The Unfinished Bloom

K&L Museum is pleased to present The Unfinished Bloom, a solo exhibition by German contemporary artist Ann-Kristin Hamm, which will be hosted in our space from April 10 to July 31. This exhibition marks the first introduction of Hamm’s work to the Korean audience, showcasing her contributions to the lineage of German Abstraction, a long evolved contemporary art movement deeply inspired by Neo-Expressionism. Hamm’s paintings emphasize experimentation, deconstructing traditional compositions and reassembling them into abstraction through various images, which highlight spontaneity and hybridity.

Expressionism in painting began with the formation of the Die Brücke group in Dresden, Germany, in 1905. Rather than representing reality, they focused on intensely expressing inner emotions, actively utilizing distorted forms and rich colors. The advancements in technology and industrialization, along with the two World Wars, amplified human anxieties and fears, often released and alleviated through art. Within this context, the emotional weight of Expressionism and the loss of figurative objects depicted by artists became a crucial catalyst for the development of abstract painting.

Germany, in particular, witnessed the emergence of several pioneering figures in abstract art. Notable figures such as Wassily Kandinsky, who explored the pure beauty of color and form; Franz Marc, who investigated the purity of nature and humanity through symbolic and emotional colors; and Albert Oehlen, who questioned the very medium of painting itself, all contributed to the rich tradition of abstract art that continues to influence contemporary art today.

Ann-Kristin Hamm, who carries on the long-standing tradition of Expressionism and abstract art rooted in Germany, studied under the internationally recognized masters Albert Oehlen and Dieter Krieg. She graduated from the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where she taught from 2021 to 2023 while continuing her own artistic development. Her work expands with originality, rooted in a deep commitment to the pursuit of artistic exploration, and drawing strong inspiration from bold female artists  such as Jutta Koether and Amy Sillman, along with American abstract painters. 

Ann-Kristin Hamm emphasizes the act of "drawing" itself, capturing reactions and intuitions in her paintings that cannot otherwise be expressed through words. Her works trace the flow of the self and its emotions, and through this process, creative collisions and sensory responses leave marks on the canvas where beginnings and endings are not clearly defined. Primarily working with large-scale paintings, she begins with the resistance and overwhelming sensation of the blank canvas, focusing on intangible sensations such as temperature, intuition, and desire, continuously exploring on the canvas. In this process, Hamm repeatedly engages in the act of communicating, daringly discarding parts of the painting, reorganizing, and constantly finding balance, until, at some point, she finds herself deeply immersed, unaware of her own position.

Fine lines enter the empty space, subtle hues emerge, and layers of texture bloom in her paintings, resembling the process of a flower blossoming from a tiny seed. Although abstract in nature, without order or substance, the softened surface and rough, small brushstrokes create a contrast, bringing a sense of vitality, as if leaping back and forth within the space. The proliferation of forms and colors, born from instinctive actions and strange logic, belongs to the visual language that cannot be explained through spoken or written words. Rather than fixed interpretation, it calls for a reflective and empathetic approach.

Just as the origin and conclusion of a flower’s bloom cannot be explained by words, Ann-Kristin Hamm’s works exist organically through a creative transformation. In them, we can see and feel life itself. Her self-blooming works on the canvas, mirroring the dynamic changes of spring, invite the viewer into a shared experience of growth and renewal, resonating deeply with those who engage with them.