AHN Jisan (b.1979) works with traditional canvas painting, a relatively marginalized medium in contemporary art. His works depict reality, but one that is strangely misaligned or distorted. The depiction of obscure images adds visual tension, and these subjects, which have slipped out from reality, project an even greater uneasiness that brings out their innate anxiety. Upon confronting his work, there is an instant sense of discomfort. The emotional tension and gloominess are amplified by accentuating the material properties and mounting thick, expressive layers of paint onto the canvas. AHN's intention to express the subject in its raw visual state brings out the absorbed emotions created and embedded within it. These improvised animalistic expressions are possible through a thorough study and modeling process. The substantiality of the objects is neither constructed nor reconstructed but is, in fact, a realization of experienced, felt, and penetrated emotions. Rather than portraying the subject of conceptual representation through obvious imagery, the artist expresses the reality and emotional experience of the subject through intuition and empathy.

 

AHN Jisan was born in Busan in 1979. He received his BFA in Fine Art at Korea National University of Arts in 2006 and MFA in Painting at Frank Mohr Institute, Groningen, Netherlands in 2011. He has held solo exhibitions at various institutions including Galerie Bart (Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2023; 2020; 2015; 2014), ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL (Seoul, Korea, 2024; 2023; 2016), Zaha Museum (Seoul, Korea, 2017), Hapjungjigu (Seoul, Korea, 2016), and more. He has participated in group exhibitions at ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL (Seoul, Korea, 2024; 2023; 2016), Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art (Ansan, Korea, 2020; 2017), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Cheongju, Korea, 2020), Daegu Art Museum (Daegu, Korea, 2017), Jeonbuk Museum of Art (Wanju, Korea, 2016), Arko Art Center (Seoul, Korea, 2016), and more. In 2013, he was the artist-in-residence at Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten (Amsterdam, Netherlands). In 2014, AHN won the Buning Brongers Prijzen (Amsterdam, Netherlands). His works are collected by numerous institutions including National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Art Bank, Seoul Museum of Art,  Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, ARARIO MUSEUM.

Jo Jae, an artist based in Seoul, is fundamentally interested in the concept of "space" — a place created, inhabited, and sometimes demolished by humans. A space itself symbolizes the people who occupy it, and its inhabitants inevitably leave traces of themselves. These traces can become important clues, sparking intense curiosity. Driven by this curiosity, Jo Jae crafts stories with images based on these clues. Her work spans photography, installations, and even design, but she sees no difference between these acts. Photography, as the flat print of tangible objects, conveys an ethereal subject matter, allowing the relationship between images and stories to leave room for imagination. This is why photographic media currently remains her most preferred medium.
Jo Jae’s work begins in the virtual realm. Since 2020, she has been translating the intersection between digital images and their original counterparts into a sculptural form. By visualizing the gap between digital images and the unprocessed originals, she aims to establish a new sense that bridges the virtual and the real worlds.

Natagon Khamkayprong was born in April 1993 in Mueang District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. After graduating from grade 12, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in the Fine and Applied Art Program with a focus on Painting at Burapha University. His dedication to self-improvement and education led him to further his studies. Consequently, he decided to expand his knowledge by pursuing a master’s degree in Painting, Sculpture, and Graphic Arts at Silpakorn University.

Natagon possesses a unique perspective on the world, drawing inspiration from the small, simple things in everyday life. He carefully observes objects and landscapes in his immediate surroundings, seeking meaning and personal emotions within them. He immerses himself in the atmosphere and emotions surrounding these subjects, capturing their essence in his mind. He then translates these impressions into his artwork.

Many of Natagon’s works revolve around the theme of the simplicity found in daily life. He has progressively eliminated or minimized unnecessary elements, both in his art and his real life. This reduction process involves carefully editing his works, removing extraneous details while retaining the essential elements that convey his personal connection to the subject matter. This approach allows him to express the significance of the subjects that hold personal meaning for him.

Natagon employs a one-time painting technique to streamline the artistic process, making it more straightforward and efficient. His artworks often convey a sense of solitude and tranquillity, reflecting his mood and emotional state on different days. This integration of his life and work into his paintings creates a profound connection between his perception of the world and his artistic expression.

While painting, LIM Nosik’s (b. 1989) body is embedded in everyday scenes. However, the psychological distance from which he looks at it is either closer or further than ordinary days. The subject of his recent work is a question about how to sense landscapes. It focuses on the individual's response to it as much as on the characteristics of the physical properties of a place. The Workroom (2023) is a series of paintings of the studio desk viewed from different times and directions, almost life-sized. The foggy, blurred screen depicts the appearance of weathered memories over time. It is an attempt to capture the world vibrating in the distance of time and space by visualizing the layer of air placed between the landscape, canvas, and himself.




LIM Nosik was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1989. He received his BFA in Oriental Painting at Hongik University in 2015, and MFA in Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts at Korea National University of Arts in 2017. He has held solo exhibitions at various institutions such as Kumho Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea, 2023), Project Space SARUBIA (Seoul, Korea, 2023), Window Gallery, Incheon Art Platform (Incheon, Korea, 2020), Artspace Boan 2 (Seoul, Korea, 2020) and Hapjungjigu (Seoul, Korea, 2017), as well as group exhibitions held at ARARIOGALLERY SEOUL (Seoul, Korea, 2024), SongEun (Seoul, Korea, 2023), Ilmin Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea, 2023), Art Center White Block (Seoul, Korea, 2022), SFAC Seoul Art Space Geumcheon (Seoul, Korea, 2021), Amado Art Space (Seoul, Korea, 2020), and more. The artist gained attention for being selected in the Kumho Museum of Art and Kumho Young Artist 2022. He was the artist-in-residence at the SeMA Nanji Residency (Seoul, Korea) in 2019, and also was the artist-in-residence at the SFAC Seoul Art Space Geumcheon (Seoul, Korea) in 2021. His works are collected by institutions such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Art Bank, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ilmin Museum of Art, and more.

Artist GBDAY’s interest in art grew when he first encountered skateboarding culture and fashion during his adolescence. The artist later began to work on graphics and paintings during his studies in graphic design at university. His artistic stage name, "GBDAY," stands for "Good Day & Bad Day," which contains the artist's desire to illustrate different experiences and emotions of his daily life.

His stage name and its meaning profoundly influenced the world of his work and its creation. 

The artist gains inspiration from human relationships, emotions, and social phenomena he captures daily. His work mainly deals with themes around love, separation, emptiness, and death. The artist links these themes with the skeleton motif, influenced by tattoos, skateboarding culture, and
hip-hop and band music he listened to. The Skeleton motif symbolizes an equal and pure being that everyone, regardless of gender or race, can sympathize with and illustrates the world beyond reality and death. Moreover, Cherry denotes the uncertainty of life, desire, and fruition, and Butterfly portrays life after a newborn death. 

GBDAY uses drawing as a subject that best reveals himself. His works mainly focus on graffiti and pen drawings, although he continuously experiments with various styles and media to develop a unique work. He currently uses graphite and acrylic paints for most of his works, aiming to expand his ways of expression. Furthermore, the artist frequently presents parody-based works where he adds a twist to an existing painting or work that may be familiar to the audience. The artist claims he enjoys creating parody-based works because he wishes his audience to approach art more easily and have some fun interacting with his work. 

"Life Goes On" is a message that signifies not only GBDAY's art but also his life philosophy.

The artist intends to deliver joy and happiness to the audience through his work, conveying the bliss of our life journey. GBDAY is interested in exploring new styles and materials to convey a wider range of emotions in his art.

Heejae Lim visualizes situations infused with the desire to touch and possess the essence of ‘Nature’. 
The subjects she deals with, much like the taxidermies in a natural history museum, assume nature to be complete and vivid. In this regard, she discovers a resemblance between the human desire for nature and her own desire for image as a painter. She visualizes the connection between those two dilemmas by focusing on the surfaces that mediate these desires rather than the direct subjects, creating a peculiar texture and depth in her work. Her major solo exhibitions include "Nesting" (Space ONSU, 2023) and "Cabinet of Curiosity" (Lee Eugean Gallery, 2022). She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions such as "Bright Room" (Every Art, 2023), "Inflating World" (Drawing Room, 2020), and "COCOON 2020" (Space K, 2020).


Toshimitsu Imai was an influential 20th-century Japanese painter. Best known for his monumental abstract works, Imai composed his canvases with a combination of thick impasto marks and fluid, inky lines to build chaotic, “allover” compositions.

Lee Koz, through her artwork, delivers a deep contemplation on profound themes. The boundaries between memory and dreams, and the translational gaps and accompanying confusion that emerge from these boundaries, are experiences many people encounter but find difficult to articulate clearly. The artist attempts to represent these intricate concepts through her paintings. She explores how techniques evolve between the history of representation and the desire for documentation. Reproduction raises questions about what and how we remember, and these questions play a central role in a artist's creations. Lee Koz communicates his unique perspective on memory, dreams, and the spaces in between through her art. By addressing these topics, she connects with the lives of all, providing an opportunity for deeper thought and self-reflection.

Enzo Lee is a Korean journal artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Enzo first started his journey as an artist by carrying a journal during his teenage years. Uncertain of the future, he started to write down his feelings, thoughts, and experiences to study himself, hoping to gain control over his life. Over time, the habit naturally evolved into something more and became not only a form of recording but also a form of expression. His own voice, the art. Enzo published his first book of essays and poems, “Bird in Space”, in 2014. Realizing that the voice shouldn’t be limited by any specific medium, he went on to study filmmaking to learn multi-dimensional aspects of art. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Filmmaking from School of Visual Arts, and works on permanent video journal series called “Piece of Life”. Currently there are about 120 episodes online. Since 2020 COVID, Enzo also started to explore the medium of painting and is now expressing journals through large paintings. Enzo is pursuing to develop his philosophy and artistry of using journal as a tool to live life itself as a form art, the "Piece of Enzo".

Mi Seon Yoon’s work is given vitality through the temporal narrative of her life. Her portrait works, completed in the form of repetitive spheres, are colored with graphite to add emotional depth. The works are given the meaning of an act of resolution because they begin with an obsessive life experience. In this way, Yoon’s works are unique focal points that reveal emotional darkness in its pure raw form.

Exploring the intersection of reality and fantasy, Jung Woo Jae's emotionally charged artworks delve into the desires and struggles of modern individuals. His recurring motif of the adolescent girl symbolizes the poignant journey of self-discovery and the pursuit of self-esteem in the throes of adulthood. Often depicted as pets, animals emerge as beacons of healing and comfort, offering solace in the face of modern anxieties and the isolating tendencies of individualistic societies. By grounding his fantastical elements within meticulously rendered landscapes and luminous light effects, Jung Woo Jae masterfully blurs the lines between reality and imagination, inviting the viewer to participate in a relatable emotional journey. Through his hyperrealistic techniques, he imbues his art with a potent message of "healing and recovery," offering a comforting presence and a sense of hope to those navigating the uncertainties of modern life.

Based on an interest in 'how a wishing heart manifests in daily life,' Seokwoo Chung visualizes the energy emitted when a being strives toward something. He is fascinated by the flow of consciousness formed from cause and effect, and by the culture of wishes permeating the mundane. Drawing inspiration from the fundamental cultures of various religions, his current work extends the realm of the canvas by basing it on painting and incorporating installations in space. He implements a device that amplifies the characteristics of each, by going through various processes with painting works that correspond to the nature of specific spaces or places.

I once read a column by a Korean journalist. In it, he recounted a moment during his travels in the Middle East when he suddenly remembered a novel he had read in his youth that had left a deep impression on him. On a whim, he stepped into a shop and purchased a carpet. Rather than placing it on the floor, he brought it home and hung it on the wall as a decoration.

While working on my own practice, I found myself struggling for a time, unsure of what kind of painting I should make. Some pieces came easily, but others did not. As I looked at the discarded canvas and paint, I tried to understand the cause, but I could only feel lost and uncertain. Recently, however, I had a chance to look deeper into myself. A few significant events—some big, some small—created that opportunity. I began to retrace memories I had previously passed over without much thought, flipping through old photo albums, selecting images that resonated with me in a different way than before. I even read the novel that had inspired the journalist.

In the novel, the carpet is a gift given to the protagonist by an old poet when asked what life is. Only later, after experiencing the various hardships of life, does the protagonist come to understand its meaning. The carpet affirms the purposelessness of life. Just as the weaver wove the carpet to fulfill their own aesthetic sensibility, without any other purpose, we too must accept that life is not about clinging to each and every event, but about recognizing that our own pattern is gradually taking shape.

Reflecting on the story, I felt a sense of peace. Like the weaver crafting the carpet, like the journalist who chose to hang it on the wall rather than lay it on the floor, I fixed raw canvas directly to the wall, without a frame, and traced its surface with dry, short brushstrokes, as if following the warp threads of a carpet. This method of working felt natural. As I focused on the rough texture of the brushstrokes, the painting began to take on a pattern of its own.

It expresses the emotions of love and longing—too profound to be fully captured by language—through a fusion of visual and auditory art.

Mackerel Safranski (b.1984) has long been interested in the perception of her body, a perspective shaped by her personal experience with a long-term eating disorder. She draws from literature, news, and daily observations to construct the stories and images of the figures in her paintings. Ambiguous objects and fragmented scenes often appear in her work, creating a mysterious, uncanny atmosphere—as if something is on the verge of happening. The narratives within her work, which subtly hint at themes of migration, labor, violence, desire, relationships, and isolation, reflect her interest in exploring the “external body” as something we perceive and respond to within social structures. Recently, Safranski has expanded her practice to include video and installation, focusing on how narratives shift across different media.

In 2008, Safranski was selected for the exhibition Young Korean Artists, an annual exhibition organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, to showcase promising young artists. She has held solo exhibitions at A-Lounge, Seoul (2021); Soma Drawing Center, Seoul (2017); and participated in group exhibitions such as Hexed, Bexed & Sexed, West Den Haag, The Hague (2023); Walkie Talkie Shaking, Art Space Boan, Seoul (2022); One Escape at a Time, the 11th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Seoul (2021); VIA Animation Festival, Viborg Museum, Viborg (2019); Matters of Women, Seoul National University Museum of Art, Seoul (2018); and An Artist’s Attitude toward Labor, Incheon Art Platform, Incheon (2016).

Hyeon-A Cho is currently working in Seoul and made her debut in 2014 with a short story series titled <Water tank> on Naver Webtoon's Rookies's short stories. The following year, she posted another short story, <Lunar New Year's Eve>, on the same platform. In 2018, she received the 2019 Today's Our Comics Award and the China Jinlong Award for Foreign Comics for her work <Your Letter>. Currently, <Your Letter> is being produced as a theatrical animation and plans are underway to publish a North American comic book version soon. While drawing advertisements and cover illustrations for young adult novels, she is preparing for her next work, <Santa Scout>.

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