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 in painting at Seoul National University in Korea. She earned her degree of Master of Fine Arts Practice in Drawing & Painting concentrated area from University of Colorado Boulder.

For her career, 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.

Erin currently teaches at Art and Art History Department of 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 current artistic practice revolves around a series of graphite drawings that explore the theme of encountering the past. This abstract idea resonates with diasporic struggles and the personal transformation of beliefs into fragments, evoking a sense of uncertainty that cycles between lament and regret. In my work, this cycle often manifests through fragmented, transient depictions of what I call "Marginal Space." Within this space, I explore emotions that arise during difficult moments, searching for clarity and coming to terms with the impermanence of existence.

I see life as a suspended state, existing between the natural and the abstract, the past and the future, life and death—never fully belonging to any one side. Embracing this liminality opens a path toward life's mysteries, creating a journey that is both perplexing and captivating. Over time, I have translated these mysteries into visual forms, influenced by metaphors, mythologies, symbols, and allegories.

Each drawing is paired with a personal narrative that explore into themes of regret, contemplation, desire, tragedy, and mortality, all of which explore the fleeting nature of existence. My intention is to honor humanity’s resilience in the face of pain, adversity, and the inevitability of death. These works reflect both the weight of personal and collective catastrophes, while also highlighting our ability to uphold values, beliefs, and principles—ultimately embracing hope in the midst of it all.