Swatch Faces 2022: Hoyoon Shin

Korean artist Hoyoon Shin creates delicate paper sculptures that appear to alternately solidify and disappear when viewed from different angles. Made from hand-cut, urethane-coated strips of paper connected by paper joints, the intricate sculptures display amazing strength and fragility, with a fluid opacity that changes dynamically according to perspective. Hoyoon works with fragile materials such as paper, representing the delicate, vulnerable nature of the human individual, and turns them into strong sculptures highlighting the connectedness of the whole. In addition to the political and social conditions that pervade Korean society and the rest of the world today, Hoyoon’s artwork is also inspired by Buddhism and the philosophy of emptiness and the void. His major collections include the Lester Marks Collection (USA), Crown Haitai Collection (Korea), Jianye Housing Group (China), Gwangju Museum of Art (Korea), National Assembly Building (Korea), and Doseonsa Temple (Korea).

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Artwork Hoyoon Shin
Artwork Hoyoon Shin
Artwork Hoyoon Shin
Artwork Hoyoon Shin

About the artist

Korean artist Hoyoon Shin was born in Seoul in 1975. After completing his art degree, he began exploring paper as medium following an acquaintance’s death. His paper sculptures seem to alternately solidify and disappear when viewed from different angles. Made from hand-cut coated strips of paper, the intricate sculptures display strength and fragility. Inspired by social and political issues, he transforms delicate materials into solid creations that highlight the connectedness of the whole.

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Hoyoon Shin, South Korea
Hoyoon Shin, South Korea
Hoyoon Shin, South Korea
Hoyoon Shin, South Korea