“I depicted the memories of objects as if singing them”

The artist strips away the rules of the genre, encompassing and erasing images of the inside and the outside,

He pushes himself until every emotion is distinct, skillfully inserting them into the screen and canvas.

This exhibition is 'Missing You – Memory of the Object,' presented by artist Ahn Jae-young, winner of the 24th Moonsin Art Prize. <Missing You – Memory of the Object> showcases平面 paintings ranging in size from 100 to 400. In this exhibition, the artist captures on canvas the traces of time held within the objects around us and the earnest longing for someone. Artist Ahn Jae-young focuses on the fact that objects are not merely static entities, but rather tell stories as if singing their own individual tales.

Artist Ahn Jae-young engages in boundaryless artistic activities, presenting diverse, interdisciplinary works that are not confined to a single style as a writer, filmmaker, and visual artist. The "memory of objects" presented by the artist is a series of works titled [on trail]. Even if an object belongs to oneself and an object belongs to others, there is invariably something different about them. The artist has transformed the relational materiality he contemplates, accompanied by painting, into his own unique painterly autonomy. His work focuses on objects that have accumulated changes over a long period and the traces that arise from mutual contact. By personally walking through the places where the memories of objects originated and touching them with his eyes, he visualizes these other facets on the canvas, either three-dimensionally or two-dimensionally.

His work is composed of various objects and materials in arbitrary and accidental forms through writing, photographing, drawing, and rubbing. The objects or beings depicted on his canvas transform their appearances and approach a transcendental realm. It feels as though one is discovering a spirit or soul in a different aspect of objects that is usually hidden. The memories of objects he contemplates are visually reconstructed, creating an abstract image space. Ahn Jae-young strips away the rules of genre, encompassing and erasing images both inside and outside, and relentlessly pushes himself until his emotions reach their peak, skillfully inserting them onto the canvas.

Art critic Lim Chang-seop, Director of the Ulsan Museum of Art, commented, "Ahn Jae-young possesses an exceptional ability to reinterpret the fleeting images of objects through his own unique sensibility," adding, "By harmoniously arranging various materials, he presents a free artistic world unconstrained by fixed frameworks." He further added, "Curiosity regarding diverse fields such as music and writing serves as the artist's creative energy, effectively demonstrating the multifaceted nature required by contemporary art." He continued, "In this exhibition, he has depicted the memories of objects as if singing, sensuously incorporating sculptural forms where remembered objects are densely packed like masses or flowing like liquids." This exhibition offers a wonderful opportunity for those wishing to listen to the whispers of memory told by objects to appreciate the sentences of longing written by artist Ahn Jae-young with his brush.

Artist Ahn Jae-young (b. 1968) has showcased diverse forms of artistic activity, traversing boundaries without boundaries across various fields including painting, ceramics, printmaking, music, media, film, and writing. Approaching art both statically and dynamically, the artist creates art ceaselessly and without excuse. He graduated from the Department of Art Education at Sungkyunkwan University and Korea University Graduate School, and received a Ph.D. in Art Philosophy from Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School. He completed his master's degree in Architectural Ceramics at the National School of Fine Arts in Italy and at Aalto University. He has held 38 solo exhibitions, including at the Chosun Ilbo Art Museum, and has received numerous art awards, including being an invited artist at the Grand Art Exhibition of Korea, receiving the Second Prize at the Metco in Italy, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award, the Speaker of the National Assembly Award, and the "Artist of the Year Award." He served as a resident artist at the Park Kyung-ri Literature Museum Studio, and his works are held in collections at the Gwangju Museum of Art, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Art Bank, the Eastern District Court, the Shengjing Art Museum in China, and the Mokpo Sports Complex.

Provided by the Munsin Art Prize Steering Committee.

[Reporter Park Yo-chan, Korea Arts Newspaper]