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 authors 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 showed and exhibited her work at Artwork Loveland, AKAGallery, Dairy Arts Center, RedLine Contemporary Art Center, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, and CU Art Museum.
Artist Statement:
My art practice currently focuses in a series of graphite drawings centered on the theme of enduring moments. This abstract concept aligns with personal struggles, experiences, and beliefs transitioning into ruins, evoking uncertainty that persist in a cycle of lament and regret. Throughout my life, I’ve observed the delicate equilibrium between internal feelings and external circumstances. I explore the emotions that surface during challenging periods, seeking clarity around life’s mysteries and realizing the impermanence of existence. I view life as a suspended state between the natural and the abstract, the past and the future, without fully belonging to either realm. Embracing this liminality gives rise to enigmatic qualities, intertwining with life’s mysteries and shaping a perplexing yet captivating journey. Over time, I have translated these mysteries into tangible sensations. These visual expressions are influenced by metaphors, mythologies, symbols, and allegories.
Each drawing is accompanied by a personal narrative describing themes of regret, contemplation, desire, tragedy, and mortality to explore the ephemeral nature of existence. My intension is to honor humanity’s resilience in the face of pain, adversity, and mortality encompassing catastrophes and tragedies all while upholding our values, beliefs, and principles, ultimately embracing hope.