January 2026
Hong Seung-Hye Held The Painter’s Architecture, The Painter’s Furniture at the Mezzanine Lounge of Space ZeroOne, New York
Hong Seung-Hye’s project The Painter’s Architecture, The Painter’s Furniture was recently held at the Mezzanine Lounge of Space ZeroOne in Tribeca, New York. Space ZeroOne, established and organized by the Hanwha Foundation, is a non-profit exhibition space that aims to support and introduce contemporary Korean artists. The project was on view simultaneously with the group exhibition Contours of Zero, featuring eight emerging Korean artists whose works explore intersections of technology, materiality, and cultural identity.
Since her solo exhibition Organic Geometry at Kukje Gallery in 1997, Hong has continuously explored the workings of physical space through the language of digital pixels. For the artist, art is inseparable from life, and she seeks to create objects that neither weigh too heavily nor disrupt the flow of everyday reality. Centered on the concepts of “the painter’s architecture” and “the painter’s furniture,” this project embodied her long-standing interest in art that can be used, touched, and inhabited into a spatial experience. The planar structures she designs acquire practical function through optimized volume, transforming geometric abstraction into a lived, functional environment.
These ideas were realized throughout the Mezzanine Lounge, where sofas, chairs, and carpets composed of flat planes of color were arranged across the space. Hong drew attention to the lineage through which geometric abstraction has expanded into social practice via architecture and design, from Vladimir Tatlin to Donald Judd. Soft, plush sofas invite rest, while firmer benches—reminiscent of church seating—encouraged upright posture and reflection. Through this environment, the artist created a space where those who share a belief in the value of art are invited to gather, linger, and exchange ideas.
Since her solo exhibition Organic Geometry at Kukje Gallery in 1997, Hong has continuously explored the workings of physical space through the language of digital pixels. For the artist, art is inseparable from life, and she seeks to create objects that neither weigh too heavily nor disrupt the flow of everyday reality. Centered on the concepts of “the painter’s architecture” and “the painter’s furniture,” this project embodied her long-standing interest in art that can be used, touched, and inhabited into a spatial experience. The planar structures she designs acquire practical function through optimized volume, transforming geometric abstraction into a lived, functional environment.
These ideas were realized throughout the Mezzanine Lounge, where sofas, chairs, and carpets composed of flat planes of color were arranged across the space. Hong drew attention to the lineage through which geometric abstraction has expanded into social practice via architecture and design, from Vladimir Tatlin to Donald Judd. Soft, plush sofas invite rest, while firmer benches—reminiscent of church seating—encouraged upright posture and reflection. Through this environment, the artist created a space where those who share a belief in the value of art are invited to gather, linger, and exchange ideas.
