Exhibition Information

A mighty fortress is our God-5
2019 Charcoal & Pastel 60.6x45.5cm

A mighty fortress is our God-3
2019 Charcoal & Pastel 60.6x45.5cm

A mighty fortress is our God-2
2019 Charcoal & Pastel 60.6x45.5cm

A mighty fortress is our God-1
2019 Charcoal & Pastel 60.6x45.5cm

			1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

-46 Old Testament Psalms

Known to us as a landscape, character and still-life painter, Ga Kook-hyun will present works of oil painting and drawing (Charcoal, Pastel) based on the church and church during the exhibition. Although previous landscapes described cathedrals and churches, it was only part of the landscape. However, the exhibition only features a close-up of the cathedral and the church. The cathedral and the church are the most important places to worship the Holy Communion. In this context, Ga Guk-hyun's latest work reflects the Old Testament's poem, Chapter 46, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." In particular, the Bible passage drew attention as Obama read it at a memorial service held at Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center was located, to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Martin Luther (1483-1546), a religious reformer, was a clergyman with a love for music and talent. Luther wrote the famous Coral1)1, "My Lord is a Strong Castle," citing the Old Testament Psalm 46. The song is also featured in the hymns of Protestant churches in Korea. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), who was the Kantor of Saint Thomas Church in Leipzig, also composed "A mighty fortress is our God" as a song for the celebration of religious reform, citing Martin Luther’s Coral. The cantata is a grand coral fantasy composed of a total of eight orchestras, using Luther’s original lyrics in one, two, five and eight chapters, and the music also has powerful and brave expressions to suit the combative spirit of the religious reform period, making it widely known among Bach’s many cantata.

Strong castles are our God, good shields and weapons. He helps us free from all the difficulties that come upon us. / Old evil enemies, really tell us now. The great power and the great slander of him are his terrible armor; no one can stand up to him in this land. - First movement of Bach's Cantata BWV 80.

All, by God I am the one who wins the world. / We can't do anything with our strength. / We're about to collapse. / He fights for us. The godly man, the man God himself has chosen... / The one next to the bloodstained flag of Christ / within the faithful vows of baptism / will win for ever among the souls. Did you ask, who is he? He is the lord of all nations, called Jesus Christ. / And no other congregation. He must have the land. All, all by God, I will conquer the world. - Bach's Cantata BWV 80.


Ga Kook-hyun shows some features that are quite different from before in this exhibition. The colorful colors of the original colors shown in the oil paintings are mainly composed of a few calm colors. In particular, it added to its seriousness by changing what it described as a "trade mark" of colorful colors to a "farmful" expression that seems to have been piled up over a long period of time. Also, drawing, which is one of the major parts of the exhibition, is quite unique. Some of the authors I remember, such as Chun Kyung-ja, Bae Dong-shin and Wolseong Kim Doo-hwan, left outstanding drawing works, and Ga Kook-hyun’s drawing is no less than those. The harmonious drawing work of the mutually disparate charcoal and pastel shows Ga Kook-hyun's outstanding artistic sense. The heavy-hearted drawing, which never feels light, has a charm that makes you fall in love with the more you look at it.

Ga Kook-hyun seems to be having a sabbatical year recently. This does not mean that he is neglecting his work or resting his work. After years of hard work, the first season of "Filling & Emptying" seems to have ended without a hitch. The "Filling & Emptying" series4) work is a concise composition of the masterpiece, but it is likely to have drained the author’s mental energy. I think the exhibition’s "Giving Me is a Strong Castle" theme will surely complement the writer with new energy and passion. The cathedrals and churches in the works were chosen from the pictures the author took in his spare time on a trip to Europe. The momentary structure caught by the writer on the scene during the trip was reborn as a painting work. Ga Kook-hyun is Christian. Two years ago, he converted from Christianity to Catholicism to be with his family, but it is clear that he is the same sanctuary that serves the Holy Communion, whether in a church or a church. I recommend you search for Bach's Cantata BWV 80 on YouTube and enjoy it with Ga Kook-hyun's upcoming exhibition. You will surely experience a new artistic career. ⓒ


1) Christian worship hymns
2) The most popular form of vocal music during the Baroque period from the early 17th century to the mid-18th century. In particular, it peaked with Bach’s church cantata.
3) List of Bach works (Germany: BWV; Bach Werke Verzeicnis)
4) Characteristic such as delicate and austere beauty, natural and plain innocence, unexaggerated comfort, flat, three-dimensional or three-dimensional Matiere, simple and simple, emptying and filling, and understatement. Part of the preface to Ga Kook-hyun's personal exhibition in 2015 by the author