Choi Byung-so
Choi Byung-so (Korean: 최병소; 1943 – September 11, 2025) was a South Korean contemporary artist, conceptual artist, and painter. His practice is situated within the contexts of Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) and the Korean experimental art movement. He is known for works in which he repeatedly drew over the text of printed newspapers with ballpoint pens and pencils until the information was completely obscured.
Early life and education
Choi Byung-so was born in Daegu, South Korea, in 1943. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Art at Chung-Ang University in Seoul in 1974, and a Master of Fine Arts from the Graduate School of Keimyung University in Daegu in 1985. In the 1970s, he was a founding member of the Daegu Contemporary Art Festival (1974–1978), an early platform for the Korean experimental art movement. Choi lived and worked primarily in Daegu throughout his career. He died on September 11, 2025.
Work
Choi's primary working method involved drawing over printed newspapers and magazines with black ballpoint pens and pencils. Through a repetitive process of applying lines over the text, the original printed information is erased, and the physical friction often causes the newspaper to tear. The accumulation of graphite and ink alters the paper's texture, giving it a solid, metallic appearance.
Art historians and curators contextualize Choi's newspaper works within the broader movements of Dansaekhwa and conceptual art. His approach emphasizes materiality and performative labor over traditional painting techniques. According to curators at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), his practice challenged traditional artistic forms and responded to the sociopolitical environment and media censorship of 1970s South Korea.
Selected exhibitions
Choi Byung-so has exhibited in museums and galleries internationally.
Solo exhibitions
- 2026: Untitled, Galerie Perrotin, Seoul, South Korea
- 2024: Now here, Indang Museum of Daegu Health College, Daegu, South Korea
- 2022: Choi Byung-So, Wooson Gallery, Daegu, South Korea
- 2020: SENS ET NON-SENS, Arario Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
- 2016: Choi Byung-So, Musée d'art moderne et contemporain (MAMC), Saint-Étienne, France
- 2012: Choi Byung-So, Daegu Art Museum, Daegu, South Korea
- 1979: Choi Byung-So, Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Group exhibitions
- 2024: Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea 1960s–1970s, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
- 2023: Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea 1960s–1970s, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, U.S.A. / National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
- 2022: The 12th Seoul Media City Biennale: Station, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
- 2016: As the Moon Waxes and Wanes, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
- 2016: Dansaekhwa, Domaine de Kerguehennec, Bignan, France
- 1996: Korean Drawing Now, Brooklyn Museum, New York, U.S.A.
- 1979: São Paulo Art Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- 1974–1978: Daegu Contemporary Art Festival, Daegu, South Korea
Public collections
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
- Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
- Daegu Art Museum, Daegu, South Korea
- Busan Museum of Modern Art, Busan, South Korea
- Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon, South Korea
- Eastern Michigan University, Michigan, U.S.A.