Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective

Sep 18, 2026 – Jan 25, 2027

Yang Yamazaki Pavilion

A sensory journey through sixty years of innovative abstraction.

For over six decades, pioneering artist Ha Chong-Hyun (b. 1935) has explored what painting becomes when freed from all existing conventions. Ha’s work prizes the interaction of his materials: using pressure, gravity, and tools ranging from torches to everyday utensils, he transforms the surfaces of canvases up to eight feet tall into a treasure trove of texture and physicality. His first museum exhibition in North America, Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective offers an unprecedented look at the creative evolution of one of Korea’s most influential contemporary artists.

Asian Art Museum presents first North American survey of the acclaimed Korean artist (Apr. 20, 2026 Press Release)

Press Kit

Top image: Ha Chong-Hyun, Conjunction 74-26 (detail), 1974, Oil on hemp cloth. Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Muzikar. Bottom image: Photo © Chunho An, courtesy Tina Kim Gallery.

Organizers & Supporters

Zheng Chongbin: I Look for the Sky is organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Presentation is made possible with the generous support of East West Bank, Lucy Sun and Warren Felson, and an anonymous donor. This installation is a part of the Asian American Experience, which is made possible with the generous support of Glen S. and Sakie T. Fukushima, an anonymous donor in memory of Ambassador and Mrs. Sampson Shen, and Claudine Cheng.

Sustained support generously provided by the following endowed funds:
Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Endowment Fund for Exhibitions
John S. and Sherry H. Chen Endowed Fund for Chinese Art and Programming
Arlene Schnitzer Endowed Fund for Chinese Art
Kao/Williams Contemporary Art Exhibitions Fund