Hushed Noise’s 10: Ahn Hyejin on Intuitive Color, Soft Resistance, and the Quiet Ritual of Painting
30 Jun 2025
Ahn Hyejin is a Korean artist whose work unfolds through instinct, color, and a deep sensitivity to inner emotion. Her practice began with childhood joy in filling pages with color and has grown into a gentle yet persistent inquiry into identity, nature, and fluid transformation. Working primarily in two dimensions, Hyejin’s dreamlike forms—often inspired by animals, plants, and spiritual symbolism—offer subtle reflections on evolution, self-portraiture, and letting go of control. In this interview, she shares how her intuitive process, love for nature, and ongoing project “108 Fish” form a quiet but powerful act of emotional presence and self-discovery.
Hushed Noise: Can you share a bit about your artistic journey? What inspired you to start creating?
Ahn Hyejin: I’ve loved coloring ever since I was a child. I found so much joy in filling in the lines of a sketchbook, one by one, and naturally, I became drawn to art.
Then one day, I happened to join an art studio, and from the very beginning, the teacher told me, “Draw whatever you want.” Rather than following fixed answers, I was encouraged to ask myself, “What do I want to draw?” and “What colors do I like?”—and to express those freely.
There were days when I had nothing I wanted to draw, so I simply filled the page with colors or dots and went home. But over time, these small experiences built up and helped me let go of the fear of expressing myself.
Even now, I work while holding onto the sense of freedom and sensitivity I learned back then. For me, art began with the joy of discovering and expressing myself through color.
Hushed Noise: How does your cultural background or personal experiences influence your work?
Ahn Hyejin: I’ve always lived by trying things out as I go, within the environment given to me. Rather than overthinking things in advance, I tend to dive in first and reflect through experience. This way of approaching life naturally shows up in my art as well.
Instead of relying on a perfect plan, I allow the work to unfold as I paint, embracing unexpected mistakes as part of the process. For instance, there was a time I made a stain while applying color. Instead of erasing it, I turned it into a shape with more paint—and surprisingly, that became the most interesting part of the piece.
What felt like a mistake at first ended up being the part I loved the most. Often, when I pause to think about how to respond to these “accidents,” that’s when the most exciting ideas come to me.
Of course, there are still moments that catch me off guard—but these days, I try to enjoy even those unexpected turns. As these experiences build up, I’ve come to believe that mistakes are part of the work itself, and I’ve learned to respond more freely and flexibly to the flow of the process.
Hushed Noise: Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you develop an idea into a finished piece?
Ahn Hyejin: Rather than starting with a fixed concept, I begin with a feeling—an impression sparked by color or a sensory resonance. Sometimes it’s a fleeting image that crosses my mind, a mood I pick up from everyday life, or the quiet flow of nature. These moments become seeds for my work.
I leave sketches or notes to capture these fragments, and from there, I experiment with color, form, and composition to give them shape.
I don’t set everything in stone from the beginning. My work often takes unexpected turns, and in those unfamiliar directions, I often discover the story I truly wanted to tell. That’s why I try to stay in an open state while working.
For me, creating art isn’t about delivering a specific message—it’s more of a journey to understand myself and follow my instincts. And within that process, stories and meanings naturally begin to emerge.
When one piece is complete, it leads to the next—and little by little, I feel I’m getting closer to the stories that live inside me.
Hushed Noise: What themes or messages do you explore in your art, and why do they resonate with you?
Ahn Hyejin: My work often begins with stories about myself. Although I explore the idea of self-portraiture, I don’t usually depict the human figure directly. Instead, I express myself through elements of nature—flowers, plants, animals—or imagined life forms.
Just as animals evolve to adapt to their environment, I, too, imagine myself evolving through my work. I can’t say for sure if the forms I create are perfectly suited for this time and age, but by layering pieces of what I love—bits of emotion, shapes, and textures—I come to understand myself more deeply.
The imaginary beings that emerge often become symbols of my inner emotional states. Because emotions are too complex to capture with a single color or shape, I try to express them through unfamiliar combinations and layered tones that visually explore that complexity.
When I look at a finished piece, there’s often a dreamlike atmosphere—something that feels vaguely familiar, yet impossible to fully recall. I, too, am continuously changing with the flow of time, and my paintings follow that rhythm.
That’s why, for me, art is more than simply creating an image. It’s a way of exploring and questioning the state of my emotions and existence. Something fluid rather than fixed—that’s the story I’m telling right now.
Hushed Noise: What challenges do you face as an emerging artist, and how do you navigate them?
Ahn Hyejin: As an emerging artist, one of the biggest challenges I face is having to explain my work more often than I can actually show it. Because I don’t yet have a large body of work, I often find myself talking about it instead—and sometimes, when I try to put my ideas into words, it feels like the true essence of what I want to express gets blurred or confined by overly clear interpretations.
That’s why lately, I’ve been focusing more on expressing through the work itself rather than through explanations. Even if the direction isn’t always clear, I’ve found that following that uncertainty often leads to more honest emotions and instincts emerging in the process.
Another difficulty I face is figuring out how to share my work with the world. I’m not always sure how much or what kind of portfolio to prepare, and without any exhibition experience yet, I sometimes wonder if I should be creating with specific spaces in mind from the start.
There are moments when I think, “If the work is good, it will eventually find its place.” But when I see others with great work still struggling to find exhibition opportunities, my confidence can waver.
Still, even amid all these questions and uncertainties, I try not to stop working. I’m doing my best to keep creating—steadily and consistently—one piece at a time.
Hushed Noise: Are there any artists, movements, or experiences that have deeply influenced your work?
Ahn Hyejin: Nature has had the greatest influence on my work. I don’t just observe it—I love to smell it, touch it, and quietly spend time immersing myself in it through all my senses.
I tend to walk slowly, too—not out of habit, but because I like to observe everything around me more carefully. When I can’t experience nature directly, I turn to documentaries. But whenever possible, I try to physically move into natural spaces and absorb their life force and sensory richness with my whole body.
One of the most vivid memories I hold is from my childhood in Guam. When I was around thirteen, I would walk alone to the beach every morning. One day, I was peering into the water when I came across a school of brilliantly colored fish. That moment has stayed with me ever since—it was the first time color reached me like an emotion.
The primal movements and behaviors of animals resonate with me on a deeply sensory level. The way creatures swim or fly—like fish or birds—makes me feel color in a way that goes beyond form. The way light meets color underwater, and how it constantly shifts and changes, always leaves a strong impression on me.
I mix and create colors very instinctively. I follow where my hands lead, and I think it’s because the impressions I’ve absorbed from nature have taken root in my body. Even if I don’t fully understand the rules behind nature’s palette, it feels alive—like it’s breathing. That sense of vitality never ceases to amaze me, and it continues to shape my work in meaningful ways.
Hushed Noise: How do you see your art evolving in the next few years?
Ahn Hyejin: Moving forward, I want to focus more deeply on two-dimensional work while continuing to experiment and expand the ways I express myself within that format.
Right now, my pieces are more centered around individual images, but I’m beginning to envision ways to connect them more meaningfully—to weave them into a flowing narrative.
Even if the work is presented in separate projects, I hope that, in the end, it forms one continuous journey—a journey of searching for and understanding myself.
At the same time, I don’t want to remain only within the boundaries of flat surfaces. I’m interested in naturally expanding into installation, objects, and media involving movement.
Through these varied approaches, I hope to reveal the sensations and questions within me more deeply and honestly.
Hushed Noise: What’s a recent project or piece that you’re particularly proud of, and why?
Ahn Hyejin: The series I’m currently working on—“108 Fish”—is the most meaningful project to me.
Though it hasn’t been exhibited yet, this work goes beyond mere creation. It is a process of devotion, almost like a personal spiritual practice, carried out with sincerity and care.
Each fish symbolizes a single worldly desire or delusion. As I paint each one, I take time to reflect inwardly and quietly empty my thoughts.
The idea of “release” in this series isn’t just about completing a body of work—it feels more like sending a part of myself into the world. Not by presenting myself directly, but as if I were introducing my children to the world one by one. Each fish carries my thoughts and stories, and even if I remain silent, they seem to speak on my behalf—gently meeting the world and offering a quiet presence. I paint them with the hope that they will swim silently through the world, planting small seeds—and that, someday, somewhere, those seeds might bloom.
Among all animals, I especially love fish and birds. Their colors, forms, and movements are so beautiful and fascinating. The way they glide through water or soar through the sky always inspires my imagination.
Fish, in particular, appear often as spiritual or mythological symbols across many cultures. Although I don’t follow any specific religion, I often feel like my paintings have become my own kind of faith. That’s why I find great meaning in exploring various religious and symbolic references and interpreting them in my own way. With each fish I paint, I carry the hope that, once released into the world, they might offer quiet comfort or peace to someone, somewhere.
Hushed Noise: What role do you think social media and digital platforms play in shaping the opportunities for emerging artists today?
Ahn Hyejin: There was a time when I hesitated to share my work on social media, mainly because I was afraid it might be copied or misused without my consent.
But now, we live in a time where anyone can freely express who they are and what they create. And just as I’ve found inspiration and encouragement through the work of other artists, I’ve come to believe that my own work could offer the same kind of inspiration and positive influence to someone else.
I see social media and digital platforms as essential opportunities for emerging artists. They allow us to introduce ourselves to the world and share our work more easily.But beyond simply showing art, these platforms also let us read the pulse of the world in real time—to engage, respond, and grow through that interaction.
These days, I often think we live in an era where it’s hard to create something completely new. So much has already been made. What matters now is how we reinterpret, reimagine, and use what exists to create something uniquely ours.
In that sense, social media becomes a meaningful bridge—connecting my creative voice with the responses, interests, and energy of the wider world. Most importantly, I’ve learned that it’s more valuable to focus on working sincerely and consistently than to be paralyzed by fear of imitation. When we share our stories with honesty, we naturally begin to connect with others—and those connections often come back to us as new motivation.
Hushed Noise: If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Ahn Hyejin: Although I don’t yet consider myself a full-fledged artist, I would love the opportunity to collaborate with AI in the future. To me, AI isn’t just a tool—it feels more like a presence that opens up space for imagination. Images that once stayed confined to the screen begin to branch out through dialogue with AI, and by following that flow, I believe they can naturally expand into installations, objects, and media that involve movement.
Collaboration with AI isn’t just about technical expansion—it’s a chance to draw out sensations, images, and questions that I may never have accessed on my own. When familiar forms of expression are disrupted or twisted through interactions with AI, I believe it can open up entirely new horizons of imagination.
Follow Ahn Hyejin’s work on Instagram at @ahxjini.
Edited by Xeni R. Quine
Images by Ahn Hyejin