Emerging into a New World, Small Figures Explore Seonna Hong’s Dreamlike Landscapes

“Quiet Day” (2023), mixed media on drywall, 23 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches

Connection and interaction are at the heart of Seonna Hong’s latest body of work, which positions minimally rendered figures amid abstract landscapes. Through patchy brushstrokes of acrylic and oil pastel, the Los Angeles-based artist contrasts the opaque colors of the subjects’ limbs or garments with the rough, mottled environments they occupy. Generally diminutive in comparison to their surroundings, the figures remain anonymous and adventurous, exploring ethereal expanses. Voluptuous fields of orange, large stones in pinks and reds, and mountains of haphazard markings appear like distant figments of a dream.

The works shown here are on view this week as part of Murmurations, Hong’s latest solo show at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York. Comprised of vibrant paintings and drawings in grainy colored pencil, the exhibition reflects the experience of re-emerging into public space following the pandemic.

Read the original article here…