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

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any

form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented,

including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the publishers

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