Ahn Chang-Hong’s First U.S. Solo Exhibition Opens at American University Museum
‘Ahn Chang-Hong: noon-mool’ asks us to keep our eyes open in a world increasingly accustomed to looking away
Washington, D.C. — The first U.S. solo exhibition of influential Korean contemporary artist Ahn Chang-Hong opens Sept. 5 at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center. “Ahn Chang-Hong: noon-mool,” on view through Dec. 6, brings together monumental paintings, photography-based works and three-dimensional installations that explore the sorrow of contemporary life and the enduring possibility of empathy. Ahn’s work is deeply rooted in Korea’s social and political history while addressing questions that transcend geography.
The exhibition will occupy two floors at the museum and showcase the full scope of Ahn’s recent work. At its center is the newest “Taxidermy” series, in which Ahn layers paint over photographs of taxidermized animals. The larger-than-life works pair unsettling images of discarded taxidermized animals with vivid, monochromatic backgrounds. Some feature painted tears on animals including a fawn, badger and langur, confronting viewers with depictions of grief and vulnerability. Other works place a range of animals alongside human mannequins and anatomical figures.
“When the Forgotten Return Our Gaze,” the exhibition’s tagline, points to animals and figures that have been overlooked, silenced or forgotten. No longer passive subjects, they look back at the viewer, prompting questions about what we choose to see, what we choose to ignore and our responsibility to others.
Co-curated by BG Muhn, professor of art at Georgetown University, and Jack Rasmussen, C. Nicholas Keating and Carleen B. Keating director, American University Museum, the exhibition traces the continuity of Ahn’s concerns across decades while highlighting the ongoing reinvention of his artistic language.
“Even after decades of recognition, Ahn continues to push himself into unfamiliar territory,” said Muhn. “Introducing his work to audiences in the United States for the first time is not merely the presentation of a major Korean artist. It is the introduction of an artistic vision forged through solitude, endurance and an uncompromising confrontation with humanity itself. The ‘Taxidermy’ series is a powerful example of that evolution and of his willingness to confront new materials, subjects and ways of seeing.”
Ahn, born in 1953, developed his practice in the politically charged environment of Korea’s Minjung art movement in the 1980s, a period when artists increasingly confronted social inequality, political repression and the realities of everyday life. While his subject matter and materials have evolved, his engagement with social realities, human fragility and existential anxiety has remained a constant throughout his career.
“Ahn Chang-Hong confronts some of the most difficult questions of contemporary culture without offering easy answers,” said Rasmussen. “His works can be unsettling, but that discomfort is only the beginning. Beneath it is a compelling examination of how we construct identity, preserve memory and turn suffering into spectacle. He asks us to stay with that complexity and consider what is at stake in the ways we look at history, suffering and even the human body.”
The exhibition and the American University Museum are free and open to the public. “Ahn Chang-Hong: noon-mool” is funded by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service through the Korea Art Spotlight Program. The American University Museum also acknowledges the Savina Museum in Seoul, Korea, for its collaboration and generous support.
For more information please visit the American University Museum website.
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