Our eyes are arrested by a lump of stone, seemingly having dropped down on a sandy beach. Traces of the stone’s movement fill the canvas, its heavy trajectory through the sand, scattering the grains. This realistic picture, which can be found in the lobby of SIGNIEL BUSAN, depicts a stone that might be found anywhere on Haeundae Beach. The gray-toned work, which viewers readily believe to be a photograph, is actually an oil painting, worked with a brush, by artist Yoon Weedong. Yoon carries on the painterly tradition of Korean hyperrealism, refining it through constant observation and experimentation. His work, unlike Western hyperrealism, is based on an oriental approach that allows the artist’s subjective views to intervene actively in the depiction of the subject. Sand or earth is fused together to form rock, and the rock in turn is broken down into earth again. The painting reflects the artist’s belief that everything is subject to the cycle of death and rebirth. Conveying a unique interpretation of nature’s laws, the “Monologue” works use resin and acrylic paint on actual sand, adding to the realistic effect.

Yoon Weedong is the widely acknowledged heir to the tradition of realistic painting
(hyperrealism) in Korea. He has employed hyperrealistic techniques since his twenties. During that time, he was mainly associated with watercolor portraiture. More recently, he has been engaged in new endeavors, such as the “Monologue” series, in which he uses acrylic paint and resin to depict stones, as well as painting droplets in collaboration with artist Yoo Choongmok, who paints precious stones and works with glass. His most recent work consisting of the “Clover” series begun in 2021. The clover, symbolizing “all things that are common and ubiquitous,” is lovingly painted in the artist’s hyperrealistic manner. The artist projects the universal and positive messages that such objects possess to the audience through his work, such as “love, hope, and good fortune,” in a manner that can be intuitively understood.