UM Tai-Jung, World Worlds

Kim Kyungmi, Seoul Economic Daily, 1 July 2025
A massive silver cylindrical structure glows mysteriously in one corner of the gallery. Thin sheets of aluminum emit a soft, internal radiance, forming a silvery veil that seems to envelop an unseen presence. This luminous skin evokes the intangible aura of an invisible “stranger,” sensed rather than seen. The Stranger’s Sanctuary, a new series by UM Tai-Jung (b. 1938), a leading figure of Korea’s first generation of abstract sculptors, captures the central theme of his solo exhibition World Worlds, currently on view at ARARIO GALLERY in Wonseo-dong, Seoul. Marking his first solo presentation in six years, the exhibition reexamines UM’s evolving sculptural language within a newly globalized context.