Haneyl Choi

Seoul

Titled ‘Bulky’, Haneyl Choi’s first institutional solo show this year – at the Arario Museum in Space, Seoul – took as its focus the culture of gay male bodybuilding, a subject which allowed Choi ample scope for the kind of conceptual mischief that has become his hallmark. His sculptures are often bawdy and irreverent, but just as often they sound a spiritual note – one sculpture in ‘Bulky’ refers to the story of Ichadon, a sixth-century Buddhist monk; Choi also draws influence from Western sculptors such as Franz West and Rachel Harrison. His works are composed from a wide range of modern materials from aluminium to silicon, as well as everyday objects (one work incorporates a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball cap). This year has seen his work exhibited in a host of group shows at major museums and galleries in Seoul, including Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Museumhead, Gallery Hyundai and Ilmin Museum of Art.

See more 40 Under 40 Asia Pacific Artists