Si On

Selected Works

Si On_Opere_25
Si On

Born with a void 3 (Schoolgirl), 2023

 2023
oil, ceramics, wood, canvas
48 3/8 × 23 5/8 × 16 1/2 inches
Si On_Opere_19
Si On

Born with a void 4 (Boxer), 2023

 2023
oil, ceramics, wood, canvas / olio, ceramica, legno, tela
48 7/8 × 24 3/8 × 17 3/8 inches
Si On_Opere_07
Si On

Born with a void 5 (Nice), 2023

 2023
oil, ceramics, wood, canvas
49 3/4 × 24 × 17 3/4 inches
Si On_Opere_01
Si On

Born with a void 6 (Bikini), 2023

 2023
oil, ceramics, wood, canvas
50 1/4 × 24 3/8 × 15 3/4 inches
Si On_Opere_12
Si On

Born with a void 7 (Maid), 2023

 2023
oil, ceramics, wood, canvas
5/8 × 24 3/8 × 16 1/2 inches
How Things Hold _Opere_22
Si On

Fragile Heart with Spiked Soul

 2022-2023
mixed media, acrylic, oil on panel
180 × 168 cm (70 7/8 × 66 1/8 inches)
How Things Hold _Opere_31
Si On

Female Creature

 2019
satin and mixed media on canvas
200 × 160 cm (78 3/4 × 63 inches)
Si On,How Beautiful, How Ugly, 2022
Si On

How Beautiful, How Ugly

 2022
oil and spray on canvas
180 × 155 × 4.5 cm (70 ⅞ × 61 × 1 ¾ inches)
Si On,Peel away lifeless face, 2022
Si On

Peel away lifeless face

 2022
oil and spray on canvas
460 × 270 cm (181 ⅛ × 106 ¼ inches)
Si On,True or false, 2022
Si On

True or false

 2022
oil and spray on canvas
460 × 270 cm (181 ⅛ × 106 ¼ inches)
Si On,Meaningless universe, 2022
Si On

Meaningless universe

 2022
oil and spray on canvas
approx.: 400 × 270 cm (157 ½ × 106 ¼ inches)
000517209_20220114152940_SO-P 7791
Si On

On Stunt

 2021
oil on canvas
65 × 60 cm (25 ⅝ × 23 ⅝ inches)
000517206_20220114152701_SO-P 7944
Si On

Long Goodbye to Summer

 2021
oil on wooden panel
60.5 × 66.5 cm (23 ⅞ × 26 ⅛ inches)
000517208_20220114152911_SO-P 7945
Simon Denny

Last Leaf

 2021
oil, spray on canvas
60 × 70 cm (23 ⅝ × 27 ½ inches)
Si On,Conquer from within, 2021
Si On

Conquer from within

 2021
oil and spray on canvas
227 × 130.5 cm (89 ⅜ × 51 ⅜ inches)
Si On,Burial and Sowing, 2021
Si On

Burial and Sowing

 2021
mixed media
120 × 50 × 55 cm (47 ¼ × 19 ⅝ × 21 ⅝ inches), 120 × 80 × 100 cm (47 ¼ × 31 ½ × 39 ⅜ inches)
Si On,Break free, 2021
Si On

Break free

 2021
oil, spray on canvas
220 × 170 cm (86 ⅝ × 66 ⅞ inches)
Si On,Be where You Are, 2020
Si On

Be where You Are

 2020
mixed media
220 × 170 cm (86 ⅝ × 66 ⅞ inches)
Si On,Fragile, 2020
Si On

Fragile

 2020
oil, spray, jeans, styrofoam on canvas
172 × 150 × 8 cm (67 ¾ × 59 × 3 ⅛ inches)
Si On,Ha!, 2020
Si On

Ha!

 2020
oil on canvas
240 × 195 cm (94 ½ × 76 ¾ inches)
Si On,Wounded Heart, 2020
Si On

Wounded Heart

 2020
mixed media
200 × 165 × 125 cm (78 ¾ × 65 × 49 ¼ inches)
Si On,I lived well, 2020
Si On

I lived well

 2020
oil, spray on canvas
240 × 194 cm (94 ½ × 76 ⅜ inches)
Si On,The Night, 2020
Si On

The Night

 2020
oil, spray on canvas
155 × 180 cm (61 × 70 ⅞ inches)
000407476_20200330145021_SO-P 7143
Si On

Untitled

 2020
satin and mixed media on canvas
ø 40 cm (ø 15 ¾ inches)
Si On,40 Years Old, 2018-2021
Si On

40 Years Old

 2018-2021
bronze and mixed media
240 × 100 × 82 cm (94 ½ × 39 ⅜ × 32 ¼ inches)
Si On,MAM Project 028, 2020
Si On

MAM Project 028

 2020
Installation at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo

Video

Si On – Burial and Sowing

Biography

Born in 1979 in Dang Jin, Korea, Si On currently lives and works in Krakow, Poland. She received her B.A. from Mokwon University in Korea and her M.A. and PhD from Kyoto City University of Arts in Japan. After living in Japan for nine years, Si On moved to New York City in 2013 and participated in residency programs such as Residencies Unlimited and Pioneer Works. With this change of environment, her practice and method have radically shifted transforming her approach into one guided by more abstract, more intuitive imagery. Abstraction conditioned by the response of diverse materials such as beads, gold leaf, pottery shards, feathers, wax, and encaustic guided Si On in different directions than the work of her most known series, which centered on the figure of a Korean shaman. Si On began to explore and experiment with new ways to expand her practice: video and diverse painting media, allowing the city to impress itself on her through its textures and surfaces. Lately, Si On's works have retained a sculptural element, creating a niche form of art that dwells between two-dimensional and three-dimensional states. The expressive visages that appear throughout her works, seem more passionate, vigorously attempting to escape from the canvas and burst into our world. The idea of shamanism is a driving force to Si On’s artistic practice, where the ritualistic performances are like an alternative version of the psychoanalytic cathartic method. Si On believes that the practice of art is therapeutic, creating works that encompass universal transcendental energies. In 2018 Si On moved to Poland where she currently lives. The new cultural and material surrounding of catholic and Central-European post-soviet country brings new inspirations and allows to combine in a radical and vital way visions and signs of spirituality of different traditions. In 2019, the artist officially changed her name to Si On (formerly she worked and exhibited under the given name of Hyon Gyon).

Gallery Exhibitions

@T293, Rome
Si On, Beasts and Blossoms
September 20, 2024
@T293, Rome
_MG_2664
Si On, Also On View: Si On "Born With A Void"
July 13 - September 8
@ T293, Rome
SO:EX 7598, Si On,Burial and Sowing, 13 February - 20 March 2021
Si On, Burial and Sowing
February 13 - March 20, 2021

Other Venues

@ San Giuseppe delle Scalze a Pontecorvo, Napoli
000547549_20220614142537_SiOn_LeScalze_t293_6
Si On, Born with a Void
June 11 - July 9, 2022
@ Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
000459602_20210202144314_SO-EX 7585
Si On, Doomsday, MAM Project 028
July 31, 2020 - March 3, 2021
@ Parasol Unit Foundation, London
000459617_20210202150248_SO-EX 7587 (2)
Si On, Si On: Hyon Gyon
January 23 - March 31, 2019

Selected Press

Art Currently
Art & Korean Shamanism Converges in Si On’s New Show at James Fuentes
20.04.2021
EXIBART
Lato oscuro senza paura: intervista a Si On
08.03.2021
ATP DIARY
Si On, Burial and Sowing | T293, Roma
09.03.2019
THE QUIETUS
Love Is A Battlefield: The Brutal Visions Of Hyon Gyon
19.01.2019
THE GUARDIAN
Hyon Gyon; Beatrice Gibson: Crone Music review – trauma and catharsis
11.2017
THE ARTLING
An Interview with Hyon Gyon and Her Cruel World
05.2016
HYPERALLERGIC
For a World Losing Its Head, an Artist Proffers Shamanism as a Solution

From the Studio: Si On

Studio Visit

KRT_Si_On_1377_low
Explore South Korean artist Si On in her studio in Krakow, Poland. The artist (previously known as Hyon Gyon) is interested in exploring the human condition, especially its oppressing and traumatic characters.
Explore

CV

Education

2011

PhD in Painting Kyoto City University of Arts, Kyoto, Japan

2008

MA in Painting Kyoto City University of Arts, Kyoto, Japan

2002

BA Western Painting Mokwon University, Daejeon, Korea

Solo exhibitions

2023

‘I Am An Outcast From The World’, James Fuentes Gallery, New York 

‘Si On: A Peace Brimming with Malice’, Edel Assanti, London

2022

‘Born with a Void’, Le Scalze, Naples

2021

‘Burial and Sowing’ T293, Rome

2020

‘Shaman Woman’, HOS Gallery, Warsaw gallery Weekend, Warsaw, Poland

‘MAM Project 028: Si On’, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
‘Si On: Female Creature’, Hunt Kastner, Prague

2019

‘Hyon Gyon’, Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art, London

2017

‘Cruel World’, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Hong Kong

2016

‘Emotional Drought’, Shin Gallery, New York

2015

‘Hyon Gyon and the Factory Chashama’, New York
‘No-Mad Nomad’, Pioneer Works, New York

2013

‘Phantoms on Parade’, Shin Gallery, New York
‘All Night Haps’, HAPS, Kyoto, Japan

2012

‘The Incarnation of The World’, Gallery Golmok, Seoul, Korea

2011

‘New incubation 3, On a Knife Edge’, Kyoto Art Center, Kyoto, Japan

2010

‘Giragira’, g3 gallery, Tokyo
‘Tamahuri’, g3 gallery, Tokyo

2009

‘lyoiyo’, Gallery EXIT, Hong Kong

2008

‘Iyoiyo’, Magical ArtRoom, Tokyo
‘TWS-Emerging 099’, Awesome Wonder Site Hongo, Tokyo
‘Tokyo Wonder Wall’, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tokyo

Group exhibitions

2022

‘Uncombed, Unforeseen, Unconstrained’, Parasol unit, Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello, Venice

2019

‘Elements of Transcendence’, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Hong Kong

‘Paint, also known as blood. Woman, Affect, and Desire in Contemporary Painting’, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland
‘Trip’ (in collaboration with Jakub Julian Ziolkowski), BWA Wroclaw Galleries of Contemporary Art, Wroclaw, Poland

2018

‘Great Nobles of the Country’, BWA Tarnów, Poland
‘Holy Nothing’ (in collaboration with Jakub Julian Ziolkowski), Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland
‘Sue Coe, Eliza Douglas, Joseph Geagan, Hyon Gyon’, James Fuentes Gallery, New York

2017

‘Culture City of East Asia 2017’, Kyoto, Japan
‘The World is a Stage, but the Play is Badly Cast’, Batu Museum, New York
‘Naturalia’, Paul Kasmin, New York

2016

‘Art for Art’s Sake: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation’, Carnegie Art Museum, California, USA
‘BEYOND SECRETARY’, Mark Borghi Gallery, New York

2015

‘The Brooklyn Artists Ball’, Brooklyn Museum, New York

2013

‘KAWAI, CAMP – Contemporary Art Meeting Point’, Athens
‘Kyoto Artist Meeting 2013’, Antenna Media, Kyoto, Japan
‘Kyoto Studio’, @KCUA, Kyoto, Japan

2012

‘Phantoms of Asia’, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
‘Transmit Program #3 Metis’, @KCUA, Kyoto, Japan

2011

‘Tokyo Frontline’, 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo

2010

‘Tokyo Wonder Wall 10th Anniversary Museum of Contemporary Art’, Japan
‘Neoneo Part2 (girl) Neoneo Girls Open Iwato Personally’, Takahashi I collection, Tokyo

2009

‘Wakuwaku Joban-Kashiwa Proj-Ect’, TSCA, Kashiwa, Japan