Artist Yang Seung-wook's solo exhibition was held at Maru Art Center Hall 1 (35-6 Insadong-gil) from the 16th to the 28th of last month, july of 2025.

For this exhibition, Yang showcased a red pine work that clearly conveys his unique style and personality. 

Artist Yang explained that he wanted to portray the red pine in his paintings as the human blood vessels, and the leaves as flesh. 

Recalling the red pine, Yang said he has been painting only pine trees for over 20 years, recognizing their resilience, enduring spring, summer, fall, and winter, despite the occasional bend. 

He mentioned that he wanted to express the pine tree growing on a rock while thinking of Mt. Dobong mountain as a metaphor for the pine tree's high position higher than the mountain and its tenacity in holding on even in the crevices of rocks.

He said, "Pine trees only exist in Korea, China, and Japan. I've been there many times and studied them a lot, and Chinese pine trees that are 100-200 years old are similar to Korean pine trees, but they are magnificent. They feel about 1.5 times bigger than Korean pine trees. I think they represent the national character or climate." 

artist Yang also evaluated, "Japanese pine trees are thin, have thin trunks, and feel like they grow straight up. Because of the humidity, they grow quickly and feel like they grow straight up. Korean pine trees are curved, and although there are pine trees that grow straight, called Geumgang pine trees, most are curved." 

In particular, Yang said, "Art is also a kind of imitation. Sometimes I feel skeptical and want to paint something original, so I was struggling and came across pine trees. While searching for Korean originality and national character, it felt just right." 

He added, "Pine trees do not die even without water if they put down roots between rocks. Other plants cannot grow on rocks. Pine trees can withstand rain, and even without nutrients or soil, they will grow if there is sunlight. Even if their leaves fall, pine trees will endure."

Painter Yang emphasized that there are artists who paint pine trees in a variety of ways, including those who paint them beautifully and gracefully, and those who paint them in a way that resembles or even surpasses the photograph. 

Painter Yang said, "I've heard that the pine tree is Koreans' favorite tree." He continued, "Since ancient times, pine trees have been found in palaces, mansions, and hanok (traditional Korean houses). Even today, pine trees are found in beautiful country homes. Pine trees embody the Korean spirit. I hope that the younger generation can learn from the pine tree the spirit of perseverance."

He added that he wanted to capture the feeling of a residential neighborhood in the painting, especially with the blue-green tiles against the pine tree background. 

 Painter Yang Seung-wook also said that he admires the vitality of pine trees, which endure loneliness and silently persevere, saying that its a wisdom of life.

 Painter Yang graduated from the Department of Western Painting at Hongik University's College of Fine Arts and majored in Western Painting at the same university's graduate school. 

He has held 13 solo exhibitions and participated in over 200 group and invitational exhibitions.