Artist Statement
Soobin Ahn
As one progresses through life, one encounters various relationships that leave a lasting impact on one, causing one to shift their worldview and obtain character development. Through my art, I have explored various relationships and the way that they have impacted me as a person and creator.
The most intimate, and possibly crucial relationship I have is the one with myself. As I live inside my own mind, I am able to analyze and express my emotions very intricately.
Midnight is a period of time when anything is possible. It is both night and morning. It is the end of one day, and the beginning of another: the definition of duality. Around this time, I am typically engaged in deep retrospection, reflecting on my emotional state from the days, weeks, and even months past, and planning for the future. Regret, clarity, fondness, anxiety, and excitement dance around in my head, often jumbling themselves up into one big mess, leading to confusion and discontent.
Therefore, I turn to art to express such feelings, showing my inner self. In my paintings, I portrayed myself as creating a psychological space devoted to reflecting on various issues and achievements, everything tidy and organized. Nevertheless, such cohesion can fall apart very quickly, leading to me d esperately holding on to the broken pieces of this created safe space, shattered by a negative thought or an out-of-place memory.
Learning to live in my own head and understand my own emotions is what prompted the creation of my other self-portraits, creating a juxtaposition of my confident outer self versus my shy inner self, mixed emotions, my relationship to my body, and seizing control I have over my own thoughts.
I also spend much time analyzing other relationships in my life, such as my family and friends, as these bonds are the external factors that created who I am now.
Using both photographs and my own painting, I created an area where my family members spend the most time together, sharing stories, jokes, conversations, and lessons, bonding deeply through such innovative discourse.
With my friends, such activities are more lighthearted, as we bond through games like poker, understanding each other's thought processes to win by focusing on the smallest smiles and body motions. I like the mix of math and psychology that poker strategy requires. It allows me to enter into someone else’s mind and understand just how they think and behave.
My relationship with the world is something I explore as well, as I create art not only for beauty but functionality as well. This is seen in two of my successful product designs: “Vio” was a UV cleaner designed to prevent the transmission of Covid-19, and “Laundry Spinn” was a tool kit created for women in developing countries in order to help them perform their work easily
Through analyzing these relationships, I am able to feel whole as an artist, knowing that I have created a balance between myself, my loved ones, and the outside world.
The most intimate, and possibly crucial relationship I have is the one with myself. As I live inside my own mind, I am able to analyze and express my emotions very intricately.
Midnight is a period of time when anything is possible. It is both night and morning. It is the end of one day, and the beginning of another: the definition of duality. Around this time, I am typically engaged in deep retrospection, reflecting on my emotional state from the days, weeks, and even months past, and planning for the future. Regret, clarity, fondness, anxiety, and excitement dance around in my head, often jumbling themselves up into one big mess, leading to confusion and discontent.
Therefore, I turn to art to express such feelings, showing my inner self. In my paintings, I portrayed myself as creating a psychological space devoted to reflecting on various issues and achievements, everything tidy and organized. Nevertheless, such cohesion can fall apart very quickly, leading to me d esperately holding on to the broken pieces of this created safe space, shattered by a negative thought or an out-of-place memory.
Learning to live in my own head and understand my own emotions is what prompted the creation of my other self-portraits, creating a juxtaposition of my confident outer self versus my shy inner self, mixed emotions, my relationship to my body, and seizing control I have over my own thoughts.
I also spend much time analyzing other relationships in my life, such as my family and friends, as these bonds are the external factors that created who I am now.
Using both photographs and my own painting, I created an area where my family members spend the most time together, sharing stories, jokes, conversations, and lessons, bonding deeply through such innovative discourse.
With my friends, such activities are more lighthearted, as we bond through games like poker, understanding each other's thought processes to win by focusing on the smallest smiles and body motions. I like the mix of math and psychology that poker strategy requires. It allows me to enter into someone else’s mind and understand just how they think and behave.
My relationship with the world is something I explore as well, as I create art not only for beauty but functionality as well. This is seen in two of my successful product designs: “Vio” was a UV cleaner designed to prevent the transmission of Covid-19, and “Laundry Spinn” was a tool kit created for women in developing countries in order to help them perform their work easily
Through analyzing these relationships, I am able to feel whole as an artist, knowing that I have created a balance between myself, my loved ones, and the outside world.