Dr. Chung Tae-sub, Professor of Diagnostic Radiology at Gangnam Severance Hospital, has been honored by the Sovereign Art Foundation for his work of x-ray photo art, “Melody on the Violin.” One of thirty finalists for the 2013-14 Sovereign Asian Art Prize, Professor Chung, whose x-ray art appears in a Korean textbook on fine arts, has become an important figure in Korea for the convergence of medical science and art.
Established in 2003, the Sovereign Art Foundation is a charity registered in Hong Kong and the UK that raises money to help disadvantaged children using the arts as rehabilitation, education, and therapy. The foundation’s annual art prizes in Asia, Europe, and Africa are intended to give recognition to important visual artists in each region. This year, 400 artworks from throughout the Asia-Pacific region were nominated by a board of experts for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize; the top thirty are now publicly exhibited in Hong Kong and posted on the foundation’s website http://www.sovereignartfoundation.com, where members of the public can vote on the best artwork. The announcement of the first prize and public prize will be made at the Sovereign Asian Art Prize Gala Dinner and Charity Auction on May 9 in Hong Kong.
As a medical school professor, Dr. Chung is unique among the finalists for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize. According to the foundation’s website, Professor Chung has been instrumental in introducing x-ray art as a new genre, “combin[ing] his artistic inspiration and expertise in radiology to create x-ray photo art, which visualises the internal structures of humans and nature.”