The Shafer Art Gallery will unveil the work of Jee Hwang, assistant art professor at Fort Hays State University, with an opening reception for her exhibit Friday, Jan. 17, from 6:30-8 p.m. The reception will feature an artist talk and refreshments. Admission is free. The exhibit will run through Feb. 28.
Gallery Director Dave Barnes said those who see this exhibit will experience art that makes a statement for all levels of art enthusiasts.
“Hwang’s work represents the best in contemporary figurative painting,” he said. “At first glance, it is strikingly beautiful and masterful, but upon further reflection powerful content and meaning also begin to emerge. We oftentimes assume that sophisticated art informed by an urban art school background will be somewhat inaccessible and difficult to understand. Hwang’s work defies that assumption. It delights on multiple levels. It will not disappoint even the casual viewer and will satisfy those who like art to challenge and inspire their own creativity. I couldn’t be more excited about having it in the Shafer Gallery.”
Hwang said the intricacies of human relationships, the depths of the human mind and how they’re connected to the physical human presence inspire her work.
“My works speak about different forms of human desire,” she said. “I see the human body as a metaphoric vessel holding individual desire, memories, and history. Through representational figurative paintings in oil and water media, I explore how bodies transmit desire and form relationships through metaphoric gestures that reveal the border between an individual’s psychological state and the desires of groups of people, community and the public.”
She has received numerous awards and has many years of experience as an educator. Her work has been exhibited extensively on the east coast and even internationally.
Hwang received her MFA in painting from Pratt Institute and her BFA from Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland. She has been awarded residencies from Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, ChaNorth Artist residency, Wassaic Project, Vermont Studio Center. Hwang is also the recipient of an Emma Bee Bernstein award from A.I.R. Gallery and their Fellowship program in Brooklyn, New York. She has actively participated in solo and group exhibitions at a diverse range of venues including A.I.R Gallery, Korean Cultural Center in New York, The Wassaic Project, Museum of Northern California in Chico and have been represented Accola Griefen Gallery in New York.
More work by Hwang is available at jeehwangstudio.com.
