The exhibition Sehnsucht Sehen – 그리다 presented the work of Korean artist Yi Youjin, who lives and works in Munich. The title itself carries a poetic double meaning at the very heart of her practice: the Korean word 그리다 (geurida) means both “to draw/paint” and “to long for” or “to miss.”

It is within this tension that Yi Youjin’s art unfolds. Her paintings are explorations that hover between symbolism and dream. They draw their visual power from strong contrasts, asymmetrical compositions, and the masterful use of the Korean aesthetic principle “the beauty of emptiness” (여백의 미, yeobaek-ui-mi). In her work, the invisible becomes visible – and emptiness is charged with subtle yet profound meaning.

The Munich exhibition followed directly on from her major solo show Positive Sinking at the renowned Wooson Gallery in Seoul. The exhibition received wide media coverage, including a much-noted feature in Marie Claire Korea, and affirmed Yi Youjin’s growing international significance.

With Sehnsucht Sehen – 그리다, audiences in Munich were offered a opportunity to encounter one of the most important emerging voices in contemporary Korean art – in a solo exhibition in the city.