Gallery Chang, headquartered in Manhattan, New York, has officially opened its fourth location—Gallery Chang Seoul—at Oakwood Premier COEX Center in Samseong-dong, Seoul. To commemorate the opening, the gallery has launched a special inaugural exhibition featuring world-renowned Russian-born artist Yuri Gorbachev, the gallery announced on the 18th.
Gallery Chang currently operates two locations in New York. The new Seoul space was established with the goal of serving as a cultural bridge between the New York and Korean art scenes and will be led by Director Hong Somin.
Running through January 17, 2025, the inaugural exhibition at Gallery Chang Seoul is particularly significant in that it presents, for the first time in Korea through a commercial gallery, a selection of museum-exhibited works by Gorbachev, including his iconic Winter in Uglovka (1998). The exhibition marks a meaningful first step in connecting the artistic worlds of Russia and New York with Seoul.
The exhibition showcases a total of 29 works, with a focus on seven major pieces from the 1990s—widely regarded as the peak period of the artist’s career and originally exhibited in museum contexts. The show is also conceived as an opportunity to reexamine these works from a contemporary perspective, recognizing their importance across politics, economics, society, culture, and art history.
On view as well is one of Gorbachev’s most notable international collaborations: the limited-edition 1994 Stolichnaya Vodka poster Russian Heritage. Featuring a Russian winter landscape, traditional architecture, and the iconic Stolichnaya vodka bottle rendered in vivid colors and intricate detail, the work is valued not merely as an advertisement but as a highly collectible piece that encapsulates the essence of Gorbachev’s artistic vision.
Regarded as the creator of the aesthetic philosophy known as “Positivism” and one of the most prominent artists to emigrate from the former Soviet Union to the United States in 1991, Yuri Gorbachev was classically trained at the Soviet Academy of Arts. His works combine Russian tradition with modern aesthetics, offering viewers a distinctive visual experience through bold color palettes and luminous golden details. Notably, the absence of black in his paintings stands out; instead, he employs bright, vibrant colors to infuse his works with energy and positivity—core principles of his Positivist philosophy.
Through the use of traditional lacquer and glaze techniques, Gorbachev maximizes texture and light reflection, achieving a harmonious balance between classical craftsmanship and contemporary style. His luminous color sensibility conveys hope and happiness, demonstrating art’s power to forge deep emotional connections with audiences.
Gorbachev’s works are held in the permanent collections of more than 30 major museums and institutions worldwide, including the State Russian Museum and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the National Art Museum of Ukraine, and the United Nations Headquarters.
Meanwhile, Gallery Chang Seoul is set to play a key role in bringing New York’s contemporary art ecosystem to Seoul and further connecting the Korean and global art scenes. Director Hong Somin stated, “The opening of Gallery Chang’s Seoul location is expected to contribute to Seoul’s rapidly growing art market while further expanding the international presence of Korean artists already active in New York. We see great potential in the Korean art market and plan not only to introduce works by artists currently active in New York to Korea, but also to serve as an important gateway for Korean artists seeking opportunities in New York.”
