Almine Rech
STAND 94
ARTWORKS
Additional artworks will be shown on 27/01/2021 !
News
Almine Rech - Ha Chong-Hyun’s sixth solo exhibition
Almine Rech Brussels is pleased to present Ha Chong-Hyun’s sixth solo exhibition with the gallery, on view from April 22 to June 27, 2026.
Abstraction and figuration are foundational terms in the context of modern and contemporary art, yet their meanings are all too often taken for granted. The work of Korean artist Ha Chong-Hyun invites us to reconsider these categories beyond simple binaries. In much of Western aesthetic thought, abstraction and figuration are positioned as diametric opposites along the axis of representation. Central to this opposition is the notion of “likeness”, that is, the degree to which an image resembles the subject it depicts. From this perspective, abstraction appears detached from reality, while figuration is assumed to mirror it more truthfully. The problem with this distinction is that it presupposes an ontological primacy of mind over matter, embedded in the conception of the image as a “window” onto reality rather than as a material entity.
Ha Chong-Hyun’s practice challenges these assumptions at their very core. His works investigate abstraction as something deeply grounded in materiality, where repeated gestures – dragging, piercing, pressing – give rise to “figures” in their own right. This approach resonates with European Art Informel, but is primarily representative of the Korean Dansaekhwa movement, of which Ha Chong-Hyun is a central figure. Dansaekhwa has long been undervalued, reductively framed as tardive or derivative in relation to Western movements such as Minimalism or Abstract Expressionism. Such readings severely overlook the movement’s distinct material sensibility and the sociopolitical conditions under which it emerged.
[…]
— Pieter Vermeulen, art critic, lecturer, researcher, and curator
Video
BRAFA 2026 welcomes Almine Rech
Almine Rech joins BRAFA 2026 for the very first time, presenting a selection that bridges generations, movements, and artistic sensibilities.
In this interview, the Brussels gallery director reflects on the gallery’s vision, its international evolution, and the philosophy that continues to guide its programme.
At the heart of the presentation stands Crow (2025), a new kinetic sculpture by Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck: a life-size bird suspended in motion, its slow, hypnotic wingbeats creating the illusion of flight. Mechanical yet hauntingly poetic, the work captures Op de Beeck’s contemplative reflections on time, solitude, and the stillness of being.
Surrounding this centrepiece, Almine Rech brings together modern masters and contemporary voices:
• Pablo Picasso — unique engravings (bons à tirer, 1968) and rare ceramics
• Tom Wesselmann — Smoker Study (for Smoker #11), 1972
• Vivian Springford — a luminous 1973 painting
• Heinz Mack — a 1959 relief and ceramic works
• Johan Creten — Odore di Femmina
• Christopher Le Brun, Minjung Kim, Ha Chong-Hyun, and others
This encounter of eras reflects the gallery’s defining ethos: a continuous dialogue between rigorous minimalism, perceptual experimentation, conceptual clarity, and contemporary expression.
Founded in Paris in 1989 with an exhibition by James Turrell, Almine Rech has grown into one of the most respected international galleries, with spaces in Paris, Brussels, New York, and Shanghai. Through long-term relationships with artists and estates—from Turrell, Kosuth, and Jeff Koons to Ha Chong-Hyun, Richard Prince, Ryoji Ikeda, and the estates of Picasso and Wesselmann—the gallery remains committed to artistic freedom, excellence, and the evolution of visual language.
🎥 Watch the full interview to discover how Almine Rech approaches its debut at BRAFA and what to expect in January 2026.
📍 BRAFA Art Fair 2026
🗓 25 January – 1 February
📍 Brussels Expo
🔗 www.brafa.art
Video by NOOT
BRAFA Principal Sponsor: Delen Private Bank
CONTACT
Brussels
Multiple locations
Rue de l’Abbaye 20
BE-1050 Brussels
ABOUT
Die Galerie Almine Rech wurde 1989 in Paris mit einer Ausstellung von James Turrells Werk Space Division gegründet. Über die Jahre hat sie sich zu einer international anerkannten Galerie entwickelt, die für ihr Engagement für minimalistische, wahrnehmungsorientierte und konzeptuelle Praktiken bekannt ist. Frühe Kooperationen mit James Turrell, John McCracken und Joseph Kosuth begründeten ihren Ruf für Strenge und Unabhängigkeit. In den folgenden Jahrzehnten erfolgte eine strategische Expansion nach Brüssel, New York und Shanghai, wobei die starke Pariser Basis beibehalten wurde. Jeder neue Standort spiegelt einen bewussten Schritt zur Vertiefung der Beziehungen zu Künstlern und Sammlern wider, ohne dabei die eigene Vision aus den Augen zu verlieren. Das Programm basiert auf langjährigen Beziehungen zu Künstlern wie James Turrell, Joseph Kosuth, Jeff Koons, Ha Chong-Hyun, Richard Prince, Ryoji Ikeda und Larry Poons sowie zu Nachlässen wie denen von Pablo Picasso, Tom Wesselmann und Günther Förg. Eine neue Generation von Künstlerinnen und Künstlern – darunter Claire Tabouret, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Chloe Wise, Vaughn Spann, Genesis Tramaine, Ewa Juszkiewicz, Ali Cherri und Oliver Beer – bringt neue Stimmen in diesen Dialog ein und unterstreicht das Engagement der Galerie für Originalität und Exzellenz in den Bereichen Malerei, Skulptur, Installation und neue Medien. Almine Rech setzt sich für die künstlerische Freiheit als treibende Kraft in der Gesellschaft ein. Ihre Mission ist es, Künstler mit Klarheit, Kohärenz und langfristigem Engagement zu unterstützen, indem sie ihre Werke in ihren internationalen Räumen und auf führenden Messen wie der Art Basel, der TEFAF und der Frieze präsentiert. Über Almine Rech Editions produziert die Galerie außerdem Drucke, Ausstellungskataloge und Monografien und trägt so zur Bewahrung und Verbreitung des kritischen künstlerischen Diskurses bei.
Founded : 1989
Specialisations
Moderne und zeitgenössische Kunst
Fairs
ART021 – Shanghai, Art Paris, Art Basel, Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Basel Miami, Art Basel Paris, artmonte-carlo, Frieze London, Frieze Seoul, TEFAF New York, Tokyo Gendai, Frieze Los Angeles