B I O G R A P H Y
Ha Chung GongNilan PereraSarah Peebles

C H U N G G O N G H A
calligraphic performance

The work of Korean-born Canadian artist, Chung Gong Ha, draws heavily from the traditions and energies of Korean Buddhist and Zen visual art and practice. Ha’s past impresses itself upon the calligraphic brush and between the action of the strokes to establish a history that corresponds to the moment. The accumulation of ink on paper results in a natural history, the appearance of his painting becoming a revolving of forms and voids giving a presence to the process of developing the energy that can open the viewers to his purpose.

Chung Gong Ha was born right in the middle of the Korean War, a conflict that has never been settled. His early roots were in the soil of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity in Korea.

He earned his B.A. in architecture at Han Yang University in Seoul in the early 70s. Since immigrating to Canada, he has practised meditation for more than a decade, which provides the continuing substance for resolving the balance between spirit and matter.

Selected Recent Performances and Exhibitions

  • Performance with Jangii Samulnori. Korean Cultural Centre, Toronto, 1999.
  • Performance with Kiyoshi Nagata (taiko drums). Gallery Gong, Toronto, 1999.
  • "Beyond/Through the Root", group exhibition. Korean Cultural Centre, Toronto, 1996.
  • "On Findings As The Converging Values Of Reality And Illusion", group exhibition. American Center, Detroit, Mich., 1996.
  • "Reality and Illusion", group exhibition. Art at 80, Toronto, 1995.
  • Korean Artists Exhibition. Etobicoke City Hall Gallery, Etobicoke, 1995.

Selected Collections

  • Providence (U.S.) Zen Centre.
  • Gong, Chinese ink on rice paper, 1998.
  • Canadian Museum of Civilization: Asian Art Collection.
    Spirit of Energy, Chinese ink on rice paper, 1992.
    Human Mark, Chinese ink on rice paper, 1992.

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Biography: Nilan Perera
Biography: Sarah Peebles