Chung Sang-Hwa refers to his creative activity as “’labor”. He is reluctant to attach any specific meaning to the act of creation. The way he approaches his work and his life is characterized by a desire to subtract, rather than add or fill. He discovers surfaces in surfaces without imbuing them with specific narratives or hidden meanings to be read into. Through the countless repetitions of revealing and filling, he illuminates the boundless surface within the surface. The myriad of chromatic nuances melted into a single color and the subtle movements in the grain that trigger a sensation of visual tactility are experienced as a whole. 

Chung Sang-Hwa approaches art as if approaching an academic subject. He says “You shouldn’t try to understand it.” What’s more important than knowing is simply feeling with your senses. Even if it’s not a grand realization, the artist feels most satisfied when the audience walks away from his artwork realizing “A world like this exists.”

The artist well into his 90s still doesn’t settle down and continuously strives for changes. He says he doesn’t know how his work will transform in the future. His humble attitude towards art and reverence for labor deeply resonate in the viewer.