ahn chulhyun | infinite voyage
DESCRIPTION
Ahn Chulhyun's first solo exhibition in HADA Contemporary, LondonTRANSCRIPT
AHN CHULHYUNINFINITE VOYAGE
INFINITE VOYAGE
Ahn Chulhyun’s ar tistic oeuvre concentrates on the concept of the space and its ambiguity and abstractness originating
from its invisibility. By constructing variety of subdued light emitting boxes composed of fluorescent light with mirrors,
the ar tist focus on the possibility of the visualisation of the space through the illumination of the infinite depth.
He began his ar tistic practice as a painter depicting hard-edged perspective two-dimensional paintings. Acknowledging
the limitation in fully encapsulate the three-dimensionality of the space through two-dimensional paintings, he transforms
the geometric objects often shown in his earlier paintings into actual objects and uses light and mirrors to visualise the
space. Analogous to the effor t of the cosmologists on their mission to measure the size of and to draw the map of the
universe with the speed of light, the ar tist also toys with the characteristics of light and incorporates into his works to
create fading light of abyss. Thus, revealing the space itself.
As he focuses on the induction of spectator’s experience of light and space under specific condition, the vestiges
of Light and Space movement in his ar tistic practice become apparent, along with the ar tist’s inspirations from Dan
Flavin and other minimalist ar tists. Fur thermore, his encouragement of the physical engagement with the space and
material also shares affiliations with Kinetic and Optical ar tists as Gianni Colombo from the physical embodiment of
the space itself as seen in Spazio elastico (1967-68). Never theless, it is necessary to note that Ahn’s constructions
are distinguishable from other modern and contemporary ar tists who share similar ar tistic practice such as Olafur
Eliasson and Leo Villareal as he concentrates on the Zen Buddhist’s meditative state of Selflessness triggered from
the phenomenological experience of the empty space. The infinite emptiness and voidity of the space is in fact filled
with innumerable entities as air, light, space itself and thus infinite possibilities. In which, the ar tist anticipates for the
audiences to launch into their own infinite spiritual voyage through the physical experience detached from the secular
lives for the ultimate enlightenment.
In Ahn’s seminal work Mu Rung Do Won (Infinite Garden, 2008) this is evident as he refers back to the lost paradise
from ‘The Tale of the Peach Blossom Spring’ - story of a fisherman’s encounter with the peach flower blossoming
paradise whilst ascending a river to fish - by Tao Yuanming (365~427). As one of the most famous Chinese writers of
the period, he is well acknowledged for concise and simplistic verses without extravaganza and established his literary
influence in various neighbouring Asian countries including Korea. Mu Rung Do Won meaning ‘the beautiful place where
the peach flowers blossom’ is a paradise residing in between the reality and the illusion where all the anxiety and karma
is forgotten. Ahn invites the viewers to this forgotten paradise constructed from light and mirrors creating the utopia
of endlessly fading light for the audiences to fall into.
02 | 03
Void | cast acr ylic , mirrors, LED lights | 230.4 x 181.6 x 31.8 cm | 2011 | 3 Editions / AP 2
Tunnel #3 | Plywood, mirrors, l ights | 122 x 122 x 76cm | 2010
04 | 05
Mirror Drawing #9 | plywood, mirrors, l ight | 109.2 x 109.2 x 7.6 cm | 2012
06 | 07
Mirror Drawing #10 | plywood, mirrors, l ight | 109.2 x 109.2 x 7.6 cm | 2012
Visual Echo Exper iment - Str ipes #5 | plywood, mirrors, l ight | 78.7 x 78.7 x 12.7 cm | 2012
08 | 09
Forked #24 | MDF, mirrors, l ight | 54 x 54 x 10.8 cm | 2012
06 | 0710 | 11
16 | 17
Untitled(double) #3 | Plywood, mirrors, l ights | 115.6 x 115.6 x 14 cm | 2012
12 | 13
Forked - Diagonal Green | plywood, mirrors, l ight | 137.2 x 137.2 x 14 cm | 2012
14 | 15
Forked | Plywood, mirrors, l ight | 121.9 x 91.4 x 14 cm | 2012
16 | 17
Forked Ser ies #22 | MDF, mirrors, l ight | 54 x 54 x 10.8 cm | 2012
Roller Coaster - blue | plywood, mirrors, l ight | 78.7 x 69.2 x 12.7 cm | 2012
18 | 19
Roller Coaster - green | plywood, mirrors, l ight | 78.7 x 69.2 x 12.7 cm | 2012
20 | 21
Roller Coaster - pink | plywood, mirrors, l ight | 78.7 x 69.2 x 12.7 cm | 2012
v
AHN CHULHYUN (b. 1971)
EDUCATION
2002 MFA, Maryland Institute College of Ar t, Baltimore, MD, USA
2000 MA Studies, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
1997 BFA, Chu-Gye University for the Ar ts, Seoul, Korea
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 Infinite Voyage, HADA Contemporary, London, UK
2011 Illuminated Void, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD, USA
Visual Echo, Galerie Paris-Beijing, Paris, France
2010 Chul Hyun Ahn, Caprice Horn Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2008 Phenomena: Visual Echo, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD, USA
2007 Chul-Hyun Ahn “New Works”, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD, USA
2005 Visual Echoes, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD, USA
New Work, Conner Contemporary, Washington DC, USA
2004 Infinite Directions, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD, USA
2003 Infinity – Emptiness, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD, USA,
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 Korean Eye, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
Samawi Collection II, Ayyam Art Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2011 Aha! Moment, Hangaram Art Museum at Seoul Ar ts Center, Seoul, Korea
Touching the Void, Kunstraum: Morgenstrasse, Karisruhe, Germany
Perception/Deception: Illusion In Contemporary Ar t, Delaware Ar t Museum,
Wilmington, DE, USA
2010 Look Again, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Ar t, Winston Salem, NC,
USA
2009 A Sculpture Show, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD, USA
2008 Momentum: Contemporary Ar t from the Harn Collection, Samuel P. Harn
Museum of Ar t, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Light and Transition, Caprice Horn Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2007 Janet & Walker Sondheim Semi-Finalist Exhibition Decker Gallery, Maryland
Institute College of Ar t, Baltimore, MD, USA
2006 “Variety” Group Exhibition CPS Gallery, NewYork, NY, USA
Biennial Exhibition, School 33 Ar t Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
2004 Luminous Recurrence, The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Ar ts, Long
Branch, NJ, USA
2002 ACADEMY 2002, Conner Contemporary, Washington DC, USA
Six Degrees in Cold Storage, CAA Conference, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2001 Multiplicity, Gallery 4, Baltimore, MD, USA
1999 Group Exhibition, Creole Gallery, Lansing, MI, USA
1996 New Frontier Exhibition, Kyung-In Ar t Museum, Korea
The Joong-Ang Biennale, City Museum of Ar t, Seoul, Korea
The Grand Ar t Exhibition of Ar t World, City Museum of Ar t, Seoul, Korea
The 15th Grand Ar t Exhibition of Korea, National Museum of Contemporary
Ar t, Korea
1995 Finder Complex, Indeco Gallery, Seoul, Korea,
COLLECTIONS
Delaware Ar t Museum, Wilmington, DE, USA
Borusan Foundation Collection, Istanbul, Turkey
Palm Springs Ar t Museum, Palm Springs, CA, USA
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Ar t, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Jordan D. Schnitzer Family Foundation, Por tland, OR, USA
The Hearst Foundation Collection, New York, NY, USA
The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, Mar tin Z. Margulies Foundation Inc.,
Miami, FL, USA
The Marvin and Elayne Mordes Collection, West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Mr and Mrs Don Sanders, Houston, TX, USA
Washington D.C. Convention Center, USA
McDonald’s Corporation, McDonald’s Baltimore, Washington Regional Office, USA
The American Society of Nephrology, Washington DC, USA
Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Ar ts, Baltimore, MD, USA
22 | 23
This catalogue is published by HADA Contemporary to accompany the exhibition:
AHN CHULHYUNINVISIBLE VOYAGE
1 - 28 NOVEMBER 2012
© HADA Contemporary Ltd. 2012
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