Biography

GU Bonju(b.1967-2003) is a sculptor of the political and social turbulence of the Republic of Korea and the lives of laborers. The artist pursued “Realism” that art reflects and views reality, wanted to express fiercely the society and ordinary military images by expanding material that laborers could empathize with. While working at the Union Art Research Center at late 80s, he supported the union’s cultural education, union publications, and the production of equipment for onsite strikes. Works from this period, where he was standing at the forefront of the labour movement, are roughly in wood and clay, as though recording his experiences from the field, and reflect his deliberations on realism. His warm attitude towards working class people, replaced by a structure of “workers who support the country” and “father who protect the home”, representing the frustrated or repressed image of surrounding, but not losing vitality spirit. Their joys, sorrows and wounds, captured in a dramatic expressive technique and at rather audacious scale, are both a caricature and a knife-edge endeavor toward social criticism. GU’s belief that the true democracy that Minjoong Art aimed for lived and breathed among the public alongside art is revealed through his short but charged life. In his 30s as a young artist, he was renowned as a realist sculptor from the art world but he died in an accident at the age of 37 in 2003.

 

As the artist died in 2003, starting with the Gwangju Shinsegae Gallery (Gwangju, Korea) in September 2004, a large-scale memorial exhibition was held simultaneously at the Insa Art Center (Seoul, Korea), Savina Museum (Seoul, Korea), and Deokwon Gallery (Seoul, Korea) in December of same year. Since then, a memorial exhibition has been held at M Gallery (Daegu, Korea, Ahmedabad University Art Museum) in 2006, Noon Gallery (Seoul, Korea) in 2007, Kiryung Electronic Agricultural Chunmak Museum (Seoul, Korea) in 2008, and Leah Gallery (Seoul, Korea) at Yongsan-disaster site in 2009. In 2011, the "Gubonju Art Award" was established to mark the 8th memorial, and in 2013, a memorial exhibition for the 10th anniversary was held at the Sungkok Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea). In 2017, 15th memorial exhibtion, <I’m Home.> was held at the Arario Museum(Jeju, Korea).

 

  GU Bonju’s solo exhibition was held at Seoul Arts Center Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul, Korea), Gallery Savina (Seoul, Korea) in 1999, and Kumho Gallery (Seoul, Korea) in 1995. In addition he  participated in the group exhibition: Gwangju Museum of Art (Gwangju, Korea) in 2003, Sunggok Museum (Seoul, Korea) in 2001, Seoul Arts Center (Seoul, Korea), Busan Sea Art Festival (Busan, Korea), International Sculpture Symposium Icheon (Icheon, Korea) in 2000, International Sculpture Symoposium Anseong (Anseong, Korea) in 1997, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul, Korea) in 1994. In 1987, he won the bronze prize at the Countrywide College Arts Exhibition organized by the Ministry of Culture and Education, and the grand prize at the MBC Korean Figurative Sculpture Exhibition in 1993, and the Moran Artist Award in 1995. He was selected as KBS Culture Love "Discover, The Person" hosted by the Personnel Selection Committee in 1999, 500 artists from the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service in 2000, as sculptor of the Standard Portrait Restoration, Saints Kim Taegon in 2001, and as an young artist of the 1st Seoul Arts Center (SAC) in 2002.

Works
  • GU Bonju, 비스킷 나눠먹기 2, 2006
    비스킷 나눠먹기 2, 2006
  • GU Bonju, 가슴에 손을 얹고 하늘을 보다, 2003
    가슴에 손을 얹고 하늘을 보다, 2003
  • GU Bonju, 데드마스크, 2003
    데드마스크, 2003
  • GU Bonju, 로또대박 2, 2003
    로또대박 2, 2003
  • GU Bonju, 맨발의 청춘2, 2003
    맨발의 청춘2, 2003
  • GU Bonju, 별이되다, 2003
    별이되다, 2003
  • GU Bonju, 부부, 2003
    부부, 2003
  • GU Bonju, Happy Happy Married Life, 2002
    Happy Happy Married Life, 2002
  • GU Bonju, 디엔드, 2002
    디엔드, 2002
  • GU Bonju, 선데이 서울, 2002
    선데이 서울, 2002
  • GU Bonju, 아빠의 청춘2, 2002
    아빠의 청춘2, 2002
  • GU Bonju, 하늘, 2002
    하늘, 2002
  • GU Bonju, The Springtime of Dad I, 2001
    The Springtime of Dad I, 2001
  • GU Bonju, 위기의식1, 2000
    위기의식1, 2000
  • GU Bonju, 위기의식2, 2000
    위기의식2, 2000
  • GU Bonju, To Eat a Person's Salt for 30 Years, 1999
    To Eat a Person's Salt for 30 Years, 1999
  • GU Bonju, 시작하는 손, 1999
    시작하는 손, 1999
  • GU Bonju, 위기의식 속에 빠진 그는, 1999
    위기의식 속에 빠진 그는, 1999
  • GU Bonju, 당신, 1998
    당신, 1998
  • GU Bonju, 당신, 1998
    당신, 1998
  • GU Bonju, 파랑새 1, 1998
    파랑새 1, 1998
  • GU Bonju, 생존의 그늘, 1997
    생존의 그늘, 1997
  • GU Bonju, 이게 웬 날벼락, 1997
    이게 웬 날벼락, 1997
  • GU Bonju, 6월, 1995
    6월, 1995
  • GU Bonju, 갑오농민전쟁 3, 1995
    갑오농민전쟁 3, 1995
  • GU Bonju, 녹색전설, 1995
    녹색전설, 1995
  • GU Bonju, 갑오농민전쟁 2, 1994
    갑오농민전쟁 2, 1994
  • GU Bonju, 칼춤, 1994
    칼춤, 1994
  • GU Bonju, 배대리의 여백, 1993
    배대리의 여백, 1993
  • GU Bonju, 배대리의 여백, 1993
    배대리의 여백, 1993
  • GU Bonju, 혁명은 단호한 것이다, 1992
    혁명은 단호한 것이다, 1992
  • GU Bonju, 혁명은 단호한 것이다, 1992
    혁명은 단호한 것이다, 1992
  • GU Bonju, 이과장의 40번째 생일날 아들에게 들려주고 싶은 이야기, 1991
    이과장의 40번째 생일날 아들에게 들려주고 싶은 이야기, 1991
  • GU Bonju, 파업3, 1991
    파업3, 1991
  • GU Bonju, 노동자의 깃발은 무엇으로 지켜지는가, 1990
    노동자의 깃발은 무엇으로 지켜지는가, 1990
  • GU Bonju, 파업1, 1990
    파업1, 1990
  • GU Bonju, 파업2, 1990
    파업2, 1990
  • GU Bonju, 갑오농민전쟁 1, 1987
    갑오농민전쟁 1, 1987
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