Art salon de H
홍일화 Hong Il Wha "별의 동화 La fable des etoiles"
Hong Il-hwa has long begun his artistic practice with a fundamental question about the nature of the “human” being.
In a series of figurative works developed over nearly twenty years in France, he has explored the instability of identity through the face—the most social of surfaces. In an era where faces are endlessly altered through makeup and adornment, disguise and cosmetic surgery, and where even names and nationalities are fluid, the question “What is the true self?” has remained a persistent theme in his work. This inquiry revealed itself as the gap between the self that exists in the gaze of others and the self perceived from within, and on the canvas, this tension was visualized through the motif of the “mask.”
Kim Jungah Solo Exhibition
Art Salon de H Gallery will present La Fable des Étoiles (A Fable of Stars), a solo exhibition by Hong Il-hwa, from January 6 to February 14, 2026. The exhibition translates narratives of nature’s mysteries and the life that dwells within them into painting, enriched by the artist’s imaginative vision. Following his solo exhibition The Notation of Sunlight held at Art Salon de H Gallery in June 2024, this new presentation unveils recent works that trace a fresh journey—from figurative painting to the forest, and from the forest back to the re-emergence of the human figure.
Moving between France and Korea, Hong Il-hwa has continuously explored the theme of coexistence between humanity and nature, drawing upon sensory experiences gained in forests and natural environments. The light encountered in the woods became a point of departure, opening a gateway to imagination; these memories are transformed on the canvas into fantastical landscapes. Experience, curiosity, and imagination form the core driving forces that run through his painting. In this exhibition, figures reappear along the extended trajectory of his long-standing figurative practice, presenting a new and deepened vision of figurative painting.
PAST EXHIBITION
2025 Exhibition
Art Salon de H launched 2025 with a new project titled New Generation, spotlighting emerging artists born in the 1990s and reaffirming its commitment to the evolving narrative of painting. As a follow-up, the second project features an exhibition titled Four Women Artists Under the Spotlight, showcasing the work of four invited female artists.
2024 exhibition
Art Salon de H Duo project
In 2024, Art Salon de H < duo show serie > was the second project following the opening project <Salon de H and Parisians friends>, held for a serie of four duo exhibition.
Art Salon de H first solo show project < Art Salon de H and Parisians friends >
이번 Art Salon de H 개관 프로젝트는 프랑스를 넘어 세계적으로 뻗어 가는 화가, 조각가, 사진가, 판화가 등 9명의 작가들의 작품들을 소개하였습니다.
