For her second exhibition at Weserhalle, artist Jeong Hwa Min presents Houseplants, a series of poly- and monochromatic graphic illustrations that are both bold and minimal in composition. Working primarily with airbrush painting using self-cut stencils, Jeong Hwa combines these techniques in a practice to experiment with the synthesis of geometric and organic shapes. She cites form, light and shadow in the natural world as primary sources of inspiration, finding a dualism in her work that is both constructed and abstract, and redolent of natural phenomena. Sharp angles share visual space with soft edges, curved and unusual forms rest against more familiar rectilinear structures, and in effect each work oscillates between a two- and three dimensional picture plane, acting as mediations between formal design and traditional painting. The works are additionally characterised by a mix of soft pastel hues and textured black and white gradients, which draw together these various forms to create indelibly surreal landscapes.
Though Jeong Hwa’s practice is rooted in design, she is also a storyteller. More than focusing on form, her illustrations are a conglomeration of many simultaneous narratives, each piece expressing several possible fictions at once. She combines geometric logic with more lyric forms of painting and shape-making, producing work that is equal measures ordered and expressive, static and dynamic. With works ambiguously settled between still life, sculpture and pattern, Jeong Hwa sets her stage for something deeper than pure design.
Originally from South Korea, Jeong Hwa currently lives and works in Gerswalde as an illustrator and painter.