SEONGMIN AHN 

 

Seongmin Ahn received her B.F.A. and M.F.A from Seoul National University and furthered her study by receiving a second M.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art. With her deep understanding of Korean art traditions and her daring approach in experimentation, she created her own hybrid genre of Korean paintings, bridging tradition and the contemporary, and the East and West. Over the years, Seongmin’s work explored bolder experimentation, infusing symbols of modern technology, spatial dimensions, all without sacrificing the Korean heritage of Minhwa, traditional Korean folk painting created by and for the common people during the 18th Century. Minwha’s main characteristics are bright and vibrant color, repetition, flatness, and decorative elements, which was a very liberal and post-modern genre in Korea.

 

Seongmin Ahn incorporates traditional Korean painting techniques such as Korean ink, color powder with cow bone glue (rabbit skin glue) on mulberry paper. Ahn would use multiple thin layers of contrasting and translucent colors to create the effect of profound depth and saturation. The bold black line is significant in Ahn’s work bringing life and dimension to the amorphous shapes and colors

 

Ahn is a two times grand recipient of the Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant and the first prize winner from the AHL Foundation. Her exhibitions have been also reviewed on Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, NY arts Magazine, and other press outlets. Ahn has taught numerous art classes and workshops at cultural institutes in New York, including but not limited to, MICA, Queens College, School of Visual arts, Fashion Institute of Technology, and many more.