JIN JEONG

Air Pockets

Artist Reception: May 16th, 6-8 PM

May 16th - June 10th, 2023

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Evocative and direct, Jin Jeong’s exhibition title “Air Pockets” reminds us that nothing is made in a vacuum; we are all at the mercy of trade winds even if those weather patterns arise from an emotional state within.  The recent Hunter MFA graduate speaks to influences ranging from Wassily Kandinsky to the Transcendental Painting Group, California landscape painters, as well as a secular interest in Buddhism and Taoism.  Many 20th century abstract painters - including living legends like Brice Marden - looked toward Eastern religions and concepts for new definitions of self-awareness, a refreshed dialogue with the natural world as it pertains to one’s spirituality.  “They tried to find the language to demonstrate the abstract narrative with sublime sensation,” explains Jin. “My work has inserted these metaphoric aspects on energy, particularly because Taoism itself is about energy. Even the imagery in my works formalizes and depicts a movement of energy from water or geology. “

To that end, straight lines are in absentia here. Our sense of weight, urgency and atmosphere are dictated instead by the artist’s emphasis on fluidity and a reverence for illumination: values embraced by past generations like the Hudson River School — albeit to very different compositional outcomes. What she does share with Thomas Cole and Frederick Church is a mindfulness of the landscape although the artist defines her work as emotional landscapes. (italicize)

“To convey an elastic sensibility during the painting process, I must attempt to remove my own emotions from the decision-making process,” Jin continues. “Since I do not tend to sketch on the side to plan and convey the precise imagery to linen, I have to learn to have an objective perspective to convince the viewer by spontaneous logical decision-making. Combining the luminance as sprinkles with analytical and formal elements aids me in constructing a convincing picture to which the audience can apply their own emotions.”

We see an emphasis on the breathable energy of empty spaces found in, say, the paintings of Morris Louis and also the seduction of undulating liquid witnessed in Jeff Koons 1986 Frangelico painting. Like Duchamp’s bicycle wheel Jin Jeong’s paintings are vehicles for contemplation, a litmus test for the soul. Using heavily contrasted colors and stokes-within-strokes, the artist creates spatial passages of hard and soft edges to evoke a turbulence and transference of sensations. “ I create a space that resonates with the feelings of being rooted, settled but still moving and flexible,” concludes Jin, “a recreation of the ‘aliveness’ we only see in nature, we only see in the wild.”