September 18th - 30th, 2017

Opening reception: Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 6-8 p.m.

The Riverside Gallery is pleased to present The Sublime and Blessing from Univocity of Being, the first solo exhibition by the South Korean artist Juhyung Han. With acrylic paint on canvas and paper in a variety of styles ranging from purely abstract to geometric and semi-representational, Juhyung Han portrays in her paintings, the innate sense of morality that is present within all human beings, known as the sublime. Inspired by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s writing Critique of Judgment (1790), Han highlights Kant’s belief on how art plays an essential role in distinguishing the sublime from the beautiful. Kant claims that while the subjectivity on beauty of certain objects may be universal, the sublime that is present in subjects like art has the element of mystery, or as Han states “the uncanny”, providing one with the opportunity to exercise the freedom of thought and imagination. Therefore, according to Kant, sublimity resides not within the actual sublime objects but in the reason itself. This theory of becoming further more acquainted with reason is a factor that heightens one’s ethical sensibility and value. Having also majored in religious studies, Han also explores this idea of the sublime by incorporating a common religious belief present in various cultures into her work. Univocity of Being according to the artist epitomizes the goodness of God. With bright shades of yellow, she illustrates light as a universal symbol for the blessings from God as an entity that triumphs over darkness and evil. Through her paintings, Han encourages the viewer to seek such goodness within the current world, as well as striving to come to such realization within one’s inner self, regardless of any cultural or political bounds and differences. Han’s work serves as a bridge of understanding between art, religion, and history through the exploration of philosophical theories, religious traditions, and myths from diverse cultures. By being able to connect to such ideas, Han hopes that one will transcend reality and dream for an enlightenment of the complex, and sometimes unfathomable world of both spirituality and human nature.

Juhyung Han graduated from Seoul National University with a B.A. in Aesthetics, Archaeology and Art History, and Religious Studies. She has participated in many group exhibitions in galleries in Seoul, South Korea, and her paintings have also been selected in numerous art competitions of organizations in the western painting category in 2010. Such organizations include The 6th Kyung Hyang Art Festival, and The Japanese and Korean Contemporary Art Association. She currently plans to participate in the upcoming COEX Art Show in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to being an artist, Han is also a literary critic and a poet. She has won numerous accolades for her writing, one of them being the Grand Dante memorial prize as a new figure in modern poetry at the quarterly Literary Arts in 2010.