Annette Hur : After Leaving, Before the End

CHART is pleased to present After Leaving, Before the End, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Brooklyn based, South Korean artist Annette Hur. Presenting works on both levels of the gallery, this marks Hur’s first solo exhibition with CHART. The opening reception will be held on Friday, February 21, from 6–8 p.m., and the exhibition will remain on view through April 5, 2025. 

The light dappled, mutable landscapes of Hur’s new paintings are an immersive metaphoric journey for the artist. In these works, she embodies the landscape, identifying with and moving through nature within the vacillating currents of an expansive ocean, the gravitational force of plunging waterfalls and the seductive pull of the distant moon.  Hur’s turbulent personal history and her experience as a female immigrant navigating two cultures underpins her practice. These paintings document her journey of self-actualization.  As the exhibition title suggests, they explore the space, “After Leaving, Before the End.”

With a vibrant and at times dissonant palette, Hur’s diverse application of marks create images that are initially recognizable but quickly dissolve into pure color, light and movement. The intimately scaled works on board, installed in the lower level of the gallery, offer a glimpse into the mechanics of this intuitive transition, serving as spontaneous journals of color and moments from Hur’s studio process.

“This collision between reality, dreams, and desires resonates through layers of violent hues of colors and boundless yet determined brushstrokes. Water-in nature- as a universally symbolic capricious element, operates as a metaphor for perpetual journeys and reflecting the passing of time.” 

-Annette Hur

About the Artist

Hur was born in South Korea and currently lives and works in Brooklyn. Recent exhibitions include solo/group exhibitions at Hesse Flatow, Ross + Kramer, Assembly Room, Wallach Gallery, Gavin Brown Enterprise, RegularNormal, Urban Zen, Times Square Space in New York; Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey; West Chester University in Pennsylvania; Heaven Gallery, Chicago Artists Coalition, Boundary in Chicago. Hur’s work was featured in Friend of The Artist Volume 11, Create! Magazine issue 13, New American Paintings issues 134 & 135, the online art publications: Bad at Sports and Third Coast Review, the online news: NewCity Art, ADF Magazine, Naeil News, The preview, Sisa today. Hur was a nominee for Rema Hor Mann Grant in 2019, a resident of BOLT Residency at Chicago Artists Coalition in 2016-2017. Hur holds a BA from Ewha Women's University (2008), BFA (2015) from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and MFA (2019) from Columbia University.