충북문화재단은 그동안 국내외에서 활동했던 충북 연고 작고 작가를 발굴하여 충북 미술의 정체성을 확립하고 그 서사를 구축해 왔다. 그 연장선에 있는 이번 전시는 한국 조각사에서 구상과 비구상을 넘나들며 독자적인 작품세계를 일구어 온 故 최충웅(1939-2019) 작가를 조명하는 자리이다. 

  그는 시류에 편승하기보다 오로지 조각에 진실하고자 묵묵히 자기 길을 걸어온 진정한 조각가다. 이번 회고전에서는 최충웅의 대표 연작인 <가족>, <여인>, <전설>과 <작품>을 통해, 다양한 재료의 조형적 탐구는 물론 재료의 한계를 뛰어넘어 전통적인 한국의 아름다움을 작품으로 승화시킨 그의 치열한 예술 여정을 조망한다.

   최충웅은 1939년 충북 충주에서 태어나 한국전쟁 당시 청주로 이주해 초·중·고 학창 시절을 보냈으며, 서울대학교 미술대학 조소과를 졸업했다. 특히 대학 시절 조각가 김종영 선생의 예술관에 큰 감화를 받았다. 또한, 1968년 <현대공간회> 창립회원으로 활동하며 ‘창립선언문’에 명시된 시대적 사명감을 평생의 화두로 삼았다.

  그는 1970년대 들어 산업화 과정에서 사라져가는 전통 민속문화의 소실을 안타까워하며, 전국을 답사하며 선조들의 미감을 기록하는 데 매진했다. 이번 전시는 평생의 과업을 통해 한국 전통문화의 아름다움과 자연미를 현대조각에 접목하며, 순수하고 진실한 조형적 열정을 보여준 작가의 예술적 지조를 확인하는 자리가 될 것이다. 

  또한 그는, 청년 시절 불의와 부정에 맞서는 한편, 교단에서는 후학들에게 따뜻하게 예술의 방향성을 제시해 준 미술교육자였다. 모방과 답습을 허용하지 않고 진실한 예술가의 길을 찾고자 치열하게 노력했으며, 이를 작품으로 증명해 보였다. 이번 전시는 그가 우리 곁에 또 하나의 ‘전설’로 남아있음을 다시금 각인시켜 주기에 충분하다.

  이번 <최충웅의 삶과 조각적 숨결> 전시는 그동안 지역에 잘 알려지지 않았던 충북 연고 작가 ‘최충웅’을 재조명함으로써, 지역 미술사를 정립하는 데 중요한 이정표가 될 것이다.

  The Chungbuk Cultural Foundation has been shedding light on late artists with ties to Chungcheongbuk-do (Chungbuk) province who were active both domestically and internationally, aiming to solidify the identity of Chungbuk art and enrich its narrative. In line with these efforts, this exhibition highlights the late artist Choi Choung Woong (1939 - 2019), who forged a unique artistic world in the history of Korean sculpture by crossing the boundaries between figurative and non-figurative art. 

  He was a genuine sculptor who devotedly pursued his own path, remaining committed to sculpture rather than following ever-changing trends. This retrospective presents Choi Choung Woong’s representative series, such as Family, Woman, Legend, and Work, to explore his intense artistic journey, in which he sublimated traditional Korean beauty into his works, not only through formative inquiries into diverse materials but also by transcending material limitations.

  Choi Choung Woong was born in Chungju, Chungbuk, in 1939. Having relocated to Cheongju during the Korean War, he spent his elementary, middle, and high school years there, then went to Seoul and graduated from the Department of Sculpture at Seoul National University’s College of Fine Arts. During his studies at the university, he was particularly influenced by sculptor Kim Chong Yung’s artistic vision. Furthermore, as a founding member of the Modern Space Club launched in 1968, he adopted the sense of historical mission articulated in its founding declaration as his lifelong theme.

  In the 1970s, concerned about the loss of traditional folk culture amid the industrialization process, he devoted himself to capturing and documenting his ancestors’ aesthetic sensibilities by traveling across the country. This exhibition offers an opportunity to witness Choi Choung Woong’s artistic integrity as he embodied the beauty of traditional Korean culture and natural aesthetics in modern sculpture through his lifelong endeavor, demonstrating a pure and sincere passion for form.

  In another vein, he stood up against injustice and corruption as a young man, while also serving as an art educator who warmly guided his students toward the path of art. He fiercely dedicated himself to carving out an identity as a true artist, with no tolerance for imitation or conformity, and proved this through his oeuvre. This exhibition abundantly affirms his place among us as another “legend.”

  The exhibition Choi Choung Woong Retrospective: Life and Sculptural Vitality will mark an important milestone in enriching Chungbuk’s art history by shedding new light on Choi Choung Woong, an artist with ties to our region who has been relatively unrecognized in the local community until now.