Seongmin Ahn received her B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Asian traditional painting from Seoul National University in Seoul Korea and then received her second M.F.A from Mount Royal, Maryland Institute College of Art. With practical experience and deep understanding of tradition, her work takes Asian traditional painting as starting point and transforms it into something experimental with her own interpretation bridging tradition and contemporary, and East and West.
Seongmin Ahn juxtaposes unexpected objects to create intriguing and intimate narratives that share the relationships between contrasting elements. The artist presents a series of paintings and wall installations that fuses her insight in the relativity of perception with a deep regard for traditional Korean art, especially minhwa–folk painting. In her creative work, Ahn begins with traditional forms and themes, which she then extends into multi-disciplinary and multi-media practices by adopting science, technology, and multiple cognitive models.
Ahn places a strong emphasis on open perspectives and balance where she can contemplate both her own daily issues and more fundamental social and philosophical problems. The artist strives to address issues such as cultural dislocation, domestic strife, and gun violence, while constantly bearing in mind the relationship between past and present, both collective and individual.
Ahn held numerous exhibitions, nationally and internationally, including solo shows at Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (Wilmington, DE), Queens College Art Center (Flushing, NY), Wong Center, and Stony Brook University (Long Island). She also participated in and contributed to big projects such as, Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens (Wang Center, Stony Brook University), Garden (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea), and Hanji Project: Hanji Metamorphoses (curated by Yu-Yeon Kim, numerous location in Chelsea).
Ahn is a two times grant recipient of the Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant and the first prize winner from the AHL Foundation, Visual Art Competition. Additionally, she has taught numerous art classes and workshops at cultural institutes in New York area, including but not limited to, Maryland Institute College of Art, Queens College, Art Students League, School of Visual Art, Queens Museum, Metropolitan Museum, Asia Society, Stony Brook University, Fashion Institute and Technology, Korea Society, and Korean Cultural Service.
