Kwon Young-Woo’s works explore the relationship between traditional materials and abstract expression　in the spirit of Dansaekhwa. Trained in traditional Chinese ink painting, Kwon built bridges through his art　between Korea's avant-garde and Western movement of Abstract Expressionism. He switched over to　working with the medium of hanji Korean mulberry paper during the early 1960s and experimented with　its dimensional limits by using his fingers to puncture and scratch thin sheets, then by gluing the layers in　multiple laminated stacks of varying thickness to produce three-dimensional relief sculptures. The details　of the dynamic three-dimensional forms are all random, creating shadows that are unique by each　manipulation. When the viewer takes in his works as a sum of its parts, there is an underlying sense of　control to his manipulations that appears extremely well coordinated. In later works, Kwon would apply　small amounts onto the torn edges of his works and allow it to seep into the paper over time.

Kwon’s major exhibitions include the Tokyo Biennale in 1965; the 12th Sao Paulo Biennial in 1973; his　first solo show at the Jacques Massol Gallery in 1976; the International Contemporary Art show　organised alongside the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and a major retrospective at Ho-Am Art Museum, Seoul　in 1990. Kwon has been awarded the Artist Award twice from the Korean Minister of Culture; 1998　Korean Artist of the Year; Silver Crown Medal of the Order of Cultural Merit in 2001. From 1978 to 1989,　Kwon lived and worked in Paris on sponsorship by the French government. Upon his return to Korea in　1989, he settled in Yogin, Gyeonggido, until his death in 2013. His works are held in many prestigious　collections including National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Leeum, Samsung　Museum of Art, Seoul, and the British Museum, London.