Ahyun Jeon

Provenance: Directly from the artist

Ahyun Jeon (b.1995) is a Korean artist based in Seoul most well-known for her sculptural and picturesque landscapes mainly portraying the Korean skies and mountains often using concrete and resin. Through her series titled as ‘Picturesque,’ ‘Alocasia,’ and ‘Deep Mountain (Shimsan), she expresses the emotions that are felt in nature through various art forms such as furniture objects and paintings.

In her work, ‘Deep Mountain (Shim Sam),’ there is almost immediately a great departure from traditional ink painting in terms of form. At a glance, its cuboid form, resembling a glacial sculpture, add a cold and rigid ambience to the work. The ethereal and surreal ambiance of mist-covered mountain ranges in the artwork reflects the landscapes the artist once experienced. These include the Taebaek Mountains in Gangwon Province, Seoraksan in Inje, Jirisan in Sancheong, and Cheonsengsan in Yangsan. These locations are places where the artist poured out the weight of loss and solitude that had accumulated within.

"I found solace while watching the mountains gradually disappear into the mist." The inception of the 'Shimsan' series came during a time when the artist was captured by the sorrow of separation and loss, unable to move forward. "While walking through the mountains, I noticed that the clouds above my head were constantly drifting, and the essence of the mountains remained in the same place. From that, I learned how precious a life fully lived in the present is, and I made a commitment to live a life without regrets."

The seemingly mystical artworks are labor-intensive, requiring sanding work repeated thousands of times. The work is divided into two main spaces: earth and sky. The lower part creates the rough and rugged foundation of mountainous terrain with cement, while the transparent sky above is filled with resin to complete it. The challenge lies in the process of blending fine pigments at the border of these two sections to create a sense of mist. As the flow of haze leads the way, viewers can quietly shift their gaze, moving from one side to the other, up to the top, allowing for contemplation and relaxation, making it a healing work.

The artist's diverse background played a significant role in utilizing pictorial sculptural techniques to create a lifelike "three-dimensional landscape painting." After majoring in both painting and furniture design, the artist pursued a graduate degree specializing in wooden furniture. The artist states, "While I believed that a flat canvas alone was insufficient to express my overflowing thoughts, it was during my encounter with 'art furniture' in Milan, Italy, where daily objects are transformed into art that I gained confidence in three-dimensional landscape painting. The mere fact that my work can provide comfort and evoke empathy in someone else is immensely rewarding for me as an artist."

Ahyun Jeon double majored in Western painting and furniture design at Sangmyung University, and majored in woodworking and furniture at Hongik University's Graduate School. She has had solo exhibitions, including <Moments of Consolation> (2023, Print Bakery Hannam, Seoul), <2022 Plastic Art Seoul-Seojung Art> (2022, Coex, Seoul), <Green Collection> (2022, Exp_Space_Hosu, Seoul), <Mountain•Water•Wind•Sun(山•水•風•景)> (2022, Lina Gallery, Seoul), <Everything in Its Place> (2021, SeMA Storage, Seoul), <Deep Mountains, Mountains of the Mind(深山, 心山)>(2021, SikmulgwanPH, Seoul), and participated in many selected group exhibitions including her most recent <ART PICK 30> at Seoul Arts Center this year. After being invited as the youngest artist to represent the "30/60 Generation," featuring 55 representative artists, during last year's Frieze Seoul Art Fair season, this year, the artist was selected as one of Forbes Korea's "30 Under 30" for the artist section.