when is spring coming, screenprint, Ahn Sanghoon

To celebrate aritst Ahn Sanghoon's HANDS AND STAINS exhibition, Gallery Chosun is proud to present Ahn’s silk-screen print merchandise.

<when is spring coming>, 2025, 12 layer screenprint on Hahnemühle cotton paper 300gsm / Open edition, 45x33cm

The work recreates a moment of the making of the piece ⟪When is Spring Coming⟫ as a silk-screen print.

Based on the artist’s own marker drawing on paper, it represents a new painterly experiment that goes beyond the usual idea of printmaking as a “copy”.

About twelve layers were used to express the artist’s signature colour overlaps and imagery. Three rounds of adjustments were made to achieve the refined colours and texture.

Each print includes the artist’s handwritten signature and serial number, giving it uniqueness and collectible value.

14 February - 27 April 2025

HANDS AND STAINS exhibition poster

The ⟪Hands and Stains⟫ exhibition serves as both a look back at Ahn Sanghoon’s work and a presentation of his new painterly explorations.

Even in his fifties, he continues to move beyond fixed forms and styles, pushing the possibilities of painting.

The artist checking the exhibition display

HANDS AND STAINS exhibition view

Ahn’s earlier paintings develop through a process that begins with figuration and moves toward abstraction.

As he repeatedly paints over figurative images, new abstract forms
emerge. The earlier scene, the newly painted parts, and the covered areas come together to complete the work.

What is painted over is not erased; it becomes a layer that adds depth.
Because of this, his paintings cannot be defined as purely figurative or abstract.

For viewers trying to place them in one category, the works create a subtle tension and space for reflection.

In this exhibition, the artist presents a new approach to painting. He photographs a moment from a work in progress and then uses that photo as a reference to recreate the scene. Two layers of painting coexist in this process: the original work that shifts from figuration to abstraction, and the recreated figurative version based on the photo.

“If you don’t like the picture1” is a work completed in the artist’s usual method, while “If you don’t like the picture2” is a recreation based on a photograph of the first piece. The first work has a complex texture shaped by varied materials, intention, and coincidences. The second work, however, shows a different painterly texture, formed with simpler materials and a more pared-down structure.

The silk-screen print merchandise created to mark this exhibition continues the artist’s painterly experiments.

It reproduces a moment from the making of the work When Is Spring Coming.

In December 2024, through When is Spring Coming, the artist reflected on the role and position of artists amid social unrest.

The work carries a quiet yet sharp meditation on a world that twists and divides constantly,

as well as the artist’s contemplation of how his sensibility and thought should operate in such times.

screenprint goods

The print is based on a drawing the artist made directly on paper with marker, then produced as a silk-screen work.

It goes beyond the idea of printmaking as a mere “copy”, becoming a new work in its own right.

More than twelve layers are used to capture Ahn’s distinctive colour overlaps and imagery.

Three rounds of adjustments refined the colour and texture. The result reflects the artist’s intent to explore painting and the reproduction of its layers.

Although sold as an open edition, each print includes the artist’s handwritten signature and a serial number.

A great opportunity to bring the atmosphere and the resonance of the exhibition into everyday life.

Artist statement

Sanghoon Ahn majored in Western Painting at Jung-Ang University in 2002, received his Akademie brief in 2013, and studied under Meisterschülerin 2014 at  Kunstakademie Münster.

The artist contemplates expanding the uncertainty of painting into various situations and spaces, going between representation and abstraction, coincidence and inevitability, stimulation and acceptance.

Major solo exhibitions include 《Hands and Stains》(gallerychosun, Seoul, 2024), 《The Face I’ve Loved All My Life》 (Seoul Artist’s Platform, Korea, 2023), 《Wrinkles in Repeated Sentences》 (gallerychosun, Korea, 2022), 《On Special days, we need a story not to wait alone, to remain forgotten》 (gallerychosun, Korea, 2020), 《Embrace the Uncertainty》 (Incheon Art Platform, Korea, 2018)
Key group exhibitions include 《Intervals: Distance》(Koki, Tokyo, 2024), 《As the Sharp Narrative Fades, A Revealing Map Emerges (Part 1)》(gallerychosun, Seoul, 2023), 《NANJI ACCESS with PACK: Mbps》 (Seoul Museum of Art, Korea, 2022), 《Public Art New Hero》 (Cheongju Museum of Art, Cheongju, 2021), 《Manifold Manual》(Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul, 2021).
Public collections include the Byucksan Foundation, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art - Art Bank, Can Foundation, and the Soorim Cultural Foundation.

Shipping and Exchange/Returns

1.  Shipping

●   Standard shipping fee: 3,200 KRW (Please contact info@gallerychosun.com for international purchases)
●   Frames are not included
●   Orders ship within a week. If the work needs to be reprinted, the delivery time may be longer

2.  Exchanges and Returns

●   The item cannot be returned for change of mind
●   For defects, we process an exchange/refund after confirming the issue. Please send us an unedited video of the product opening. This is to prevent misuse of the policy, so we ask for your understanding and cooperation.
●   Requests must be made within 7 days of receiving the item.