One of the founding members of a group known as Origin, Suh Seung Won (b. 1941) is also celebrated for his major contribution to the formation of the A.G. (Avant-Garde Association) and the ongoing development of Dansaekhwa. Origin was founded in 1963 and exhibited together for decades thereafter. Along with Suh Seung-Won, the group’s founding members included Lee Seung-Jio and Choi Myoung-Young.

For over 50 years, Suh Seung-Won has consistently pursued a theory he terms “Simultaneity,” in which the artist seeks to distill his compositions to their most reductive state, while still maintaining a harmonious balance of form, color and space. The artist came of age in the context of post-war Korea, where there was uneven access to information about international movements such as Art Informel and Abstract Expressionism. It was in this dynamic environment that Suh sought to pioneer his own unique approach to geometric abstraction by synthesizing traditional formal vocabularies found in Korean culture such as the architecture of hanok (a traditional home), and its characteristic use of handmade paper as construction material.

In an effort to push the limits beyond the western art movements, Suh invented his own form of geometric abstraction that utilized dominant color relationships and pop-infused angular shapes. Exploring this novel interpretation of space and emphasizing form and color, the artist boldly composed his canvases arranging several geometric shapes in concert with one another.