Younhee Paik: Reaching | May 16 - July 3, 2026

Curated by Phil E. Linhares

Now in her eighth decade, artist Younhee Paik has developed a practice rooted in both Eastern and Western artistic traditions, shaped by early training in Seoul and formative years at the San Francisco Art Institute. Curator Philip E. Linhares describes the personal and spiritual significance of Paik’s practice: “The content and title of many of Younhee Paik’s paintings conjure movement-both actual and metaphorical: ‘climb’, ‘reaching’ and ‘passage’ denote a sense of striving toward a goal, a destination, an accomplishment or the granting of a long sought wish. She is guided in her life and work by spiritual and humanitarian feelings, a deep love of nature and gratitude for the gift of life.”

This exhibition will present several new works from 2026, “Golden Climb - Recall”, “Venus”, and “Light Tunnel.” Much of the work in Reaching consists of oil on aluminum panels, characterized by a dark color palette and recurring motifs of boats, ladders, celestial bodies, and sacred geometry emerging as symbols set against turbulent seas and skies. Titles such as Golden Climb – Apollo #1 (2003), When We Reach (2012), and Passage Through Cave (2021) exemplify the theme of reaching and striving, evoking ideas of both physical travel and metaphysical journeying. As the titles suggest, these works do not depict arrival, but rather the process of journeying towards a destination; a continual movement toward what lies beyond.

Works such as Above Wave (2022) and Birth of Zeus (2021) situate the viewer within vast, indeterminate spaces where natural, mythological, and cosmic elements converge. In First Trip to Venice (2021) and Departure Morning (2019), the language of travel becomes more explicit, yet remains inseparable from a larger spiritual framework. Across the exhibition, the ascending forms and vessels in Reaching emerge from the vast, tumultuous space illuminated by stars or celestial bodies as if they are being offered up to the viewer as the way to transcendence.

Paik’s work offers visions of spiritual and metaphysical fields, but also pathways that invite viewers to consider their own real or imagined journeys and where the act of striving is where meaning and transcendence mark the traveler’s arrival.

ABOUT QUALIA CONTEMPORARY ART

Located in downtown Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley, Qualia Contemporary Art is dedicated to supporting outstanding established and emerging artists working in a variety of media – including painting, sculpture, and photography, as well as experimental practices with mixed media and technology. The gallery is committed to building lasting relationships with artists, collectors, curators, and scholars and providing a vital platform for dialogues on contemporary art and culture in the Bay Area and beyond.

Since opening in Fall 2020, the gallery has mounted over 30 exhibitions, executing a range of ambitious installations and showcasing new curatorial concepts. Highlights from these presentations include the U.S. debuts of PAN Hsinhua, LYU Peng, and XU Hongming, beloved local artists like Younhee Paik, Joe Ferriso, and Stella Zhang, internationally-recognized artists such as Paul DeMarinis, Guillermo Galindo, YANG Jiechang, and WANG Tiande, and collaborations with notable scholars and curators Alexander Nemerov, Richard Vinograd, Xiaoze Xie. Nemerov calls Qualia a “hidden gem in Silicon Valley.”

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