtly combines Chinese calligraphy, lyrical abstraction, and Pop Art.