The first South Korean artist to join Artistics, Ahn Hyun-Ju has for more than 15 years been working on abstract paintings characterized by the combination of vivid colors on three dimensional frameworks.
a042007-1, Mixed media on aluminum, 2007.
Having the advantage of a joint training in both painting and sculpture, Ahn Hyun-Ju defines her art as volume painting. And having experimented with different materials and put them to the test for her painting, the artist finally settled on Aluminium, appreciating its neutrality and stability.
Ahn Hyun-Ju‘s work is wholly focused on the aesthetic. Avoiding symbolism as much as references to the past (hers as well as that of history in general) she composes around lines “the simplest, most essential possible” to convert her ideas into a pictorial language. As far as the artist is concerned the use of bright colours and contrast, which give rise to very dynamic pieces that occasionally effuse a certain aggressiveness, constitutes a way of overcoming the self control and political correctness that today’s world imposes. And thus to experience, through her work, a sort of liberty, which is echoed by that of the spectators, who are subsequently free to let their imagination run wild.
d0709-2, Mixed media on aluminum, 2009.
Ahn Hyun-Ju likes to play with shapes, be it the support itself or the actual patterns painted thereon. As a starting point for some of her series she defines certain protocols. For example, with “Irrational Symmetry”, she limits herself to compositions which appear symmetrical and balanced without the use of either horizontal or vertical lines.
Irrational Simmetry #9, Mixed media on aluminum, 2011.
To extend a greater depth to her palette, Ahn Hyun-Ju mixes acrylic paints with pigment, such that she really enjoys the experimental nature. The pigments enable her to obtain differing levels of opacity and transparency the effects of which one can particularly appreciate in the layering of paint in her “Dripping.” In this series, she combines neat and orderly monochromatic flats with drippings which layer and mix seemingly escaping all control. “This creates a tension like that emanating from the confrontation of two languages. It’s like two people who don’t speak the same language : their dialogue can give rise to misunderstandings, as it can bring about something really quite stimulating for the imagination.”
d0709-6, Mixed media on aluminum, 2009.
About the artist :
Born in 1969 in South Korea, Ahn Hyun-Ju studied sculpture at the Ewha Womans University in Seoul, then left for Germany where she continued her studies at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf. Graduating in 2000, she began her abstract work by painting directly onto three dimensional supports made of aluminum. A work which has not ceased to develop, all the while remaining faithful to the aluminum support but never fearing an experimental approach and research into painting techniques and colour associations. The works of Ahn Hyun-Ju have already been part of several exhibitions in art galleries and centers throughout Europe.
