Park Seo-Bo (1931-2023) was a pioneering figure in Korean contemporary art and is celebrated as the founder of the Dansaekhwa movement. He was one of the first artists to introduce abstraction into Korea's then very conservative art world, skillfully balancing tradition with the rising influence of Western art. Emerging in the early 1970s in postwar Korea, Dansaekhwa represents a unique synthesis of traditional Korean spirit and Western abstraction, gaining international recognition over the years.

While Dansaekhwa was never formalized through a manifesto, its associated artists share common characteristics. They utilize a neutral palette dominated by white, beige, and black, focus on the material aspects of pictorial components, and employ a gestural yet systematic approach to their work.

Seo-Bo’s steadfast commitment to pushing boundaries and embracing new vocabularies of expression has consistently resulted in new and influential bodies of work, profoundly shaping his artistic journey and contributions to contemporary art. 

Park Seo-Bo's works have been exhibited at the prestigious Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and Tate Liverpool in the UK, determining his influence and the significant impact of his oeuvre on contemporary art. The artist participated at the Venice Biennale in 1988 and 2015 and received several notable awards over his career, including the Art Society Asia Game Changer Award in 2018 and the Silver Crown Cultural Medal in Korea in 2011​.

“ I want to reduce the idea and emotion in my work to express only that. I want to reduce and reduce — to create pure emptiness. „

—Park Seo-Bo