Before applying the oil paint to the canvas, artist Jisan Ahn collects images from the media, which he first processes in drawings, collages and miniatures. With his paintings he wants to question the factuality of media images and he plays with the physical versus the virtual world, the real versus the unreal. Other artists such as Bas Jan Ader and Vincent van Gogh are also sources of inspiration and find their way on his canvases. Furthermore, he draws on his own memory and emotions that are evoked by these situations and events.
Because he had a carefree childhood, he is always searching for the feeling of discomfort in himself. When he finds it, he translates it into images with the aim to evoke this discomfort to the viewer as well. In previous work he accentuated this objective by depicting explosions, slaughtered animals and hunting scenes, presently he paints in a more poetic way. A sweater on a coat hanger where snakes roll out of the sleeves, a man who disappears under a huge mountain of black and white photos. The ordinary, the everyday and the repetitive is his subject. Human figures are often absent; the emptiness of the space approaches you without mercy. And if people are present, their stances are disheartened. They don't seem to want to be where they are, but unable to change that.
Because he had a carefree childhood, he is always searching for the feeling of discomfort in himself. When he finds it, he translates it into images with the aim to evoke this discomfort to the viewer as well. In previous work he accentuated this objective by depicting explosions, slaughtered animals and hunting scenes, presently he paints in a more poetic way. A sweater on a coat hanger where snakes roll out of the sleeves, a man who disappears under a huge mountain of black and white photos. The ordinary, the everyday and the repetitive is his subject. Human figures are often absent; the emptiness of the space approaches you without mercy. And if people are present, their stances are disheartened. They don't seem to want to be where they are, but unable to change that.
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Artworks by Jisan Ahn
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13.06.2016 Arirang Culture: Arts Avenue 2016 Exhibition ‘Emerging Other’ with Jisan Ahn at Arko Art Center, Seoul, KR.
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'The best work - and perhaps the most successful 'corona artwork' I have seen so far - is shown in the greenery near Ahn's studio. The trees are broken, but their previous shade can still be seen on the wall.'
Edo Dijksterhuis - Het Parool
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LUMC
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Jisan Ahn graduated from the National University of Arts in South Korea (BFA) and the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen (MFA). He has exhibited in various group and solo exhibitions in South Korea, Germany and the Netherlands. His solo exhibitions include "Cut-Out" in 2018 at Johyn Gallery in Busan, "Untitled" in 2017 at the Zaha Museum in Seoul and "Hunt" at Galerie Bart in Amsterdam. He has participated in the group exhibitions 'NANA LAND' at the Savina Museum in Seoul in 2019, 'IRONY & IDEALISM' at Kunsthalle Münster in Münster in 2018 and 'IRONY & IDEALISM' at the Gyeonggi Museum in Ansan in 2017.
In 2013 and in 2014 he was accepted as an artist in residence at the Rijksakademie, The Netherlands. He received stipends in 2013 and 2014 from the Arts Council Korea and the Mondriaan Fund. In 2014 he won the Buning Brongers Prize. His work is included in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, South Korea, the Arario Museum, South Korea, the Deagu Art Museum, South Korea, the LUMC, the Netherlands and the Rijksakademie, The Netherlands.
In 2013 and in 2014 he was accepted as an artist in residence at the Rijksakademie, The Netherlands. He received stipends in 2013 and 2014 from the Arts Council Korea and the Mondriaan Fund. In 2014 he won the Buning Brongers Prize. His work is included in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, South Korea, the Arario Museum, South Korea, the Deagu Art Museum, South Korea, the LUMC, the Netherlands and the Rijksakademie, The Netherlands.
CV
Born 1979 in Busan, Korea, Jisan Ahn currently works and lives in Seoul.
Education.
2011 • MFA, Painting at Frank Mohr Institute, Groningen.
2006 • BFA, Fine Art at Korea National University of Arts, Seoul, KR.
Collections.
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, KR.
Arario Museum, KR.
Deagu Art Museum, Deagu, KR.
LUMC Art Collection, NL.
Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, NL.
Residencies, awards, grants.
2014 •
Residency at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam.
Buning Brongers Prijs 2014 Award, Amsterdam.
Grant by Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam.
Grant by Arts Council Korea, KR.
2013 •
Residency at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam.
Grant by Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam.
Grant by Arts Council Korea, KR.
Exhibitions.
2020 •
Everyday: After the storm, solo exhibition at Galerie Bart in Amsterdam.
그림, 그리다 Painting, group exhibition at Gyeoggi Museum of Modern Art in Ansan, KR.
The Adventures of Korean Contemporary Painting: I will go away all by myself, group exhibition at Special Exhibition Gallery MMCA in Cheongju, KR.
Support SARUBIA group exhibition at Sarubia Art space in Seoul, KR.
2019 •
NANA LAND, group exhibition at Savina Museum, Seoul, KR.
SARUBIA, group exhibition at Sarubia Art Space, Seoul, KR.
2018 •
Cut-Out, solo exhibition at Johyun Gallery, Busan, KR.
Seoul Sessions, duo exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
IRONY & IDEALISM, group exhibition at Kunsthalle Münster, Münster, DE.
2017 •
Untitled, solo exhibition at Zaha Museum, Seoul, KR.
IRONY & IDEALISM, group exhibition at KF Gallery, Seoul, KR.
IRONY & IDEALISM, group exhibition at Gyeonggi Museum, Ansan, KR.
Media Study: Tension and Relaxation, group exhibition at Deagu Art Museum, Deagu, KR.
The Painting Show, group exhibition at Goyang Aram Art Museum, Goyang, KR.
2016 •
fly-er, solo exhibition at Hapjungjigu, Seoul, KR.
Intuitive Landscape, group exhibition at Gallery Arario, Seoul, KR.
ASIA Young 36, group exhibition at Jeonbuk Museum of Art, KR.
Emerging Other, group exhibition at Arko Art Center, Seoul, KR.
Lust for Life, group exhibition at We Like Art with Galerie Bart, Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam.
LUMC Collection Show 2014-2015, group exhibition at Gallery LUMC, Leiden.
2015 •
Hunt, solo exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
Parallel Stories, group exhibition at Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam.
The Affair of Painting, group exhibition at Minerva Art Academy, Groningen.
Black Variation, group exhibition at Space BM, Seoul, KR.
Pause & Gesture, duo exhibition at Gallery SKAPE, Seoul, KR.
I Amsterdam You Berlin, group presentation with Galerie Bart, Berlin, DE.
2014 •
White Night, solo exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
Rijksakademie OPEN 2014, group exhibition at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam.
The Beauty of The Difference, group exhibition at Museum Henriette Polak, Zutphen.
Buning Brongers Prijzen 2014, group exhibition at Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam.
Nieuw, Nieuwer, Nieuwst - Schilders in beeld, group exhibition at LUMC gallery, Leiden.
We Like Art, group presentation with We Like Art, Art Rotterdam, Rotterdam.
2013 •
Rijksakademie OPEN 2013, group exhibition at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam.
Preview Berlin, group presentation with Galerie Bart, Berlin, DE.
Opening Exhibition Elandsgracht 16, group exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
2012 •
Into the Labyrinth, group exhibition at Garage, Rotterdam.
Raw Art Fair, group presentation with Galerie Bart, Rotterdam.
In Vetrina #2, group exhibition at Stichting Ruimtevaart, The Hague.
How Art Things?, group exhibition at Nest, The Hague.
Preview Berlin, group presentation with Galerie Bart, Berlin, DE.
In Vetrina, group exhibition at Stichting Ruimtevaart, The Hague.
KunstRAI, group presentation with Galerie Bart, RAI Amsterdam.
5th Anniversary group exhibition, group exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
2011 •
Nieuwe Oogst 2011, group exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
Nieuwe Oogst 2011, group exhibition at Bart Kunst in Huis, Nijmegen.
The Importance of Being Frank, group exhibition at Munnikeholm 1, Groningen.
Too young to fall asleep, too cynical to speak, group exhibition at Frank Mohr International Masters, Groningen.
FMI Masters presents, group exhibition at Departement voor Filosofie en Kunst, Assen.
2010 •
Alternative Modernity?, group exhibition at Frank Mohr Institute, Groningen.
Wallhouse #2, group exhibition, Groningen.
Publicity.
29.08.19 NANALAND Exhibition Catalogue, editorial.
13.02.18 Juxtapoz Magazine Seoul Sessions by Jisan Ahn and Raymond Lemstra @ Bart Galerie in Amsterdam by Sasha Bogojev.
23.02.18 Het Parool Cultuurschok heeft ook positieve kanten by Edo Dijksterhuis.
29.05.18 Irony and Idealism exhibition catalogue, editorial.
10.08.17 Deagu Art Museum Media Study: Tension and Relaxation, Jisan Ahn.
13.06.16 Arirang Culture Arts Avenue 2016 Exhibition ‘Emerging Other’.
20.03.17 Widewalls The Impermanence of Memory by Daniel Lippitsch.
29.01.16 De Volkskrant Gevaarlijke konijnen en thuis Nowness kijken by Jeanne Prisser.
Education.
2011 • MFA, Painting at Frank Mohr Institute, Groningen.
2006 • BFA, Fine Art at Korea National University of Arts, Seoul, KR.
Collections.
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, KR.
Arario Museum, KR.
Deagu Art Museum, Deagu, KR.
LUMC Art Collection, NL.
Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, NL.
Residencies, awards, grants.
2014 •
Residency at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam.
Buning Brongers Prijs 2014 Award, Amsterdam.
Grant by Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam.
Grant by Arts Council Korea, KR.
2013 •
Residency at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam.
Grant by Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam.
Grant by Arts Council Korea, KR.
Exhibitions.
2020 •
Everyday: After the storm, solo exhibition at Galerie Bart in Amsterdam.
그림, 그리다 Painting, group exhibition at Gyeoggi Museum of Modern Art in Ansan, KR.
The Adventures of Korean Contemporary Painting: I will go away all by myself, group exhibition at Special Exhibition Gallery MMCA in Cheongju, KR.
Support SARUBIA group exhibition at Sarubia Art space in Seoul, KR.
2019 •
NANA LAND, group exhibition at Savina Museum, Seoul, KR.
SARUBIA, group exhibition at Sarubia Art Space, Seoul, KR.
2018 •
Cut-Out, solo exhibition at Johyun Gallery, Busan, KR.
Seoul Sessions, duo exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
IRONY & IDEALISM, group exhibition at Kunsthalle Münster, Münster, DE.
2017 •
Untitled, solo exhibition at Zaha Museum, Seoul, KR.
IRONY & IDEALISM, group exhibition at KF Gallery, Seoul, KR.
IRONY & IDEALISM, group exhibition at Gyeonggi Museum, Ansan, KR.
Media Study: Tension and Relaxation, group exhibition at Deagu Art Museum, Deagu, KR.
The Painting Show, group exhibition at Goyang Aram Art Museum, Goyang, KR.
2016 •
fly-er, solo exhibition at Hapjungjigu, Seoul, KR.
Intuitive Landscape, group exhibition at Gallery Arario, Seoul, KR.
ASIA Young 36, group exhibition at Jeonbuk Museum of Art, KR.
Emerging Other, group exhibition at Arko Art Center, Seoul, KR.
Lust for Life, group exhibition at We Like Art with Galerie Bart, Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam.
LUMC Collection Show 2014-2015, group exhibition at Gallery LUMC, Leiden.
2015 •
Hunt, solo exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
Parallel Stories, group exhibition at Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam.
The Affair of Painting, group exhibition at Minerva Art Academy, Groningen.
Black Variation, group exhibition at Space BM, Seoul, KR.
Pause & Gesture, duo exhibition at Gallery SKAPE, Seoul, KR.
I Amsterdam You Berlin, group presentation with Galerie Bart, Berlin, DE.
2014 •
White Night, solo exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
Rijksakademie OPEN 2014, group exhibition at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam.
The Beauty of The Difference, group exhibition at Museum Henriette Polak, Zutphen.
Buning Brongers Prijzen 2014, group exhibition at Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam.
Nieuw, Nieuwer, Nieuwst - Schilders in beeld, group exhibition at LUMC gallery, Leiden.
We Like Art, group presentation with We Like Art, Art Rotterdam, Rotterdam.
2013 •
Rijksakademie OPEN 2013, group exhibition at Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam.
Preview Berlin, group presentation with Galerie Bart, Berlin, DE.
Opening Exhibition Elandsgracht 16, group exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
2012 •
Into the Labyrinth, group exhibition at Garage, Rotterdam.
Raw Art Fair, group presentation with Galerie Bart, Rotterdam.
In Vetrina #2, group exhibition at Stichting Ruimtevaart, The Hague.
How Art Things?, group exhibition at Nest, The Hague.
Preview Berlin, group presentation with Galerie Bart, Berlin, DE.
In Vetrina, group exhibition at Stichting Ruimtevaart, The Hague.
KunstRAI, group presentation with Galerie Bart, RAI Amsterdam.
5th Anniversary group exhibition, group exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
2011 •
Nieuwe Oogst 2011, group exhibition at Galerie Bart, Amsterdam.
Nieuwe Oogst 2011, group exhibition at Bart Kunst in Huis, Nijmegen.
The Importance of Being Frank, group exhibition at Munnikeholm 1, Groningen.
Too young to fall asleep, too cynical to speak, group exhibition at Frank Mohr International Masters, Groningen.
FMI Masters presents, group exhibition at Departement voor Filosofie en Kunst, Assen.
2010 •
Alternative Modernity?, group exhibition at Frank Mohr Institute, Groningen.
Wallhouse #2, group exhibition, Groningen.
Publicity.
29.08.19 NANALAND Exhibition Catalogue, editorial.
13.02.18 Juxtapoz Magazine Seoul Sessions by Jisan Ahn and Raymond Lemstra @ Bart Galerie in Amsterdam by Sasha Bogojev.
23.02.18 Het Parool Cultuurschok heeft ook positieve kanten by Edo Dijksterhuis.
29.05.18 Irony and Idealism exhibition catalogue, editorial.
10.08.17 Deagu Art Museum Media Study: Tension and Relaxation, Jisan Ahn.
13.06.16 Arirang Culture Arts Avenue 2016 Exhibition ‘Emerging Other’.
20.03.17 Widewalls The Impermanence of Memory by Daniel Lippitsch.
29.01.16 De Volkskrant Gevaarlijke konijnen en thuis Nowness kijken by Jeanne Prisser.
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