Ha Chong-Hyun (b. 1935) is a prominent South Korean artist best known for his innovative approach to painting, particularly through his Conjunction series, which began in the early 1970s. These early experiments laid the groundwork for his distinctive technique of pushing paint from the back to the front of hemp cloth. Ha is a key figure in the Dansaekhwa movement, or “monochrome painting,” and has consistently employed material experimentation and innovative studio processes to redefine the art of painting and bridge the avant-garde traditions between East and West.

Ha has lived and worked in Seoul since 1959. He was awarded an honorary doctorate and served as the Dean of the Fine Arts College and was the Director of the Seoul Museum of Art. Ha’s works are part of the permanent collections of several institutions, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, M+ in Hong Kong, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Hiroshima, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea.