Chung Sang-Hwa was born in 1932 in Yeongdeok, Gyeongsangbuk-do. At the height of the Korean War in 1953, he was enrolled in Seoul National University’s art program. In 1957, while working as a teacher at Incheon Teachers’ College, he continued his art practice. As a member of the Contemporary Artists Association and Actuel, he boldly broke the conventions and formats of traditional painting and experimented with Art Informel tendencies. In 1967, he spent some time in Paris, where he was exposed to the latest trends in Western contemporary art. He traveld to Japan in 1969 to live and work in Kobe until 1977. During this time, he developed a close friendship with Yoshihara Jiro, the leader of the radical Japanese artist group Gutai. The work he produced in Japan shows a gradual shift in style from energetic Art Informel to monochrome abstraction. From 1973 onward, organic forms disappear and his canvases begin to be divided into grids. Since then, he has been working both domestically and internationally, mostly in Japan and France. He returned to Korea in 1992 and continued to pursue his artistic career.