Hyun Jung Ahn
Quarantine Diary part.2, 2020
Felt and linen
45 x 47 in / 114.3 x 119.38 cm
I create a visual language using enigmatic and abstract shapes. They are capsules of time, feelings that I keep in my mind. The different shapes and colors suggest emotions and states of being. After I moved to New York, I suffered from a language barrier, and this experience allowed me to choose an alternate way to express myself. The works begin with a visual diary. I record what I think and feel with reductive shapes and limited colors, and create paintings based on them. I sew to create organic lines instead of drawing, and each piece of fabric represents a part of purified memories. The paint application comes last along the sewing line on the sewn canvas. The condensed abstract scene offers an impression of the feelings I have. The title of this series is Shapes of Mind.
Currently, I have begun a new series of work, Quarantine Diary, which is a small and portable textile version of my work. Since the COVID-19 crisis in NYC, my whole world has been full of fear and anxiety. During the quarantine period, I started working on daily black and white quilting pieces with felt and linen. It's a self-therapy diary and also like a security blanket for me. The daily project keeps me going and reminds me of myself as an artist as well.
Not For Sale
Hyun Jung Ahn (b.1986) is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist, from Seoul, South Korea. Through her work, she investigates enigmatic abstract forms which she references as “shapes of mind.” She begins by drawing from her visual diary which captures feelings, personal connections and emotional states of being. She then translates these notions into minimalistic drawing, painting and sculpture. Ahn was selected as the Emerging Young Artist at La Mer Gallery, Seoul, South Korea and was the Winner of Emerging Art Award at Baditto Art, Tuscany, Italy. The artist's work has been exhibited in numerous solo exhibitions and art fairs, including Art Basel Miami. She has attended residencies including, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA and Trestle Art Space, Brooklyn, NY. Ahn Graduated from Duk-Sung Women’s University, Seoul (in 2010 B.F.A and 2013 M.F.A.). She received her second M.F.A. in painting and drawing from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn in 2017, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn.