Gallery Afternoon is pleased to present 𝐌𝐞, 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥, a solo exhibition by Sohee Ahn (b. 1983), on view from October 21 to November 8, 2025, showcasing about 25 new oil paintings and drawings that continue the artist’s ongoing exploration of identity, existence, and quiet introspection.
Based in Jeju Island, Ahn turns moments from everyday life into visual diaries. Her paintings create gentle stories that move between reality and imagination. The new works reflect her thoughts on how she lives and who she is, expressed with imagination and humor through the recurring image of flattened figures.
The figures appear compressed and almost two dimensional, yet within them lie subtle expressions and quiet gazes. This sense of flatness is not only a painterly technique. It captures the moment when emotion softly spreads across the surface. Everyday objects such as hangers and clothes become part of the figures, giving them a floating and dreamlike presence.
The characters placed in rooms or before walls resemble the artist herself, someone who does not fully reveal her inner self but continues to live with a sense of quiet responsibility. Just as her paintings hang on the gallery wall, Ahn imagines herself standing before the wall of the world, sharing her story once again.
By presenting paintings and drawings together, 𝐌𝐞, 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥 shows how a single image can change through different materials and textures. The soft lines of pencil and the rich layers of oil paint reveal different emotional tones, inviting viewers to meet “me on the wall” and reflect on their own feelings.
As its title suggests, 𝐌𝐞, 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥 is both a portrait on the wall and a landscape of the artist’s inner world. When familiar scenes shift like dreams and ordinary gazes begin to feel unfamiliar, viewers are drawn into a quiet space where forgotten emotions gently return.
