HYUN JUNG AHN

Hyun Jung Ahn’s artistic journey illustrates this process of ‘de-coinciding.’ In both life and art, Ahn continuously creates these crevices that allow for transformation and leaps into the unknown. Like many artists, Ahn diligently paved her path as an artist, persistently honing her craft and steadily building her career. However, when this path began to solidify into a kind of inertia, she chose the leap of studying abroad in the U.S. As Jullien might describe, this is an ethical strategy for reclaiming self-determination from the habits of an established self. To fully understand Ahn’s work showcased in this exhibition, it is crucial to trace her trajectory, because ultimately, we come to recognise that Ahn’s ‘art and existence form a common front.’ Through this understanding, we can see how Ahn’s artistic practice is not far from the existential process of creating and bridging crevices (de-coinciding and coinciding).

1. Drawing-Space

****In her early work, before leaving for the U.S., Ahn’s paintings in Korea depicted intimate yet strangely unfamiliar interior scenes. Windows separating the inside from the outside were a recurring motif, and the absence of people suggested that these spaces reflected the artist’s inner self. After relocating to the U.S., Ahn’s work transformed into minimalist compositions composed only of lines and planes. From 2013 to 2016, her rigorous studies encapsulated the altered environment, unfamiliar relationships, and the walls she encountered within her own limitations, all embedded in cold geometric forms. Rather than pouring out complex internal emotions, Ahn folded them into small fragments within her compositions. As such, these geometric and simple forms, made only of dots, lines, and planes, may appear neutral to the viewer, but to Ahn, they represent vivid fragments of her emotions, akin to a personal diary written in a language only she can understand.

One intriguing point is that the process of digesting the unfamiliar environment and emotions that she had to suppress due to being unable to fully open herself manifested not through any other image, but through ‘space.’ The process of connecting dots and lines, forming planes, and then dividing them again reveals Ahn’s unique sense and understanding of space, an element that remains consistent regardless of the presence or absence of experiences, or changes in physical environment and time. For Ahn, space symbolises a subconscious healing process, as well as a doorway into a new world that she must break through.

2. Sewing-Lines

As Ahn adapted to the intensity of her U.S. studio practice, she became more adept at expressing emotions through hand-drawn works. However, it is only by creating fissures in settled states that new possibilities emerge. In 2018, during her residency at MASS MoCA, Ahn encountered sewing, marking a significant turning point. Sewing brought a new kind of sensation—one that was different from her hand-drawn lines, where her intention was immediately reflected. Instead, sewing introduced elements of chance beyond her control.

Ahn’s sewing works connect broken and separated pieces of fabric, exposing the fractures while simultaneously revealing new life. What’s particularly interesting is that this process of tearing and reconnecting fabric mirrors her earlier geometric compositions, where she divided spaces with lines and planes. Now, she cuts and sews fabric back together. In both cases, the lines created from this process possess a tension—delicate and unspoken energy. These lines are the subtle but pivotal elements in her work, dividing space, creating forms, and governing the atmosphere of the canvas with their understated yet commanding presence.

3. Connecting-Projecting the Sky

Drawing and sewing are fundamentally different. Drawing divides existing spaces, whereas sewing brings divided elements together into one space. Naturally, this introduces the concepts of connection and expansion, which form the foundation of Ahn’s recent work. In her latest pieces, she explores how the chance and spontaneity found through sewing extend beyond her internal world and into the external, expanding into the broader world.

Ahn’s abstract paintings breathe alongside the surrounding space, creating a rhythm that leads to deeper emotional resonance. Her work encourages viewers to imagine the air rippling beyond the frame, embodying a connection between the canvas and the vastness of the sky. To achieve this, Ahn paints not only the front of the canvas but also the edges and sides, extending the lines and colors beyond the traditional boundaries of painting. In works such as Wind and Whispers 01, 02 (2024) and Silver Body (2024), the artist deliberately exposes the natural texture of the fabric, allowing the unpainted areas to play an integral role in the composition, encouraging viewers to reconsider what is usually hidden beneath the surface.

In Twin Moons on the Interlinked Blue Night (Seoul and NYC) (2024), the rhythm of the curved elements draws attention, inviting the viewer to contemplate the fluidity of the natural world. Ahn’s recent works reflect a shift towards engaging with the external world—nature, the sky, the clouds, the wind—while maintaining the lyrical and introspective sensibilities that have defined her earlier pieces. Through works like The White Night with Soft Moon (2024), Ahn’s focus on the cosmos and organic flow becomes clearer. Her recent works show a bolder use of colors, curves, and layering, achieved through her mastery of the sewing machine.

Although minimalist and modern in aesthetic, Ahn’s works embody the fluidity of cyclical energy, drawing from both Eastern philosophies of nature and her cross-cultural experiences between Korea and the U.S. The sense of chance introduced by the act of sewing enhances the freedom and liberation in her recent practice, connecting deeply with the artist’s longstanding admiration for the natural world.

Ultimately, Hyun Jung Ahn’s works are an existential journey in creating and bridging crevices. Her practice invites viewers to go beyond the familiar, engaging with art as a constant act of existence—forever forming new crevices and connections along the way.