Night Gallery and Various Small Fires (VSF), Seoul are delighted to present Color Fields, a two-person exhibition by New York-based Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola and Seoul-based Huh Myoungwook. This will be Akinbola’s first presentation in Korea, on view at VSF, Seoul.

These artists are united in their material explorations of the monochrome: Akinbola stitches durags that are stretched atop wooden panels, while Myoungwook layers ottchil, a traditional Korean lacquer, on fabric. As they reference sartorial and painterly conventions from their respective communities, the pair expand the possibilities of a traditional, modernist form.

Akinbola presents paintings from his larger “Camouflage” series, which features the durag as its primary material. In recent years, the artist has employed a stripe motif, putting his work in dialogue with candy wrappers and carnival tents in addition to the abstract paintings of Sean Scully and Ian Davenport. New works for Various Small Fires range from the bright, melodic orange study, 2024, organized in shades of orange, to Metro #1, 2024, an all-black composition of stripes and bulkier squares that suggests a downturned flag. As the artist refines his palettes and media, he increases the potency of his work’s political, personal, and art historical associations.

Myoungwook, too, focuses on solid shades and dual tones. His works feature subtle, vertical striations as well as horizontal lines that resemble seams. A red-and-white-striped composition, a blue square, and a luminous brown rectangle and square round out his contributions to the show. Color is a central concern for the artist. Each day, he develops a different hue to respond to the day’s energy and emotion. He applies lacquer, allows it to dry, and repeats the process. Time is embedded in his work: His colors record fleeting sentiments, while his built-up surfaces document his intensive labors.

Akinbola’s stitching and Myoungwook’s layering become meditative, allowing for daydreaming amid serious creative work. The artists’ “color fields,” and the exhibition’s earthen tones, evoke agricultural plains as seen from above. Yet their works retain dimensionality, proudly displaying their seams and bulges. These compositions refute mid-century preferences for flatness and for painting divorced from other media. Fabric, stitching, and craft are integral to their monochromes. Akinbola and Myoungwook confirm that there are still new stories to tell about color, a field itself with boundless terrain.