Unexpected Light: Works by Young Il Ahn

(Los Angeles—February 10, 2017) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Unexpected Light: Works by Young Il Ahn, the first solo exhibition of a Korean American artist at LACMA. Young Il Ahn has lived and worked in Los Angeles since 1966, and the city’s landscape has profoundly affected his work. Curated by Virginia Moon, assistant curator of Korean art at LACMA, the exhibition features 10 large oil paintings from his Water series, including five new artworks. The Water series (1983–ongoing) takes inspiration from his experience of being lost on the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Santa Monica. In 1983, Ahn was aboard a small fishing boat when he was caught in a fog so dense that he could not see his hands in front of his face; suddenly, the fog cleared, revealing sunlight on the water all around him. This vision and experience would shape his practice for decades to come.

  • Feb 25, 2017–Aug 12, 2018
  • Hammer Building, Level 2
  • Exhibitions