Cho Yong-Ik was born in 1934 in the Northern province of Bukcheong. After the war he moved to the capital, where he was trained in the Seoul National University by the art historian, critic and painter Kim Byung-ki. Here, Cho learnt the importance of ‘staying independent’, a concept that later on would be the core of his artistic practice within the Dansaekhwa group. His production, very influenced by his passion for collecting ancient Korean pottery and artifacts, marries perfectly with his will to change the country’s reality after a devastating war. As a core member of the most important rebellion against conventional practices in Korean recent history Mr Cho has become a leading figure in the international artistic arena. Living and working in South Korea, he has held a recent exhibition at the Sugkok Leeum in Seoul. Further major exhibitions include the MMCA in Gwacheon and Seoul and the Museum.Arko Art Center/MIA in Seoul. Cho Yong-Ik’s works could be seen in the 1967 and 1969 Paris Biennales and is held in prestigious permanent collections such as National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, Gwangju Museum of Art, Walkerhill Museum, Samsung Museum of Art, Leeum and Seoul Museum.