The Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College will present the exhibition Chul Hyun Ahn: Infinite Space, September 21 – January 4, 2015.
Korean artist Chul Hyun Ahn creates sculptures utilizing light, color, and illusion as physical representations of his investigation of infinite space. Ahn’s interest in the gap between the conscious and subconscious compels him to construct illusionistic environments providing a space for contemplation. Ahn’s sculpture urges the viewer to consider man’s boundless ability for physical and spiritual travel while exploiting illusions of infinity and the poetics of emptiness.
Chul Hyun Ahn was born in Busan, South Korea. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Chugye University for the Arts in Seoul. In 1997 he moved to the United States and did Masters Studies work at Easter Michigan University before receiving a Master of Fine Arts from the Mount Royal School at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore in 2002.
Ahn uses light sources such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), fluorescent, and black lights that are installed between mirrors and one-way mirrors in housings of plywood, cast concrete, or cast acrylic materials. These constructions allow him to generate the illusion of infinitely reflecting light sculptures, be they never-ending tunnels, bottomless pits, or a variety colorful repeating patterns.
“I am pleased to finally be able to exhibit the amazing work of this young artist,” says Gene Jenneman, Executive Director of the Dennos Museum Center, “Ever since seeing it at Art Miami in 2012, I have wanted to bring it to the Dennos, but Ahn’s extensive exhibition schedule did not allow us to do so until now.”
Ahn’s first solo exhibition was with C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland in 2003. Since then he has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, the Saatchi Gallery in London and at the Palazzo Bembo during the 55th Venice Biennale. His work is included in numerous private and public collections in Paris, Karlsruhe, Seoul, Istanbul, and Dubai as well as in the United States.
This exhibition ismade possible with the cooperation of the C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD, and support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Art and Mary Schmuckal Fund, the Robert T. and Ruth Haidt Hughes Memorial Endowment Fund.
The Dennos Museum Center is open Monday to Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday until 8 PM and Sundays 1-5 PM. Admission is $6.00 adults, $4.00 for children and free to museum members. For more information on the Museum and its programs, go to www.dennosmuseum.org or call 231-995-1055. The Dennos Museum Center is located at 1410 College Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686, at the entrance to the campus of Northwestern Michigan College.