New York, NY — A Space is pleased to present Ring Ring, a solo exhibition by Korean artist Hwichan Ko, on view from October 23 to October 29, 2025.

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The exhibition reveals Ko’s deeply personal reflections on love, loneliness, and disconnection in the digital age. Through his distinctive blend of figurative painting and character illustration, Ko translates the emotional residue of failed relationships into vivid visual narratives that oscillate between humor and heartbreak.

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Drawing from his own romantic experiences in New York and the emotional vibe of songs that have accompanied him through moments of heartbreak and recovery, Ko’s works such as “Date? No!”,“Fake Love”, and “I Am Trash?” chronicle the absurdity and fragility of contemporary intimacy. The figures in his paintings—cartoon-like yet profoundly human—mirror his internal conflicts and the instability of emotional attachment. Within the bright palette and playful surfaces, there lingers a quiet sense of isolation, echoing the generational anxiety of a youth caught between abundance and emptiness.

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In Ring Ring, the act of calling becomes symbolic: a cycle of yearning and missed connection, a metaphor for the endless pursuit of validation and warmth. Borrowing from hip hop culture and Japanese animation, Ko constructs a world both bold and melancholic—a mirror reflecting not only his own vulnerability but also a collective emotional fatigue shared by his generation.

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Rather than offering resolution, Ring Ring opens a contemplative space. The ringing continues—urgent, repetitive, unanswered—inviting viewers to confront their own echoes of desire, distance, and self-recognition.