VLAB is pleased to present the solo exhibition "COVERED FACES, UNCOVERED STORIES" featuring new works by Jo Gyuhun that have never been shown previously in an exhibition. The presentation also marks the artist’s first exhibition with the gallery in Madrid.

o Gyuhun was born in Incheon, Korea, in 1982 and graduated from Hanseo University, majoring in animation. Jo is based in Incheon and his works have been showcased at prestigious Korean art fairs such as the Busan International Art Fair and Seoul Art Show together with International Art Galleries all over the world. He began to paint these “Children hiding their faces" works as he was inspired by a significant scene of a film that he has fortuitously came across, where a girl in a white shirt is crying with her hands covering her face. This scene left a strong impression on him and later encouraged him to portray children as his main theme.

Since he was young, Japanese manga and animation have been a main inspiration for JO. In fact, This shaped his artistic growth and is why Gyuhun’s works comprise his personal experiences and emotions. As he spent his childhood as an introvert, not revealing his emotions transparently, the children with hidden faces he presents in his works clearly remind us of his youth during which he maintained deep limits with people but also desired communication. As the artist says “when I look at the children in the works, my childhood naturally comes to mind”.

In this exhibition, viewers must feel and imagine the children's emotions through elements other than facial expressions. As we generally tend to understand others' inner selves and emotions through external factors such as appearance, facial expressions, voice, and behavior, facial expressions are the most important element for reading others' emotions. However, all the children appearing in this work are covering their faces. As the Korean artist says “I believe it is a good method to appreciate this work by feeling and imagining children's emotions through the background, props, and atmosphere, not their facial expressions”.

The artist hopes that spectators can reflect on their experiences and emotions by imagining the stories of the children through these works.

The exhibition "COVERED FACES, UNCOVERED STORIES" will be on view at VLAB through June 17th, 2023.