Erin Hyunhee Kang is an artist based in Boulder, Colorado. Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, Erin moved to the states at age of sixteen. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a bachelor's degree in Fine Art. During her years at RISD, she was selected as a member of European Honors Program to study abroad in Rome, and as an interchange student to continue her fine art studies at Seoul National University in Korea.
After finishing her schools, Erin worked for New Yorker Magazine at Condé Nast as a photograph assistant. Then she moved on to Tapehouse Toons as a member of visual effects team creating The X-Presidents series for Saturday Night Live TV Funhouse, and Disney's Lizzie McGuire series. Even though she had amazing experiences working at fun and fast-paced industries of weekly magazine and broadcast, Erin wanted to focus more on long term narrative design formats. She landed her dream job as a book jacket designer at one of the most respected publishing companies, Penguin Group USA (PGI). She created multiple book covers for award-winning writers at some of the most prestigious imprints in book publishing such as G.P. Putnam Son’s and Riverhead. After many exciting years at PGI, Erin left NYC and settled in Boulder, CO with her growing family. In Boulder, Erin was a high school visual arts teacher at Boulder Valley School District and one of seven artists in the Boulder Creative Collective artist-in-residence program where she worked with collaged images as preliminary sketches for larger body of paintings. She is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts Practice at University of Colorado Boulder.
Erin’s freelance clients include Penguin Random House, Boulder Valley School District, Denver Art Museum, and Denver Theatre District & Public Arts. Erin has recently exhibited her work at Artwork Loveland, AKAGallery, Dairy Arts Center, and Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.
Artist Statement:
My art practice currently focuses in a series of graphite drawings centered around the theme of enduring the past. This abstract notion aligns with the concept of personal hardships, experiences, and beliefs turning into ruins, eliciting emotions of uncertainty that linger in a cycle of lament and regret. I hope to capture these enduring moments within personal tragedies, unveiling hidden irony—a chance for transformation and a glimmer of hope.Throughout my life, I constantly explore these emotions, seeking clarity amidst life's mysteries and confronting the impermanence of existence. I've closely observed the delicate equilibrium between internal feelings and external circumstances during challenging times. I perceive life as existing within a realm suspended between the natural and the abstract, the past and the future, without fully belonging to either. Embracing this in-betweenness gives rise to distinctive enigmatic qualities, intertwining with the mysteries of life and forming a perplexing yet fascinating journey. Gradually, I've translated these mysteries into tangible sensations, channeling them through my art. I aim to capture these uncomfortable yet lingering liminal moments using visual expressions influenced by metaphors, mythologies, symbols, and allegories.