Memories and Gifts – MOKU’s Posthumous Exhibition at AP Space
Memories and Gifts, the first New York exhibition of South Korean abstract artist MOKU (Kwangmo Ku). A moving posthumous tribute to a life devoted to quiet beauty and the power of presence. On view Oct 12–Nov 25 at AP Space.
Some artists spend a lifetime preparing to make their mark. Others arrive late, yet leave behind something unforgettable. Memories and Gifts, the posthumous solo exhibition of Korean painter MOKU (Kwangmo Ku), is a moving tribute to a life and artistic voice that bloomed against all odds—and one that continues to echo far beyond his time.
On view at AP Space from October 12 to November 25, 2023, this exhibition gathers MOKU’s most intimate and emotionally resonant works, many of which have never before been seen in New York. It’s more than a show. It’s a conversation with absence—a dialogue between what remains and what was given.
MOKU began his formal artistic journey at age 50, an age when many consider their creative prime behind them. And yet, with no formal training and little expectation, he emerged as one of the most emotionally resonant voices in contemporary Korean abstraction. His works, characterized by their soft luminosity, gestural layering, and spiritual introspection, quickly gained attention from gallerists and collectors across Europe, where he exhibited regularly throughout the 2010s.
His rise was as unexpected as it was profound. In a world of speed and spectacle, MOKU painted slowly—deliberately, meditatively. His canvases feel like moments held in suspension, painted with a reverence for transience and a belief in the beauty of stillness. Each brushstroke speaks not of ego, but of experience. Not of noise, but of noticing.
“Every being at the moment is precious and beautiful. However, all of them would be disappeared,” MOKU once said. This sentiment forms the foundation of Memories and Gifts. In his quiet, powerful way, MOKU documented time—not as something linear, but as a series of fleeting moments worth holding.
His abstractions are often monochromatic or subtly toned, reflecting a deep sensitivity to rhythm, repetition, and spatial energy. There are no explosions of color or assertive figures here—just fields of contemplation, gentle tensions, and marks that suggest memory more than motion.
In this final body of work, viewers are invited to reflect on impermanence—not as tragedy, but as a gift. A chance to remember, to reconnect, to feel.
Although his works were collected and celebrated across Europe, MOKU never had the chance to exhibit in New York during his lifetime—a dream he carried with him until his passing in 2022 at the age of 60. Memories and Gifts fulfills that dream, making his New York debut not only a celebration, but a continuation of his legacy.
AP Space has taken great care to honor MOKU’s vision, presenting a selection of works that span his late artistic period—paintings created between 2014 and 2022, during his most prolific years. The gallery space itself becomes a kind of memorial chapel: hushed, luminous, filled with echoes of thought, gesture, and feeling.
What MOKU offers—through both his work and the story of his life—is the reminder that it is never too late to begin, and that some of the most profound art emerges not from ambition, but from necessity. He painted not to impress, but to express. To record. To reach.
Memories and Gifts is a gentle invitation. To look slowly. To remember deeply. To feel more fully. And above all, to honor the fragile beauty of the present moment—knowing, as MOKU did, that it is all destined to disappear.
