arts & entertainment

Now that the Vero Beach Museum of Art has opened its doors again, you will want to see the latest exhibition that is clearly a sight to behold. After months of ‘hibernation’ because of the coronavirus it will be refreshing for you to see the work of Chul Hyun Ahn, a South Korean-born, Baltimore-based artist.

His exhibition is Chul Hyun Ahn: New Light. This exhibition features a dozen sculptural works that probe the depths of infinite space. Ahn uses light, color and illusion to immerse his viewers in deep landscapes that bridge the gap between the conscious and subconscious.

His largest work at the Stark Gallery is what appears to be a full-size train track that starts at your feet and extends back to infinity. You fully expect a train to come hurtling towards you! But it is all an illusion except for the first three feet.

The rest of his exhibition is comprised of color-rich, neon-like, geometric shapes that change color as you stand to view them. He creates the look and feel of neon using LEDs, the feeling of depth using, well, you must see it to believe it.

We had the benefit of meeting Mr. Ahn, or “Charlie” as he is known around Baltimore, as a film crew was setting up for a Zoom presentation of his work.  Baltimore has been his home for 17 years and although he apologized for not being more fluent in English, we had no trouble understanding him and his work.

Ahn has translated geometric painting and the Zen preactive of meditation into an art of light, space and technology. His works create an optical and bodily illusion of infinity through apparent limitless space.

He explains that he constructs illusionistic environments that allow the viewer space for contemplation. From personal experience, looking at his images almost forces you to consider the infinite because his works lead you there. Infinity is a difficult concept for humans to wrap their minds around. We talk about “the end of time,” or “the edge of the universe,” because the very idea of an endless infinity is almost beyond our imagination. Ahn’s work stimulates the limits of your imagination.

Chul Hyun Ahn is an artist of international acclaim, with works in numerous public and private collections. For more information call (772)231-0707 or visit the Museum’s website: www.vbmuseum.org. The Vero Beach Msueum of Art is located at 3001 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32963.